Sharpening Your Tools

Several tools commonly used for camping have sharp edges that require periodic maintenance and special protection.  These include your kitchen cutlery as well as axes, hatchets, and other knives.  Even shovels could use a good sharpening once in a while.

Kitchen cutlery and other knives may be sharpened with a knife sharpener or a sharpening stone.   Some manual knife sharpeners only require you to drag the knife through a slot to put a new edge on the blade.  Electric knife sharpeners will probably be easier to use and more effective but they might take up too much room in an RV or camp kit and, of course, require electricity.  So-called automatic knife sharpeners are better than nothing but will not produce the same quality edge you can achieve with a good sharpening stone and a little skill.  A sharpening stone is small so you could take it anywhere, but you need some training and practice to be able to use it well.

Is it really worth the effort to sharpen you tools?  Let me share a story.  A father and his son volunteered to help weed a church garden.  Shortly after they started an older an showed up working on the rows next to them.  They were amused at how slowly and deliberately he worked and thought he was just wasting time when he stopped every few minutes, pulled a file out of his back pocket, and gave his hoe a few strokes.  The father and his son kept actively hacking away at the weeds the whole time.  At the end of the day they were surprised to see that the old man had hoed twice as many rows by himself as the two of them had done together!  His steady, deliberate effort with a sharp tool really paid off more than all their hard work.

Cutting edges should be protected for two reasons:  1) to keep the edge from being dulled by contact with other tools and 2) to avoid injuries to people, pets, or other items in storage.  Axes,  hatchets, and saws should be fitted with blade guards.  Kitchen cutlery should be stored in a cutlery block or on a magnetic knife holder.   I recently saw an innovative solution.  The RV owner had made thin blocks that attached to the side of the pantry in his RV.  The knives were stored in individual slots and when the door was closed they were prevented from falling out during travel.  Each block was less than an inch thick so they stole very little room from the pantry shelves and the knives were secure in transit and always handy to use.  Be sure to store them with the sharp edge up so it doesn't rub on the block and get dull.   If you leave them just bumping into other utensils in the drawer they will get dull AND you're likely to cut yourself rummaging through the drawer when you are looking for something.  Hunting knives and other fixed blade cutting tools should be kept in their scabbards when not being used.  Folding knives should be kept closed.  Blades on most all tools should be coated with a light oil or grease when put in storage for any significant length of time to prevent rust.

Some other tools, such as shovels, hoes, and saws, also need to be kept sharp.  While some people fear that sharp tools are dangerous, dull ones are actually more dangerous.  Dull tools require more effort, increasing the risk of losing control and are more apt to bounce or slide, also causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of injury.  Sharp tools are also more efficient to use, saving you time and energy.  Saws require some special tools to set the kerf (offset) of the teeth but most tools can be easily sharpened by hand using common tools like a file and a sharpening stone.  Chain saws require a rat tail file of a size specific to the teeth on the chain.  Chain saws should be sharpened using factory specified angles to ensure proper performance.  Axes and hatchets can be partially sharpened using a grinder but may require a more sensitive touch for final finishing.  Knives should not be sharpened on a grinding wheel because the wheel is likely to create too much heat and damage the thin blade.

Most camping activities are relatively sporadic and short term, even though most of us would like to be able to spend more time.  Unless you are planning an extended camping trip, you can probably just make sure all your tools are sharp before you leave home.  But if you expect to use your tools a lot -- or want to be prepared to maintain them during an unexpected extended emergency -- make sure you bring along proper tools with which to sharpen them.

Shovels, hoes, and similar tools should be sharpened using a file.  Avoid using a grinder because it will generate heat that diminishes the temper and weakens he blade.   Bent spots on shovels can be pounded flat using a hammer on an anvil before sharpening with a file.  Knives should be sharpened using sharpening stones.  You will probably need more than one stone with different levels of coarseness. Use a coarse stone for initial shaping and removing chips and progressively finer stones for finishing.  You can make your own set of sharpening stones from various grades of wet-and-dry sandpaper.  Glue strips of sandpaper about 4"x8" onto a piece of glass or other hard surface (a plastic cutting board would be ideal).  It may take some practice to get a feel for the right angle to hold the blade to get a good edge, so be patient and do a lot of practicing.  Start with the coarsest grit and work your way to finer grits to get a razor sharp edge.   When sharpening a shovel or hoe, start the file away from the edge and file toward the edge.  

When sharpening a knife on a whetstone, wet the stone, then start with the blade at one end and drag it gently back to the other end.   Use only a light pressure, not a harsh, grinding force.  Slide the blade sideways as you pull it back so you work the entire length of the blade.  Some folks prefer to push the blade toward the stone rather than dragging it back.  You might want to try it both ways to see which way works best for you.  For best results soak your whetstone for 5 to 10 minutes before using it and keep the surface wet.

Axes and hatchets, being made of heavier blocks of steel or iron, can be sharpened with a grinding wheel.  But you'll still want to exercise some caution to avoid over-heating and damaging the blade.  If the blade starts getting red hot in spots, it is overheating. Stop grinding and cool the blade before continuing.  If  you overheat the blade it may burn a nick in the edge.  If you see a dark bluish stain on the metal you have created a hot spot and probably ruined the blade or at least removed the temper  and weakened the blade in that spot.

Other hand tools that benefit from periodic sharpening include chisels and screwdrivers.  Most of us probably don't carry chisels with us when camping, but both wood and stone chisels work best when sharp.  Wood chisels require more refined sharpening than stone chisels and need a polished edge like a knife to be most effective.  Stone chisels can usually be sharpened on a grinding wheel, taking normal precautions against overheating. Flat screwdrivers, while not normally considered cutting tools, can become rounded and worn and may benefit from light sharpening to restore the flat surface and square edges.  You should able to that with a file or with gentle use of a grinder.  About the only use I've found for worn out or damaged Phillips screwdrivers is to grind them into a point to be used as a punch or an awl.

Scissors require special sharpening techniques but some sharpeners designed for kitchen use have a scissors sharpening slot that makes it pretty easy.  If you have trouble sharpening your scissors, take them to a professional or replace them.  While scissors are often general purpose tools, there are variations designed for different tasks.  Kitchen shears are meant for cutting produce and may not be fine enough to cut paper cleanly.  Special snub-nosed scissors are used for cutting bandages so you don't poke your patient with the sharp point found on most scissors.  I've seen scissors advertised as being strong enough to cut a penny and found they lived up to their claims.

Be sharp!