Knife-Knives

How to Make a Knife from an Old Saw Blade
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-a-knife-from-an-old-saw-blade/

homemade knife with leather sheath from saw blade

Making a knife is a satisfying project on a number of levels. You’re creating a fundamental tool — one of the first tools ever made — and every time you pick it up, you’ll think, “Wow, I made this with my own hands.” And because you’re making the knife, you’ll be able to adjust its shape to fit your specific needs. The trickiest part of making a knife is the blade. If you have a forge handy, and can get your hands on some good tool steel, that’s great. If you don’t, you can still make a knife using an old Appalachian trick: recycling. That’s what we’ll do in this project. ---CONTINUED---

How To Sharpen a Pocket Knife
https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-sharpen-a-pocket-knife/

(Snip) ... Before we start, I want to make clear that there are dozens of different ways to sharpen a knife. Everyone has a way they think is best, and men have all sorts of techniques and tools that they feel are essential in getting a sharp blade. In the end, much of it comes down to personal preference. I’m going to show you the way I learned how to sharpen a pocket knife. It’s very basic, good for beginners, and best of all, it works.   ---CONTINUED---

The coffee mug knife sharpener
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/cantrell105.html

You already have an excellent sharpener in your cupboard. The humble ceramic coffee cup. You see, ceramic coffee cups are made out of exactly the same stuff that ceramic sharpening stones are made of"ceramic. Most of the surface of a ceramic mug is glazed to protect it, but when they put the mugs in the kiln to bake on the glaze, the ring on the bottom, where the cup sits on the rack, remains unglazed, leaving the abrasive material exposed. So turn your cup over and, voila, ring-shaped, medium-grit ceramic sharpening stone.

The first time you give this method a shot, I’d recommend   ---CONTINUED---

This came across my Facebook feed. I can't find a link to share. So, since it has a 'Share' option, I'm thinking it is oke to copy/paste here.

Knife Sharpening  Part 1
By: The Medical Survivalist
Facebook Llink: (if you have access) https://www.facebook.com/themedicalsurvivalist/posts/247616325919201?__tn__=K-R

Knife sharpening, one of the essential skills for the Bushcrafter, is easy enough to learn but takes practice. In addition it takes the knowledge of what blade type and grind you'll be working with. So lets go ahead and dive into some basics of Knife Sharpening to get everyone started:

First things first, you'll need to decide on your sharpening medium, be it a wet stone, oil stone, diamond sharpener, etc.... After that you'll have to select the proper coarseness for the stone your going to use. Base this off of how much work will be necessary to bring the blade to to your desired level of sharpness. Keeping in mind that not every knife needs to start at the coarsest stone you have. If your blade is dull as hell or has a nick in it, start with your coarsest stone. The coarse stone removes material quickly so a poor edge can be refined. Once the material has been removed, follow up with a finer stone, going in levels, to refine the edge. If your knife is only slightly dull and just needs a quick touch up, starting at a medium or fine stone can save you time.

Determining the proper angle for which to sharpen your blade is the next factor to consider. It doesn't matter the medium you've selected to use for sharpening, the correct angle for the blade type needs to be selected. This angle doesn't need to be exact but following some general guidelines is a good idea. Most knife manufacturers recommend a roughly 20 degree angle. Depending on the use of your knife, you can move up or down from that angle. A fillet or slicing knife is never used on anything hard so an angle a few degrees less will produce a sharper edge. On the other hand, a survival knife with various uses can benefit from a more durable edge a few degrees larger.

Some stones need water, while other stones need oil for floating the swarf (small metal filings created when sharpening) away. Simply apply a few drops of either oil or water directly to the stone. (We recommend using an inexpensive spray bottle for applying the water.) The lubricant you need is determined by the type of stone you are using. Water stones and diamond stones require water. Oil stones such as India, Crystolon and Arkansas stones use oil for a lubricant.

Starting with the coarsest stone needed for your knife, you will progress through each finer stone until you have reached the desired level of sharpness.
Rest your knife on the stone at your chosen angle. An easy method for determining the angle by eye is to visualize a 45 degree angle and then take half that amount. That will give you a ballpark estimate of the angle and then you can adjust accordingly up or down.

With a sweeping slicing action bring the length of the knife across the stone. The sharpening motion will start with the heel of the knife on the stone and ends with the point of the knife. The motion resembles a sweeping arc pattern across your stone. Be very careful to maintain the angle of the knife on the stone. Repeat this process on the other side of the knife and continue repeating until you have sharpened your knife though all your stone grits.

An important but often confusing area of sharpening is knowing when you're done with one stone and ready for the next finer grit. On coarse stones it is very easy, you sharpen one side you will notice a burr forming on the opposite side of the edge (this burr is hard to see but is easy to feel). A burr is formed when your stone removes material directly at the edge. The burr will move from one side of your knife to another as you alternate sharpening sides. Make sure you have felt the burr jump between both sides before you move on to the next finer stone. That will ensure that you have sharpened both sides effectively. The finer grits are done the same way but the burr is much smaller. On the finest grits you may not be able to notice the burr at all. Testing the knife sharpness will tell you when you're done.

Part 2 that across my Facebook feed. Again, I can't find a link to share. So, since it has a 'Share' option, I'm thinking it is oke to copy/paste here.

Knife Sharpening  Part 2
By: The Medical Survivalist
Facebook Llink: (if you have access) https://www.facebook.com/themedicalsurvivalist/posts/250142962333204?__tn__=K-R

Morning Folks, today's Bushcraft related post is a follow up to my previous one about knife sharpening. Today we'll be looking at blade Grinds and the angles associated with such. Specifically we'll be looking at the Hollow, Flat, Sabre/Scandi, Chisel, Double Bevel/Compound Bevel, and Convex Grinds.

Hollow Grind—This is the type of grind where a convex hollow is removed from both sides of the edge. In doing so the result is a very sharp edge. However, being so thin the edge is more prone to rolling or damage than with other grinds. It's contraindicated for heavy chopping or cutting hard materials. A great example for this is your common razor blade, they have a hollow ground.

Flat Grind— With this type of grind the blade tapers all the way from the spine to the edge from both sides. Performing this grind will end up removing a lot of metal from the blade. Because there is so much metal removed during the sharpening process it's more difficult to grind. It sacrifices edge durability to achieve a higher level of sharpness.

Sabre/Scandi Grind— This type of Grind closely resembles the features of a flat ground blade. The major difference is that the bevel starts at about the middle of the blade as opposed to the spine. The Sabre/Scandi Grind produces a longer lasting edge at the expense of some cutting ability of the blade.

Chisel Grind—As on a chisel only one side is ground (often at an edge angle of about 20 – 30°) whilst the other remains flat all the way to the spine. Knives which are chisel ground come in left and right handed varieties, depending upon which side is ground.

Double/Compound bevel Grind— results with a back bevel, similar to a sabre or flat grind, put on the blade behind the edge bevel. This back bevel keeps the section of blade behind the edge thinner which improves cutting ability. With this grind the sharpness is sacrificed for resilience and as such is much less prone to chipping or rolling than a single bevel blade.

Convex Grind—doesn't taper with straight lines to the edge, the taper is curved, though in the opposite fashion to a hollow grind. This Blade shape keeps a lot of metal behind the edge making for a stronger edge while still allowing a good degree of sharpness. This is a common grind used on axes and is sometimes referred to as an axe grind. Convex blades typically need to be made from thicker stock than other blades.

Now that we have a working knowledge of Blade Grind types, let's look at the angles at which some cutting edges are sharpened at. We'll start low and end high when discussing these sharpening angels:

The lowest angles are reserved for edges that are typically cutting softer materials. These will typically be sharpened at an angle of 10 degrees or under. In these cases, the edges don't get as abused so the lower angle can be maintained without damage or failure. The lowest angles that we typically see are on straight edge razors. These are sharpened to an angle which is roughly 7 to 8 degrees. A straight razor has a fine and delicate edge that is very easy to damage.

Next up are those blades sharpened with an angle of 10-17 degrees. This edge is typically too weak for any knife that might be used in any type of chopping motion. Also consider that harder steels are also more susceptible to impact damage because they are more brittle. If your knife is used for cutting soft items or Field dressing game, this lower angle can hold up and provide a very smooth cutting action.

A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees and kitchen knives sharpened to 15 to 20 degrees cut very well and are still durable. These angles aren't incredibly durable as their total angle under 40 degrees.

With an angle of 22-30 degrees the knife edges are considerably more durable. A pocket knife or a hunting knife will inevitably see abuse not seen by knives meant for slicing or chopping softer materials. While the edge may not cut as well it will be considerably more durable.

Any edged tool or knife that is sharpened past 30 degrees will be very durable. Its cutting ability will be reduced But it has an advantage because more force can be used to make the cut. While the majority of knives won’t benefit from this sharpening angle, an edged tool like a machete, cleaver or axe that needs be durable are fine to sharpen in this angle range.

ReadyMom wrote:The coffee mug knife sharpener
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/cantrell105.html

You already have an excellent sharpener in your cupboard. The humble ceramic coffee cup. You see, ceramic coffee cups are made out of exactly the same stuff that ceramic sharpening stones are made of"ceramic. Most of the surface of a ceramic mug is glazed to protect it, but when they put the mugs in the kiln to bake on the glaze, the ring on the bottom, where the cup sits on the rack, remains unglazed, leaving the abrasive material exposed. So turn your cup over and, voila, ring-shaped, medium-grit ceramic sharpening stone.

The first time you give this method a shot, I’d recommend   ---CONTINUED---

I tried this and it works good, had to find the right angle, after that, worked real good.

Choosing A Fixed Blade Survival Knife
https://survivallife.com/identify-survival-knife/?utm_source=sl&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=slnl20171112&utm_content=p4

What is the best survival knife?  

(SNIP)  

Because a knife is often critically useful during an emergency, let us now consider how to choose your best option, a good fixed blade knife, for survival purposes. That is, for inclusion in a survival kit or BOB (Bug Out Bag) or equivalent, and to be strapped on when an emergency is likely.   ---CONTINUED---

Breakthrough: How To Sharpen A Knife Without A Sharpener
https://survivallife.com/sharpen-knife-without-sharpener/?utm_source=sl&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=slnl20171204

Know how to sharpen a knife without a sharpener? You might not have one in a survival situation, so finding other ways to sharpen knives is an essential survival skill. If you have an old coffee mug or a broken glass laying around, chances are you won’t even need an expensive sharpener. We found a few easy knife-sharpening tricks and tips to make your knives good as new, and best of all, each trick only takes a few seconds. Here are 5 innovative ways to keep your blades razor-sharp using objects you likely already have in your home or nearby!   ---CONTINUED---

10 Best Survival Knives On A Budget
https://www.primalsurvivor.net/best-cheap-survival-knives/?utm_sq=fu4bsuqyi6

The single most important piece of survival gear is arguably your survival knife.

Aside from the obvious uses of a survival knife like self-defense, there are countless ways you can use it for your survival:

Batoning wood    
Making cordage    
Digging holes    
Skinning animals

While a dinky $20 knife made in China is better than nothing, the quality of your survival knife really matters.

Those cheap knives will dull easy. Their poor-quality metal will break when put to the test, potentially injuring you in the process.

There is no reason to spend a fortune on a survival knife though.

Here is what you need to know in order to get a good survival knife for your money.   ---CONTINUED---

5 Best Tactical Knife Edge Grinds For Survival
https://rethinksurvival.com/5-best-tactical-knife-edge-grinds-for-survival/

  Today I would like to talk about the most common tactical knife edge grind types that you are likely to see and encounter when buying a knife.

The knife edge grinds types depicted above are the most common on the market today and you are likely to have seen some or most of them and maybe not have know it. Regardless, I will explain each one so that you will have a good foundation of best tactical knife blade grind types when we’re done.   ---CONTINUED---

Sharpening Solutions: The Ultimate Tool Sharpening Guide
https://www.realworldsurvivor.com/2019/01/30/sharpening-solutions-the-ultimate-tool-sharpening-guide/

  Sharpening is nothing but setting a bevel on both sides of the edge of the blade that meets in the middle with no flat spots or imperfections. Fine sharpening is nothing more than polishing these bevels and will result in a razor edge that will shave hairs if done properly.   ---CONTINUED---

How To Correctly Choose Your Survival Knife
https://www.askaprepper.com/correctly-choose-survival-knife/

  One of the pillars of a survival kit is the knife. A survival knife is a must have piece of gear for any serious prepper. A survival knife is not something you want to get skimpy on. You need to be picky, but decisive. I’ve gathered what I think are the most important features to have in a survival knife and hope they can guide you to choosing the proper knife for you.   ---CONTINUED---

The Best Whittling Knives For Beginners and Beyond
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/the-best-whittling-knives-for-beginners-and-beyond/

  The art of whittling requires a good knife. When I was a little girl, whittling is mostly what I used my knife for. I wore blisters on my fingers whittling. I loved being able to find an old stick laying in the woods and turn it into something else.

Nowadays you see a lot of tactical knives that while they may be great for survival and defense, are not necessarily the best for whittling.   ---CONTINUED---

How to Choose the Best Knife for Hunting
https://www.survivopedia.com/how-to-choose-hunting-knives/

Choosing the best knife for hunting is not an easy task, because there’s a plethora of models available, especially over the internet. Sometimes you can get confused, they all seem to look the same after all, so why bother choosing? Just flip a coin and pick one. Well, keep reading and I will show you how to distinguish a good hunting knife from a “lemon”.

First things first, you should establish  ...   ---CONTINUED---

The 21-Foot Rule: Why You Should Bring A Knife To A Gun Fight
https://thepreppingguide.com/knife-to-a-gun-fight/

A knife can beat a gun in less than 21-feet, here’s why

Ever heard of the age-old saying ‘never bring a knife to a gun fight’? Well, it’s not true. There are times when a blade or a sharp object can beat a holstered gun. In this post, we show you why a knife can have the advantage in a gun fight, which is also a skill many police officers learn in their training when they learn the ’21-foot rule’. ---CONTINUED---

Exploring Ceramic and Plastic Knives: From EDC to the Karambit
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/exploring-ceramic-and-plastic-knives-from-edc-to-the-karambit/

When I first heard the term ceramic knife I will admit that I pictured a knife shattering with very little effort.

There are multiple reasons why someone may choose a ceramic knife but first let’s discuss how they are made. ---CONTINUED---

How To Make A Knife At Home
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/how-to-make-a-knife-at-home/

There are many ways to make a knife. People have been making knives and shart pointy things for a very long time. While times are good, we take for granted that a knife can be purchased for not a lot of money.

(SNIP) ... I saved a 10.25 miter saw blade to make a few knives with. Recently I finally found the time to make a few knives. My goal was to make a set of knives with what I already had around the homestead. ---CONTINUED---

Knives and Blades Every Prepper Should Consider
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/knives-and-blades-every-prepper-should-consider/

  The world of knives and blades is vast. One could fill up a whole room with them without even trying. The type of blades that you need depends on your situation and any plans you may have for leading a different life during a long emergency.

Over the years I have written many different posts on knives. In the article you are about to read, Matt and I have picked out two options for each knife or blade style that you may want to have. We made an effort to include a budget or modestly priced option as well as one that costs more. ---CONTINUED---

How to Sharpen your Knife Without a Sharpening Stone
https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/sharpen-without-stone/

(SNIP) ... Do you know how to sharpen your knife without a sharpening stone? You might be surprised at the variety of unconventional sharpening methods available to all. ---CONTINUED---

Essential tools: Knives
http://www.endtimesreport.com/knives.htm

  The subject of which knife is the best to carry can get very heated among knowledgeable blade enthusiasts. Actually, no one knife can do everything. I have well over a dozen fine knives, several hand made to my specifications. But are they better than an off-the-shelf design by a good custom knife maker? To be honest, they are not, but I like them anyway. ---CONTINUED---

How to Choose the Right Knife: A Guide for Preppers
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/how-to-choose-the-right-knife-a-guide-for-preppers/

(SNIP) ...To help you find the “perfect” knife for your needs, we have put together this quick guide. Here we will cover the basics of knife design and help you understand what you should be looking for. We will also include links to good knives that are available for purchase. ---CONTINUED---