DIY: Sharpen A Hunting Knife After Field Dressing a Hog

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Though my favorite brand of knife to carry is Benchmade, I often use the Outdoor Edge Game Processor Knife Set when cleaning feral hogs in the field.

It’s frequently dark and late when we get a hog on the ground and there is often lots of grinding against bones to break down the hams and shoulders at the joint.

This leads to dull knives. Here is how I remedy the situation after the trip.

Materials Needed

• Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener: Ken Onion Edition
• Work Sharp Blade Grinder Attachment

Step 1: Remove the Stock Grinder Attachment

Press the release button and twist to remove the stock grinding attachment.

Step 2: Attach the Grinding Attachment

Twist on the grinding attachment and the reverse threaded screw to secure it.

Step 3: Set the Angle Adjustment

Set the angle of the grinding attachment depending on the type of blade you are sharpening. The Outdoor Edge Knives pictured come from the factory with a 22 degree angle.

Step 4: Attach Grinding Belt

Unless the knife is in extremely poor shape (think reprofiling), I skip the coarse, red grinding belt and jump straight to the X65 belt.

Push the spring in and twist down to place the belt in position. Press in again and twist up to release the belt and lock it in place.

Use the knob on the opposite side of the spring to adjust the tracking. The tracking will allow the belt to ride on center.

Step 5: Sharpen the Blade

Use the guide table to set the orientation of the knife and run across the blinding belt at a rate of 1″/sec. You want to push you finger tips out to ensure a burr is lifted on the top side of the knife. The burr needs to be present across the entire length of the blade.

Use your index finder to guide the tip of the knife, stopping the tip at the center of the belt.

Once raised, flip over the knife and perform the exact same number of strokes. I use the guide below for the following strokes on each belt with my hunting knives:

• X65: 8-10 strokes per side
• X22: 4-8 strokes per side
• X4: 4-8 strokes per side

Once complete, your knife should be sharp and ready to field dress some more game.