This is the best explanation on cutting tool maintenance I have ever seen anywhere, simple and laser driven to the point, I am making my Son watch this at least a dozen times.Blackie I would like to see a video on how to produce small amounts of black powder and fashion percussion caps. Another ammo draught is surely around the corner. It would be good to have the knowledge of how to make our own powder and caps, Running ball is a science in itself but forgiving so long as you can seat the ball. ATB Bill
Making your own black powder is easy but dangerous if you want it to flash fast and consistently - you have to heat it, let it cool, and then regrind it. Making caps is not only hard but even mor dangerous. It is better to go with a flintlock.
Very good video. I end up sharpening knives for a lot of my friends. They think that spending money on fancy sharpeners will help them get a good edge. The problem is that they don't understand the process. You explained it very clearly and I will pass on the link to others.
Good practicle advice in a clear video format.... I am slso glad to see you using "common man" knives and equipment as most of us can't afford a $300 plus knife and a cheaper knife does just as well. Nor, can we afford a $1000 of equipment to maintain it.
Fully agree with you Levi. Blackie just put here one of the best explanation in a simple way so any one can understand. I'm always amazed by people trying to get yourself into those very expensive pieces of gear for sharpening our knife. I just remenber my granfather having is small stone in is pocket and pulling it out spitting on it and pass IT on his scythe an even his pocket knife. At home he as a bigger stone like the one Blakie shows. His tools were always incredibely sharp and effectives so why do we need such expensive sharpening set???? Thanks Blackie for this one and have a nice and safe one my friend Ciao from Quebec ⚜
great advice. I've always struggled with sharpening knives and axe's. videos like yours have changed all of that. I'm not an expert, but do have several friends always asking me to sharpen their knives. Strength & Honor
I liked the video and it's a topic not very often discussed. In the field I use a stone, ceramic rod, a diamond sharpener or a combination like the DC3 and DC4 from Fallkniven but I only use them if the edge has some damage. I use my leather belt for stropping. I put toothpaste or baking soda (with some spit) on there and this will convex the edge a bit. But that's ok. You can always restore the edge when you are home again. To prevent (to much) field sharpening I bring two knives. One for food prep and small tasks that can have a very sharp and fine edge and one for the more robust tasks like wood processing, batoning and stuff like that. That one is also sharp but has a more robust edge. This way I basically never have to sharpen on the trail, not even when I'm away for a month. Just some stropping will do.
Excellent as always Blackie. I was out chopping today for my grandma's yardwork and all she had was a file to remove some chips when I hit a rock. Great tips and I want to try that green sharpener on my kukri. Thanks for posting
Great video! Begs the question, what are realistic expectations for a given knife edge? For instance, is it realistic to work at producing a razor edge for a machete or hatchet? Can a camp knife be too sharp for what its expected to do? Are some steels just not up to producing a razor edge? I think what I am trying to ask is if it's possible to to seek after more edge than necessary or possible? Thoughts?
From Blackie Thomas Thanks for the videos I review them every now and then. And it seems like every time I watch one I get something again that I overlooked or forgotten. Keep them coming I'll keep watching been watching you for about 2 years which is not very long so during the number of years you been doing it but I really enjoy them. Gingdah 🚶💀 my 2nd year in Bushcraft survival prepping. 🚶💀
glad you brought that out about course edge on choppers iv sharpens knives for friends and had them say well I can't shave with it lol then snake the first tree and tell me I didn't do. good job lol you stay safe atb.....tom
I've seen a lot of tests, and performed a lot of tests, with all sorts of material, including leather, newspaper, denim, and sandpaper. Only sandpaper does anything close to a good job as a strop, and even with sandpaper you need to go to four thousand before you reach the quality of a leather strop with compound on it. Contrary to about a million TH-cam videos, bare leather is about as close to useless as you can get. From what I understand, using bare leather as a strop came about because a barber strop has one side with compound on it, and a back side that's bare leather. People getting a shave would see the barber strop with the compound side, and then with the bare leather side, and thought that meant you can use bare leather as a strop. Anyway, bare leather is as useless as you can get as a strop. What the bare leather side of the barber strop did was clean the edge by removing microscopic bits of metal and polishing compound. That's it. It can take up to three hours using bare leather to do the same job a leather strop covered with stopping compound does it under a minute. Well under, depending on which stropping compound is being used. Anyway, you can measure the effect of bare leather as a strop in a lab, and it does so close to nothing that it's pointless. And even if it did work, unless your strop is on something flat and hard, you'll soon turn your Scandi grind into a Scandivex. Maintaining a convex grind is the whole point of a hanging strop. Regardless of how hard you pull, the strop is not rigid, and will dip down with every stroke of the knife. When you can find it, there's a twelve thousand grit sandpaper now, which is right on the border of not cutting any steel at all, but it does a wonderful job of getting the edge close to perfect. A strop is one thing where I don't think improvising is a good idea. Newspaper does a poor job, as does denim and cardboard. I carry a four by three leather on wood strop with me all the time when I'm in the woods. It has green compound, which is the finest cutting grit with the brand I use, one side has thing, hard leather, and the other side has thick, soft leather. The thick, soft side works best for convex grinds, and the thin, harder side works best for all other grinds. It fits nicely in a small bag, and the wood is only an eighth of an inch thick, so it will fit on my belt, in most of my shirt pockets, in my pants pockets, etc. If I have a haversack with me, it goes in there, along with the rest of my sharpening kit, but it's nearly always with me, even in town. It's big enough to strop any knife I have, though it takes some practice to strop a really big knife with it, such as my Ka-Bar Big Brother. But it can be done, and done well. At home, I finish stropping with red compound that has a grit of roughly 30000, so it doesn't cut at all, it merely polishes, and will put a true mirror finish on the bevel. I don't know how much difference this makes with cutting, very little would be my guess, but it sure is pretty. I hate most manmade stones. They're just too rough, and too porous. I use high quality Arkansas Oilstones, ranging from soft, all the way up through black. With better knives, and with knives belong to someone else, I use sandpaper after the Arkansas Black, going up to at least four thousand. . Then I strop with green compound, and then with red. . Anyway, I use two sizes of pocket stones in the woods, and bench stones at home. I like either 3-in-1 oil, or mineral oil. Never, ever, for any reason put water on an Arkansas stone. You'll clog it in nothing flat. You'll eventually clog any porous stone when using it with water because water won't float the tiny pieces of steel the stone removes. The right oil will. Honing should really be done only after a knife has been used for a while, and shows that first sign of dulling. Honing actually straightens bent places along the edge caused by using the knife. Just like stropping at this stage, honing maintains the edge and lets you go longer between sharpening. Honing really does nothing when used between the sharpening and stropping process. You stone, and then your strop, at least a leather strop with compound, removes anything along the edge, whether it's fuzzy places, or whether is and actual wire edge, which you should always get when sharpening a knife. The rule of how many stroke depends on how many stones you use. Each time you step up to a finer grit/harder stone, you should do ten times as many strokes as you did with the previous stone. It's a silly rule and whoever came up with it didn't use more than a couple of stones. With the four stones I use, if I did only ten strokes on the first stone, I'm have to do ten thousand on the fourth. Then a hundred thousand with the sandpaper, I guess. A professional knife sharpener I worked for told me to just use a course stone, meaning a six hundred, or a soft Arkansas, until you had a good edge, regardless of how many strokes it takes. Then start the ten times process. Do ten strokes with an eight hundred stone, a hundred strokes with a one thousand stone or hard Arkansas, and then a thousand strokes with an Arkansas black. Start the process over if you want to move on the sandpaper. Ten strokes with two thousand, a hundred strokes with three thousand, and a thousand strokes with four thousand. Finish with ten light strokes on a leather strop with green compound, and a hundred strokes with red compound. All this care is home sharpening, of course. But I go almost this far in the woods, if I'm out long enough for the knife to get really dull. Though dullness can happen instantly, even with a good knife and good steel. I had a friend who was reaching up to cut a vine, and he took a step to get into better position. His foot sank into an old groundhog den covered with leaves and he went down. The edge of the blade came down on a rock, and had a lot of weight behind it. That was that. But he wasn't hurt, and had something to do for a few hours.
I never heard of honing a knife before you strop it. Or before it starts to cut poorly, for that matter. If there are no bent section along a knife edge, honing seems pretty pointless. Every knife sharpener, and chef, I know sharpens, then strops. No honing is done until after the knife if used for a time. Use bends the edge in spots, and makes the knife seem dull, even though it isn't. Honing straightens the edge, and makes it cut well again. You repeat this until time to either strop again, or until time to actually sharpen again. Chefs usually hone their knives after every use, or right before every use, depending on how you look at it, but don't hone the first time until after the knife has been used for a full day's work. Anyway, different practice, I guess, but I can't see what good honing would do after sharpening, and before a strop. Except for a small burr that the strop will have to remove, the edge should be nearly perfect after you finish sharpening it. There's nothing I can think for a honing rod or steel to do. The edge should already be razor sharp, and the strop, a good leather strop with compound, will remove any burr, and give the edge a mirror finish.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for keeping me "Sharp". Priceless info for sure.
good show...!!
This is the best explanation on cutting tool maintenance I have ever seen anywhere, simple and laser driven to the point, I am making my Son watch this at least a dozen times.Blackie I would like to see a video on how to produce small amounts of black powder and fashion percussion caps. Another ammo draught is surely around the corner. It would be good to have the knowledge of how to make our own powder and caps, Running ball is a science in itself but forgiving so long as you can seat the ball. ATB Bill
Making your own black powder is easy but dangerous if you want it to flash fast and consistently - you have to heat it, let it cool, and then regrind it. Making caps is not only hard but even mor dangerous. It is better to go with a flintlock.
Very informative, Blackie!
Voodoo steel,ha ha.Also equals voodoo sharpeners.I'm a simple man like you,simple an easy . Thx's for sharing your skills with us.
very nice
Thank you Blackie.
good tips Blackie
I thought I was the only one using sandpaper lol good tip on the newspaper
As usual, great instructions! Thanks Blackie!
Very good video. I end up sharpening knives for a lot of my friends. They think that spending money on fancy sharpeners will help them get a good edge. The problem is that they don't understand the process. You explained it very clearly and I will pass on the link to others.
thanks for your comment..safe journeys to you
Good practicle advice in a clear video format.... I am slso glad to see you using "common man" knives and equipment as most of us can't afford a $300 plus knife and a cheaper knife does just as well. Nor, can we afford a $1000 of equipment to maintain it.
Fully agree with you Levi. Blackie just put here one of the best explanation in a simple way so any one can understand. I'm always amazed by people trying to get yourself into those very expensive pieces of gear for sharpening our knife. I just remenber my granfather having is small stone in is pocket and pulling it out spitting on it and pass IT on his scythe an even his pocket knife. At home he as a bigger stone like the one Blakie shows. His tools were always incredibely sharp and effectives so why do we need such expensive sharpening set???? Thanks Blackie for this one and have a nice and safe one my friend
Ciao from Quebec ⚜
great advice. I've always struggled with sharpening knives and axe's. videos like yours have changed all of that. I'm not an expert, but do have several friends always asking me to sharpen their knives.
Strength & Honor
thanks for the tip. the videos are a very helpful tool, keep them coming
Thanks very much its really good feed back. I am just learning and you are helping a lot.
I liked the video and it's a topic not very often discussed.
In the field I use a stone, ceramic rod, a diamond sharpener or a combination like the DC3 and DC4 from Fallkniven but I only use them if the edge has some damage.
I use my leather belt for stropping. I put toothpaste or baking soda (with some spit) on there and this will convex the edge a bit. But that's ok.
You can always restore the edge when you are home again.
To prevent (to much) field sharpening I bring two knives. One for food prep and small tasks that can have a very sharp and fine edge and one for the more robust tasks like wood processing, batoning and stuff like that. That one is also sharp but has a more robust edge.
This way I basically never have to sharpen on the trail, not even when I'm away for a month. Just some stropping will do.
Very well explained my friend great video
Thank you for explaining this in a very w=easy to understand method.
Excellent as always Blackie. I was out chopping today for my grandma's yardwork and all she had was a file to remove some chips when I hit a rock. Great tips and I want to try that green sharpener on my kukri. Thanks for posting
Great video! Begs the question, what are realistic expectations for a given knife edge? For instance, is it realistic to work at producing a razor edge for a machete or hatchet? Can a camp knife be too sharp for what its expected to do? Are some steels just not up to producing a razor edge? I think what I am trying to ask is if it's possible to to seek after more edge than necessary or possible? Thoughts?
From Blackie Thomas
Thanks for the videos I review them every now and then. And it seems like every time I watch one I get something again that I overlooked or forgotten. Keep them coming I'll keep watching been watching you for about 2 years which is not very long so during the number of years you been doing it but I really enjoy them. Gingdah 🚶💀 my 2nd year in Bushcraft survival prepping. 🚶💀
glad you brought that out about course edge on choppers iv sharpens knives for friends and had them say well I can't shave with it lol then snake the first tree and tell me I didn't do. good job lol you stay safe atb.....tom
Nice video Blackie, thanks for sharing it with us. Just a reminder that the carbide sharpener removes a lot of steel from your edge.
would you use the rougher side or the smoother side of your leather belt for stroping?
rougher side
What's your thoughts on using river stones?
they can be used as long as they are of proper hardness...
I think the Scandinavia grind is about the worst way to sharpen your knife it just doesn't last at all but that's just my opinion lol
great video. question: what kind of hat do you wear?
th-cam.com/video/JEF9ygQpaZg/w-d-xo.html
I've seen a lot of tests, and performed a lot of tests, with all sorts of material, including leather, newspaper, denim, and sandpaper. Only sandpaper does anything close to a good job as a strop, and even with sandpaper you need to go to four thousand before you reach the quality of a leather strop with compound on it.
Contrary to about a million TH-cam videos, bare leather is about as close to useless as you can get. From what I understand, using bare leather as a strop came about because a barber strop has one side with compound on it, and a back side that's bare leather. People getting a shave would see the barber strop with the compound side, and then with the bare leather side, and thought that meant you can use bare leather as a strop.
Anyway, bare leather is as useless as you can get as a strop. What the bare leather side of the barber strop did was clean the edge by removing microscopic bits of metal and polishing compound. That's it. It can take up to three hours using bare leather to do the same job a leather strop covered with stopping compound does it under a minute. Well under, depending on which stropping compound is being used.
Anyway, you can measure the effect of bare leather as a strop in a lab, and it does so close to nothing that it's pointless. And even if it did work, unless your strop is on something flat and hard, you'll soon turn your Scandi grind into a Scandivex. Maintaining a convex grind is the whole point of a hanging strop. Regardless of how hard you pull, the strop is not rigid, and will dip down with every stroke of the knife.
When you can find it, there's a twelve thousand grit sandpaper now, which is right on the border of not cutting any steel at all, but it does a wonderful job of getting the edge close to perfect.
A strop is one thing where I don't think improvising is a good idea. Newspaper does a poor job, as does denim and cardboard. I carry a four by three leather on wood strop with me all the time when I'm in the woods. It has green compound, which is the finest cutting grit with the brand I use, one side has thing, hard leather, and the other side has thick, soft leather. The thick, soft side works best for convex grinds, and the thin, harder side works best for all other grinds.
It fits nicely in a small bag, and the wood is only an eighth of an inch thick, so it will fit on my belt, in most of my shirt pockets, in my pants pockets, etc. If I have a haversack with me, it goes in there, along with the rest of my sharpening kit, but it's nearly always with me, even in town.
It's big enough to strop any knife I have, though it takes some practice to strop a really big knife with it, such as my Ka-Bar Big Brother. But it can be done, and done well.
At home, I finish stropping with red compound that has a grit of roughly 30000, so it doesn't cut at all, it merely polishes, and will put a true mirror finish on the bevel. I don't know how much difference this makes with cutting, very little would be my guess, but it sure is pretty.
I hate most manmade stones. They're just too rough, and too porous. I use high quality Arkansas Oilstones, ranging from soft, all the way up through black. With better knives, and with knives belong to someone else, I use sandpaper after the Arkansas Black, going up to at least four thousand. . Then I strop with green compound, and then with red. .
Anyway, I use two sizes of pocket stones in the woods, and bench stones at home. I like either 3-in-1 oil, or mineral oil. Never, ever, for any reason put water on an Arkansas stone. You'll clog it in nothing flat. You'll eventually clog any porous stone when using it with water because water won't float the tiny pieces of steel the stone removes. The right oil will.
Honing should really be done only after a knife has been used for a while, and shows that first sign of dulling. Honing actually straightens bent places along the edge caused by using the knife. Just like stropping at this stage, honing maintains the edge and lets you go longer between sharpening. Honing really does nothing when used between the sharpening and stropping process.
You stone, and then your strop, at least a leather strop with compound, removes anything along the edge, whether it's fuzzy places, or whether is and actual wire edge, which you should always get when sharpening a knife.
The rule of how many stroke depends on how many stones you use. Each time you step up to a finer grit/harder stone, you should do ten times as many strokes as you did with the previous stone. It's a silly rule and whoever came up with it didn't use more than a couple of stones. With the four stones I use, if I did only ten strokes on the first stone, I'm have to do ten thousand on the fourth. Then a hundred thousand with the sandpaper, I guess.
A professional knife sharpener I worked for told me to just use a course stone, meaning a six hundred, or a soft Arkansas, until you had a good edge, regardless of how many strokes it takes. Then start the ten times process. Do ten strokes with an eight hundred stone, a hundred strokes with a one thousand stone or hard Arkansas, and then a thousand strokes with an Arkansas black.
Start the process over if you want to move on the sandpaper. Ten strokes with two thousand, a hundred strokes with three thousand, and a thousand strokes with four thousand.
Finish with ten light strokes on a leather strop with green compound, and a hundred strokes with red compound.
All this care is home sharpening, of course. But I go almost this far in the woods, if I'm out long enough for the knife to get really dull. Though dullness can happen instantly, even with a good knife and good steel.
I had a friend who was reaching up to cut a vine, and he took a step to get into better position. His foot sank into an old groundhog den covered with leaves and he went down. The edge of the blade came down on a rock, and had a lot of weight behind it. That was that. But he wasn't hurt, and had something to do for a few hours.
I never heard of honing a knife before you strop it. Or before it starts to cut poorly, for that matter. If there are no bent section along a knife edge, honing seems pretty pointless. Every knife sharpener, and chef, I know sharpens, then strops. No honing is done until after the knife if used for a time. Use bends the edge in spots, and makes the knife seem dull, even though it isn't. Honing straightens the edge, and makes it cut well again. You repeat this until time to either strop again, or until time to actually sharpen again. Chefs usually hone their knives after every use, or right before every use, depending on how you look at it, but don't hone the first time until after the knife has been used for a full day's work. Anyway, different practice, I guess, but I can't see what good honing would do after sharpening, and before a strop. Except for a small burr that the strop will have to remove, the edge should be nearly perfect after you finish sharpening it. There's nothing I can think for a honing rod or steel to do. The edge should already be razor sharp, and the strop, a good leather strop with compound, will remove any burr, and give the edge a mirror finish.
Thanks Blackie. Am I able to contact you briefly on your messages Blackie? Thanks mate. Dave
my fb is blackie thomas..your welcome to pvt msg me there if ya like
All done Blackie. Just left a msg for you. Thanks mate. Dave