Spyderco Forums

Alright so I know you can use a *sharpmaker or lansky system to sharpen *your knives but*I've read on bladeforums that people use the bottom off a coffee mug to sharpen their Case CV knives. I have chestnut CV peanut in the mail right now, and when the time comes to sharpen it, I'll have to give the coffee mug a try.*

My question to you Spydie fans is this: what different and unconventional ways do you sharpen your knives? They can be any knife brand, Spydie or not*And if you dont use unconventional ways, what system do you use?*

Hey billy,
I've used a coffee mug to sharpen my knives before. In a pinch, if you have no other options, it will touch up an edge quite well.
Just make sure there are no chips in the mugs bottom.
I also carry a couple of credit card sized peices of fine grit (600 & 800) sandpaper in my wallet just in case i have no other way of putting an edge on one of my edc's.
One other thing i've done is use the top edge of my truck's door window to hone the knife i'm carrying.
I have diamond rod sharpeners in each one of my edc bags, and another in the pouch i carry my leatherman in at work. It gets borrowed almost every day by one of my co-workers.
Later,
Don

Anything that is smooth and harder than the blade material can be used to enhance an edge.

Currently trying out this old ballast from some kind of industrial lamp. It seems to do a pretty good job touching up. A few folks from work swear by them. Bottom line is always making the edges on both sides meet in the middle with as much precision as you can muster :)

Exploring edges can be great fun :D

Yup, I've used a coffee mug to sharpen friend's knives because it was the only thing available when they showed me their knives. They were pretty surprised at the results though to speak truth, they were still pretty much dull by knife nut standards.

Don't know if this would work or not, but I've seen people sharpen knives on concrete blocks, and edges of car windows like Don said.

C.L.L 97 wrote:Don't know if this would work or not, but I've seen people sharpen knives on concrete blocks, and edges of car windows like Don said.

I've heard about using a concrete block before. Might have to try the top of my truck window just to see.

I can get shaving on a brick., and have git shaving edges on plates, cups, bowls, crock pots, mortars and pestles, sandpaper.

Put paper cutting edges on knives with concrete and cinderblocks

I. Used a car window at one stage and a rock

Cant think of anything elsev

In soviet russia, knife sharpens you.

paper wheels for me

BigBill5953 wrote:...Might have to try the top of my truck window just to see.

It works really well, very similar to the fine texture profile stone on the radiused edge. I have not had to sharpen it from dull before, but have reapplied a hair popping edge before with light strokes.

I'm so hard i just use the back of my left arm.



Don't forget you can also use the top of the water tank on a toilet if you take the lid off...nice smooth porcelain.

xceptnl wrote:It works really well, very similar to the fine texture profile stone on the radiused edge. I have not had to sharpen it from dull before, but have reapplied a hair popping edge before with light strokes.

Sounds good. How exactly did you sharpen/ touch it up? Which way did you position the blade? Which way did you move it? (edge first or spine first)? I'm pretty unsure of and kind of freehand sharpening. I have the sharpmaker but Im looking at getting the Double Stuff sometime in the near future.

I have sharpened a dull field knife (no edge) on a cinder block, removed burrs with a straight stroke on the corners of a wood 2 by 4 and then went to a red construction builders brick for a field sharp knife and finished on a leather strop loaded wit 0.5 micron diamond paste and had an edge that made hair pop off my arm. FWIW that took about 12 minutes to do and I travel daily with a lot of sharpening equipment, sharpmaker, diamond stones, Japanese Whetstones, strops etc etc......Doc :)

Dr. Snubnose wrote:I have sharpened a dull field knife (no edge) on a cinder block, went to a red construction builders brick and finished on a leather strop loaded wit 0.5 micron diamond paste and had an edge that made hair pop off my hair. FWIW I travel daily with a lot of sharpening equipment, sharpmaker, diamond stones, Japanese Whetstones, strops etc etc......Doc :)

Hair pop off your hair eh?

razorsharp wrote:Hair pop off your hair eh?

yah I have hairy arms.....well use to....oh my typo.......lol.......

I use the curb and strop with cigarette butts. With all these knives who can afford sharpening gear? :D

i have used coffee mugs, glasses etc id luv 2 get one of those lamp ballast thingamabobs my grandad had one. He also had a ceramic rod that was coated w/ some kinda hard slick blue glass, he used it working as an electrician. That thing was as smooth as window glass and good God have mercy, that old man could "edge 1 up". Ive used semichrome on leather. Ive used the steel in the canadian crutches I built. Look around. Youll find something

[video=youtube;w3vEGEamZGM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3vEGEamZGM&feature=plcp[/video]

For bigger, rougher blades like axes or cheap machetes, I have had good results with bricks and sometimes field/river stone.