4 ways to sharpen a knife if you don’t have a sharpener or whetstone
A whetstone is one of the most convenient tools for sharpening a knife, but not everyone has it. In its absence, you can restore the sharpness of the blade in alternative ways, using various available materials and tools. Let's look at 4 similar methods.
1. Sharpening with sandpaper
You can also sharpen a knife using sandpaper placed on a flat surface. For the latter, you can use a wooden ice cream stick. A coarse-grained skin is glued to one side, and a finer one to the other.
As a result, we get a tool similar to a whetstone. First, we sharpen the knife on a large grain, and then bring the sharpness to perfection with smaller grains.
2. Editing with a mounting (stationery) knife
You can also correct the cutting edge with the back of the blade of the mounting knife. To do this, we place it relative to the blade of a blunt knife at a right angle, and move it with pressure, trying to rub it with the corner. This method will help if the knife is only slightly dull.
3. Sharpening on pebbles
You can also sharpen the knife on flat pebbles. The best result will be obtained if you guide the blade with the cutting edge forward. This method will be especially useful for fishermen and hunters, since it is often not a problem to find pebbles on the banks of a river or sea.
4. Quick sharpening with musat and a screwdriver
Must is used to straighten slightly dull knives. However, it takes a very long time to sharpen a very dull knife. If you only have musat, you can clamp it in the chuck of a drill or screwdriver. Due to rotation in the tool, it will sharpen the edge much faster.
