Bowie Knife Sharpening Techniques

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Bowie Knife Sharpening Techniques

Bowie knives are as intimidating to sharpen as they are in most other respects. The blade on these knives is at least 6 inches long and, oftentimes, around twice that length. The blade is also heavy and curved, which presents additional challenges. Sharpening a Bowie, however, is really no different than sharpening any other knife.

A Bowie knife can be sharpened via a traditional whetstone or with a number of products available on the market. Most of the newer products have automatic ways of ensuring that the sharpening is done correctly. Principally, these devices make it easier to maintain the correct sharpening angle and ensure the even removal of metal from both sides of the blade edge. These devices come in a multitude of options, and one always has the option of sharpening their knife in the traditional method, as well.

Some devices allow users to hold their Bowie knife in a vertical position while they sharpen it. These devices usually have slots that hold the blade in the correct position. Some of the devices use a mechanical apparatus to grind away the metal instead of the user drawing the blade against a stone. These devices sometimes produce good results, sometimes not. There is enough variation in Bowie knife design that a device may work splendidly for one particular knife and not at all for another.

On a sharpening stone, some people sharpen Bowie knives using a circular motion and others use broad, even strokes along the length of the blade. Provided that one has a stone large enough to accommodate the large blade of a Bowie, either method can work. In the former method, the individual makes circles on the stone as they draw one side of the blade across its length. They repeat the process on the other side until they have an even burr on the knife and then hone the blade to finish it off.

If one opts for an all-in-one system to sharpen one's Bowie knife, some considerations must be made. First, the guides on the all-in-one system must be wide enough to accomodate the thick blade of the Bowie. If not, one may end up sharpening their blade at an improper angle and ruining their knife. The sharpener should also have high-quality abrasives that actually sharpen the blade. The device must remove the metal from the blade evenly and along the correct edge for proper results.