Bottom of a coffee mug and other odd knife sharpeners

[TiminMishawaka]

Tried sharpening a knife on the rough, unfinished bottom of a coffee mug for the first time. Can't believe it but it actually worked. It's not perfect but it's a workable edge. Haven't tried the top edge of the car door window yet or the ceramic element from a commercial light bulb.

What weird thing not designed for sharpening a knife have you found actually sharpens a knife?

 

[patience0830]

My Grandad used to resharpen the old 2 sided single edge razor blades on the lip of a highball glass. He lived through the depression and the lessons stayed with him a long time.
Bottom of a ceramic coffee cup actually is one of the better options IMHO.

 

[buford t justice]

I have an old knife sharpener that was given out as a promo by champion spark plug co.,it is porcelan and looks like a spark plug at the top and is unglazed porcelan at the bottom.

 

[grunt soldier]

i have seen folks use cinder blocks to sharpen knives. card board to knock the burrs off. seen old timers strop the blade on their jeans, news paper, and even the palm of their hands. i have used the ceramic rod out of the fluorescent lights. the coffee cup is always a solid choice too.

 

[cubby]

i have seen folks use cinder blocks to sharpen knives. card board to knock the burrs off. seen old timers strop the blade on their jeans, news paper, and even the palm of their hands. i have used the ceramic rod out of the fluorescent lights. the coffee cup is always a solid choice too.

i use a bunch of these tricks all the time. strop strop strop.....

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

If you can get the angles right, just about anything "harder" than the blade will work!

 

[DaKruiser]

Drink coasters, alot of them are ceramic. I have a couple that were freebies from businesses advertising at the fair. They work pretty well!

 

[M67]

i have seen folks use cinder blocks to sharpen knives. card board to knock the burrs off. seen old timers strop the blade on their jeans, news paper, and even the palm of their hands. i have used the ceramic rod out of the fluorescent lights. the coffee cup is always a solid choice too.

I do the jeans and newspaper thing.

I remember being in biology back in high school and we were doing disections, my group's scapel was pretty dull and disecting the frong wasn't going so well. So, when the teacher stepped outside, I sharpened the scapel with a few strokes on the chalk board. Worked okay too

 

[tradertator]

I have an old knife sharpener that was given out as a promo by champion spark plug co.,it is porcelan and looks like a spark plug at the top and is unglazed porcelan at the bottom.

I've got one of those 2. It was my dads, and older than dirt.

This is a cool thread. I need to venture out, and try some of these methods. I feel like I'm roughing it when I simply use a sharpening stone .

 

[clt46910]

Nobody mentioned river rocks yet. Some of them can do a good job.

 

[45fan]

The coffee cup trick I have used, learned that one from my dad. I have used my belt to strop a blade before, but never thought to use my jeans. I am usually willing to try anything to keep my blade sharp, as long as it wont destroy the edge.

 

[hammer24]

Grandpa told me they used clay flower pots and the bottom of ceramic crocks (where they weren't glazed.)

 

[Fergy35]

The back of a legal pad can be used for stropping. Sand paper stuck to a piece of plate glass with some spray adhesive works great.

 

[drbarnes]

i have seen folks use cinder blocks to sharpen knives. card board to knock the burrs off....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLaE1JvQ94



To add to the thread. Ive stropped on my jeans...

 

[cubby]

you can strop it to the left, you can strop it to the right............

 

[gunrunr76]

my buddy got a nick out of a puukko while we were sitting by the fire with a beer bottle and stropped it on his belt...and then shaved a patch off of his forearm....this was after batoning and making a gaggle of fuzzsticks....it was sweet

 

[speedsix]

I heard old timers used the bottom of a plate but not a coffee cup, same thing but I have only heard plate. I tried it and it works to hone but not to take off any metal. I use my thick leather belt as a strop and it does work very well.

I only use cardboard on fine edge knives and razors.

 

[whiteman]

If you know any electricians they might tell you about knob and tube wiring. The tube is a ceramic tube and works great for sharpening. I use a series of stones and can put an edge that will shave ya clean. Of course I only use quality knives with good steel. D2, 52-100, 440V, ATS34. D-2 is my favorite but only because 52-100 is hard to find.