# And he wondered why it was dull.



## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

I have a good Christian guy from the gym as a friend who recently gave me an older "Sharp Finger" knife to polish for hunting and camping season. Essentially, he told me that it needed "sharpening."

(This could also be the 'prep of the day' addition, too.)

The knife had been stored in the sheath for years (the tanning chemicals of leather often stain the knife blade), the edge had be sharpened previous in a sloppy fashion and about 3/16s of the tip had been broken off.

Oh, and he likes mirror finishes.

If this guy was a generic client I would have told him that the repairs far exceeded the cost of the knife, but he's a buddy. More to the point, he could be one of us.

Here's the prep part. At some point someone botched the sharpening. At some point someone pried with the knife and broke the tip. At some point someone took a dirty blade and shoved it in the sheath and dumped it in the closet.

If tomorrow is TEOTWAWKI, this knife would have been worthless. I've worked on the knife for about two hours already, and re-established a tip and began even out the edge so it's uniform left to right and front to back. I have some more to go before sharpening and polishing can begin. Then the stains must be removed to halt the spread of corrosion.

If you have such a knife, remember that in a catastrophe the blade manufactures will either be closed, bombed or just cranking out military production. The knife you own might be the only knife you'll ever own again.

Get it fixed now. If sharpening is not your thing, find a polisher in your area. Store the sheath, Tuff-Glide the blade and wrap it in a cloth. After all, you wouldn't put dead batteries in your only Surefire, would you?


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

A great reminder, thanks!


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

All my knives ar in the sheaths, but are in well condition.

I wouldn't put dead batteries in my light, but I may put them in yours.


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## Coastie dad (Jan 2, 2016)

Thank you for this! I can now show it to my wife, and hopefully convince her I need more knives and guns as backup.

She always has spare flashlight batteries....


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

After a real tangle with the flu--and some severe dizziness--I'm back working on the knife. As I said at the beginning, this guy is a friend, and he deserves a razor sharp edge as much as Wolfgang Puck.

I think my displeasure derives from "overlooking general maintenance." At one time this was a new knife, and as such, it could have been touched up very easily. Now no two areas of the edge (left or right) match each other.

And the only way I know how to break a tip is to pry with it--a knife "no no."

BTW, if you just have to pry with your knife because you cannot walk ten feet across the shop for the right tool, then spend 15 bucks and buy the Kershaw "Barge." I pushed one over 3.2 million grit, but the real feature is the butt end which can be a screw driver or pry open a paint can.


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

Thanks for the reminder...I keep my guns cleaned and oiled and try to keep my knives sharp but I must admit that I store them in their sheaths,


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Another issue that goes hand-in-hand with this is the idea that "cost means value." It does not.

I mentioned the Barge, a knife I buy for about 15 bucks. If I crossed path with an EMT who said to me, "I need a scalpel to give this victim a tracheotomy, I'd hand him the Barge. A Number 10 scalpel is about 25,000 grit, my Barge is 3.2 million grit, with a perfectly formed bevel for a controlled slice.

In even the most mundane circumstances of a temporary bug-out or a frantic move from a fire or flood, you'll have to cut something everyday. Be that food, or rope or tent stakes or fish.

The Barge also has a prying feature, and we all know we're going to forget a tool in all the excitement.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

This is my Barge:


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Baltimore is lost .... flee now.


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## ridgerunnersurvival (Jul 17, 2017)

Just made a trade with a member of my unit. a DPM british short Bergan for an SRK. usually im really prickly about my knives and take pride in keeping them in great shape.. somehow I dropped the ball on this one and must have used it cooking with the Dutch oven or something and then someone sheathed it without cleaning it. (I keep a rag with my dutch oven for this purpose) and I just shoved it in my ruck. when it came time to trade it off, he pulled it out of the sheath and meat chunks and grease were all over it! Super Embarassing! Anyway He was still happy with the knife (better be, it was a Carbon V!) and all is well...but the moral of the story is check your gear, you just never know whats lurking in your ruck!


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