Sharpen Your Knife in the Wild. A survival knife in hand in the wild increases your chance of surviving. This is the most important thing you should have rather than food. Why? If you get stuck for too long in the wild, the food you have in your hands will long be gone. But if you have a knife, you can always hunt for food, building a shelter and protect yourself from the animals in the wild.
However, a dull knife won’t make the cut. If you find yourself in this emergency situation, you need to rely on a tool that can help you survive. How will you be able to do that if your survival knife is not functioning properly? The good thing is that there are many options available if the sharpening tool is not available.
Below are the things you can do for the meantime:
1. Have your own whetstone. All you need to find a small stone that is coarse. You can take a look at the riverside. If not, you can make a small coarse stone by crushing it using a big one. Once the stone turns into pulp, look for a piece of wood. Rub the pulp into the wood using your hands. This is now your own DIY whetstone for your survival knife. You can sharpen your knife using the DIY whetstone until you are satisfied with the sharpness.
2. Using a smooth rock. You can use a flat and smooth stone, sedimentary rock or sandstone. It can easily sharpen your survival knife. Though a good quality tool cannot replace the sharpness of your knife since you are in a situation where it’s not available, this stone or rock is a good option.
You can find this type along the side of the river, waterfalls, streams or small ponds. But if you want to have much better sharpness, sedimentary rock is the best option than the smooth and flat surface stone. Just glide your knife on each side to sharpen. The same equal number so the sharpness in both sides is also equal.
3. Sharpening the blade of the knife using its belt. The microscopic burrs you find in your belt can be used to strop your knife. It can sharpen, smoothen and polish the blade’s edge. To use this method, you need to have a rubber or leather stealth belt. Just drag the blade of your knife back and forth on each side. Make sure the same amount, so the sharpness is equal. But if you don’t have the leather belt, you can use the rubber sole of your boots. It can be an alternative option.
You cannot rely on luck in surviving in the wild. You need to rely on your brain and be smart during this kind of situation. So, you need to find ways for you to survive and that is making sure your knife is a reliable tool. Follow the tips above and just gather the material you find available in the situation you are stuck in.
