How to Use a Hunting Knife Sharpener

It’s essential to keep your knives sharp throughout hunting. It’s because using a dull knife is the most irritating thing because it has rarely been effective while skinning an animal. Besides, dull knives are dangerous too, and that can lead you to some unwanted injury. Would you really want to experience any wounds in the middle of the jungle? Of course not. So, make sure you pack a sharpener for a hunting knife and certain gears if you have a great hunting trip in mind.

Honestly, when you’re outside of your home, sharpening a knife can be the most onerous task. Although you got the best hunting knife sharpener, it’ll be just a pointless thing if you don’t know how to use it. So, how to use a hunting knife sharpener? Wanna learn the easiest way? Let’s dive in!

How to Use a Hunting Knife Sharpener- Some Simple Steps

First of all, you need to ensure all the essential equipment. In this case, you’ll need lubricant, oil, knives, and of course, the sharpener that you prefer. We would like to recommend you to bring more than one knife. In order to avoid significant damages to your primary knife, it’ll be better if you do some practice on some older knives first.

(Look, there’s a minimal possibility of damaging your hunting knife, but it can occur due to adapting the wrong angle or additional pressure. Soon after you acquire the appropriate technique, you can start sharpening your hunting knife.)

Okay, now that you’ve bought all the equipment, let’s start the process. The second step is to ensure the perfect angle of sharpening your knife. Note that the knife should be kept in an accurate angle constantly; otherwise, you would be responsible for damaging your knife.

Maintaining the angle within 13 to 16 degrees is ideal for the knives. So, it’ll be better if you keep that in mind and follow that angle consistently.

If you’ve got a manual knife sharpener if you’ve to first soak the sharpener into the water for up to 45 minutes, after soaking, add some lubricating oil on the sharpener. The oil will allow you to have proper slides in a convenient way on the sharpener’s surface. It’s also helpful for reducing steel shaving.

Though, remember that not every sharpener needs to be soaked or lubricated. In this case, you should follow the guidelines of the manufacturer. Perhaps, some sharpener may get damaged if wet them or put oil on them. Such as the best field knife sharpener; you can simply use one of them without soaking.

Now, let’s jump to the next step. In this phase, you require you to hold the knife carefully at the angle that we’ve mentioned above. Then rub the knife gently upon the rough surface of the sharpener. This part of the sharpener is actually a rough grit. It eliminates big pieces from the blade that simplify and speed up the sharpening cycle.

Once you see that it’s smooth sufficiently, you should start sharpening the edge with the finer grit. Switch around the knife then continue sharpening on the opposite side. The angle should as the same as the first cycle. Continue this step until it offers a smooth finish. When you get maximum, ensured consider it’s done.

These are the most straightforward steps that work perfectly for most knives, but if you got a serrated blade, you need to be more tricky. Serrated blades aren’t like ordinary knives, and they have more sharpness than the standard blades. In order to sharpen a serrated blade, you would need to have a honing rod. That wouldn’t be possible to carry during hunting.

However, if you manage to take a honing rod with you, then you can follow these steps.

Some Precautions

A knife is a handy weapon, but if you are not cautious, it can be risky. Thus, you or your companions can get hurt. Therefore, prior to sharpening the knife, you may require some precautions for your own safety.

First of all, you would need to have durable gloves that are resistant to cut. Typically, it features a dense coating that will shield you from being cut while performing the sharpening process. Next, you must always position the knife sharpener by maintaining a minimum distance from your body. It’s for ensuring that it doesn’t harm you if it falls. After all, you wouldn’t want your slippery hand, as well as the surface, let the sharpener or your knife jump on you.

We aren’t done yet. The next thing that you should consider is carefulness. Even though you’ve got a rusty and aged knife, treat it carefully. If you use it carelessly, a rusty and outdated knife may still be very harmful. Always seek proper guidance before sharpening your knife because it can be risky. And finally, don’t rush, make your knife sharp slowly.

Final Words

So, how to use a hunting knife sharpener? Is it clear to you now? It’s not that much hard. You just have to ensure the perfect angle and an appropriate hunting knife sharpener. The rest is magic. Don’t forget to follow the precaution before sharpening your knives. But sometimes these precautions aren’t with us during the hunting process. So, just be careful and do it slowly. And always keep your knives away from the reach of children. Wish you an enjoyable hunting experience.

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