Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Camping & Outdoor Survival Guide. Bryan Lynch
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a predetermined amount of time, so read up on the kind of stone you are using. The three-sided stone sharpener I initially use came with a small bottle of oil; however, the instructions did say that water could be used. I have used water on it for a long time, and it works just fine. When it comes to the angle of the blade, place the blade flat on the stone, then tilt the spine of the blade slightly upward as if you are trying to slice a thin layer off the top of the stone. Victorinox recommends using a 20° angle when sharpening. I use two fingers on the blade to keep even pressure and help keep the angle constant.
2. Once you have your angle set, work the blade back and forth in a circular motion a few times (or you can use a single-stroke cutting method instead). Flip the blade over and repeat. Avoid overworking one side more than the other, as this will make the edge uneven and therefore not as sharp. Before moving on to the next stone, draw the knife across the stone in the single-stroke cutting method as if you are slicing the top layer of the stone off. Do this several times on each side. Remember to keep adding lubrication throughout the process. You can never have too much. Move from the fine-grit stone (4,000–8,000 grit) to fine-grit sandpaper (1,000 grit). This helps to eliminate any metal burrs and to further smooth the surface of the blade. Use the same motions on the sandpaper as used on the stones.
3. Rub some buffing compound (optional) on the leather strop until a layer of the compound can be seen. (The buffing compound is optional, but it really polishes the blade.) Strop the knife away from the blade’s edge side several times. Wipe the blade, and you should now have a clean, polished, and—most importantly—sharp edge.
PORTABLE SHARPENERS
Larger sharpening stones and their accessories might be too bulky to carry with you when you are on the move. Luckily there are some great lightweight sharpeners out there that are much more mobile. Pocket and other portable sharpeners are made for fine-tuning a blade that already has a good edge on it. If the knife has nicks or chips in it, however, portable sharpeners may not be as helpful as a sharpening stone.
Pocket sharpeners are compact and combine the best of both worlds. They typically have two sharpening ports in the shape of a “V.” One port has carbide rods for the initial rough sharpening, and the second port has ceramic rods for smoothing out the final sharp edge. These pocket sharpeners are foolproof. Anyone can use them.
Pictured left to right: ceramic sharpening rod, diamond sharpening rod, diamond sharpening stick, and two pocket sharpeners.
1. Simply insert the knife, tilt the tip of the blade slightly downward, and draw the knife through the “V” as many times as needed. On some of the pocket sharpeners, there is a third sharpening surface that I have found useful: a foldable, cone-shaped rod for sharpening serrated blades and fishing hooks. Remember to always sharpen with the carbide side first and to finish up with the ceramic side.
If you don’t have any kind of sharpener on you, you can use a rock to sharpen a dull blade. A rock that is flat and as smooth as possible will work best. The bottom of a ceramic coffee mug can also be used, as the bottoms do not have glaze on them.
Sharpening Other Tools
SCISSORS
Open the handle of the scissors all the way so that you can sharpen one edge at a time with a sharpening stone. There is just the slightest angle on the edge of the scissors so that you can almost hold it upright when sharpening. Move the edge around a few times in a circle and finish with a few straight strokes. Flip the knife over and repeat on the other scissor edge.
This smaller sharpening stone has a fine grit (4,000–8,000 grit) on one side and a coarse grit (less than 1,000 grit) on the other side.
WOOD SAW
When sharpening the wood saw, use the smallest diamond rod (pen sharpener) or smallest file that you can find. Place the sharpener at an angle so that it fits into the groove of the saw blade teeth and slide the sharpener forward several times, taking care not to round off the top of the cutting teeth. After you have moved all the way down on one side, turn the knife around and repeat the process on the opposite side.
CAN OPENER AND CHISEL
Two tools that are often overlooked when it comes to sharpening are the can opener and the chisel, perhaps because they are not used often. I like to use two different sharpening surfaces for these tools.
Because of the small, curved shape of the can opener blade, I like to use a portable sharpener to sharpen it. Just as for sharpening the knife, find the angle of the edge and run the sharpener across the blade in a slicing motion. Clean up the edge with a ceramic stone if one is available.
Due to the shape of the chisel, I like to use a flat sharpening stone to sharpen it. Setting the angle is quite easy, as it has a very deep angle on the tip. Run the stone from the tip of the chisel backward toward the frame of the Swiss Army Knife until you achieve the desired edge. Flip the chisel over and lay the tip so that it is flat on the stone. Rub this side just a few times to remove any burrs from the flat side.
Really take your time when doing this, otherwise you risk rounding off the cutting teeth and ending up with a dull saw blade.
How to Use Your Swiss Army Knife
To get the most out of your Swiss Army Knife, make sure you know how to safely use it. There are a lot of sharp, moving parts in the Swiss Army Knife. Like any tool, if you do not know how to use it properly it can be dangerous. Many of the tools do not lock into place. However, in the medium and large models, Victorinox has added locking mechanisms to some of the tools, which is a great safety feature.
No Locks, No Problem!
A non-locking blade does not pose a safety issue in and of itself. Not knowing how to use it is the safety issue. Since many of the tools on the Swiss Army Knife do not lock, always fold a tool back into the frame whenever you are done with it. If you choose not to replace the tools, then change the position in which you are holding the knife so that your fingers are only holding onto the scales and are out of harm’s way in case one of the tools accidently closes. And never extend more than one tool at a time when using the Swiss Army Knife.
Use the Right Tool for the Job!
Tools should not be used in ways for which they were not intended. There are exceptions to this rule: if you’re in a serious situation when there is no other option, or if it is being used for light duty (where the only detrimental effect would be a dull blade, for example). Using the tip or the edge of a knife as a screwdriver or a pry bar will most likely result in severely damaging the blade and should be avoided. A tool that breaks can throw sharp metal pieces in many directions.
A WORD OF ADVICE
When you start cutting, you may have trouble with the saw sliding and not biting into the wood where you want the cut to be. To help start the cut, place the saw teeth where the cut is going to be and pull the saw blade backward several times in single strokes. This should keep the saw from moving side to side during sawing. Sometimes during a cut, the saw will bind or get caught due to the