Getting Stoned and How to Strop It.

People from all walks of life have struggled at one point in time with the best way to sharpen a blade that has gone dull. From grinding to stone(s) with oil / water usage some have used glass and porcelain others strop their blades every time and call it good. The sharpening process, although semi complex, can be rather simple depending on intended usage and type of instrument you're trying to put or sharpen your edge on.

Our goal here is not to tell you the best or preferred method of sharpening your blades.

Our goal is simply to try and give you the knowledge to help you possibly develop a smoother edge and hopefully the desired sharpness on the bladed instrument you are using.

The "BURR" den of Blade Sharpening- When it comes to sharpening your blades, "How sharp is sharp?" is usually the question. Most of the "expert" knife sharpeners will say you need to develop a burr.

Let’s start by describing what a burr is. A burr is just a bit of metal along the knife edge or the tip of the knife. It’s a strip of steel or metal material that either stands on one side or the other. It’s the very tip of the cutting edge of the knife. You can also identify it as the raised edge or small pieces of material that remain attached after a modification process such as sharpening knives. Some refer to it as a wire edge because the burr appears like a fine wire on the edge of a freshly sharpened tool like a knife. It is an indicator that you have not left a microscopically flat surface at the edge (a bald spot) of the knife.

It may not be visible to the human eye, but when you zoom in on a sharpened knife edge, you will notice a plastic-like deformation of a metal at the apex of the cutting edge. It is like a small fold of metal on the other side of the edge that has been grinded.

The burr is formed as you push the knife across the surface of your sharpening device or pull the sharpening device across your knife. As you do this, steel is moved out to the end of the edge bevel. You will be able to feel if a burr is formed by placing your finger on the side of the knife opposite the side you are sharpening and gently feeling from the spine of the edge of the knife. I remember being told once "A good rule of thumb when working to form a burr is to count five strokes per side. Feel for a burr and then switch to the other side. Do this until you feel a consistent burr across the entire length of the edge. Once you do feel a burr, switch to the opposing side one last time and count five final strokes. It is important that you form a symmetrical edge and always counting five strokes per side keeps you from removing more on one side than the other". Remember fully removing the burr is important as it can damage what you are cutting into such as fish or wild game. The paper test is a good method starting at the base (closest to the handle) and moving towards the knife tip. The paper should be cut clean as any snag that rips the paper says you have not fully removed the burr.

I would almost be willing to bet if you ever used anything with a blade you have seen a sharpening stone. With the exception of chisels, axes or even hatchets. From kitchen knives to pocketknives almost any multi use knife you have used for any point in time has gone dull. Some knives, mainly of the utility design, have replaceable blades. What if you had a way to keep a knife sharp and functional with little time and effort? Well, that's where the sharpening stone comes into play. For many years now the staple of knife sharpening has been the stone sharpener. Remember, once you use oil you will have to always use oil. So, for the most part water is readily available. Just wet the stone and you can sharpen your blades just as well.

The Puck stone also needs to be wet. However, it fits in your hand which will allow you to sharpen larger blades such as axes or hatchets. The technique of "Circling" the blade using small circles or a figure eight motion depending on preference, developing a burr, and grinding it out will keep larger blades sharper. The Puck usually comes with coarse grit on one side and a finer grit on the other. The puck can be used on smaller blades as well. Attention to grit and watching the blade of the instrument your sharpening is key.

When it comes to sharpening any bladed instrument there are many things to consider. How sharp does the tool need to be for the job, development and full removal of a burr, whether or not you are going to polish your blade when its sharp and what type of edge or grind do you need. There are specialty grinds used for different purposes and jobs. Ask yourself, am I going to be cutting meat or making fire twills or would a sharper blade make my workload easier? Once you have the job / purpose and the blade figured out along with how sharp the blade will need to be, your set. Remember, a low grit say 600 would be used to remove chips or reshape where higher grit 2,000 to 6,000 would be used to sharpen and polish. Once the blade is sharp, stropping your blade will help maintain the edge.

Grinding It Out- a way to design specialty blades. Here I will give you a couple of different grinds and their uses mainly as food for thought. You can decide which grind, if any, you may or may not want to incorporate into your own knife collection.

Scandi Grinds- A Scandi grind carries a single bevel that runs to zero degrees. In other words, it is a single grind only. Unlike many other grinds, the Scandi runs to the edge with no angle change in what is also known as a zero grind. Scandi grinds have a flat section of the blade that starts at the top of the bevel and runs to the spine. The fact the Scandi is ground to zero allows the edge to be as thin as possible with no change in angle. Changes in angle create extra friction. Hence, the Scandi grind meets with the least resistance possible when it enters the cutting medium. Another benefit of a Scandi grind is that you can achieve a thin edge and, unlike with a full flat grind, you maintain the blade weight of a saber grind. Having that bit of extra spine weight increases your ability to drive the edge forward. As the blade enters the cutting medium, it meets the transition point where the bevel changes to the flat. This benefit is one of the reasons why the knife can dive deep into a cut and take off huge potato-chip-like shavings. This specific grind is exceptional for creating fire twills and carving.

Hollow Grind-A hollow ground knife blade is one that’s been ground to create a distinct beveled, concave edge along the knife’s cutting edge. This effect is achieved by having the grind start below the middle of the knife, producing a small concave wedge that’s very sharp and easy to maintain.

When making a hollow ground blade, a grinding wheel cuts a convex scoop from the blade. The knife’s cutting edge is found at the base of the scoop, and it’s very fine and therefore extremely sharp.

In cross section view, the blade almost looks like an old-school fountain pen nib, with a soft, fluted base and strong upper section. The secondary bevel is easily gripped with a sharpening stone, making sharpening super easy.

Hollow grind blades are perfect for soft, thin materials. They shouldn’t be used for tough materials with larger diameters. Hollow ground blades were traditionally used for scissors and straight razors.

Today, this blade type is mainly found in kitchen knives, as well as outdoor and hunting knives. If you want your knife to slice really well, but don’t want it to get too deep, a hollow grind will do the job superbly. Dressing your game needs a knife with excellent slicing to take off the skin. For this reason, hollow ground blades are common on hunting as well as skinning knives.

They say it's all about the angles. Depending on what type of blade and the job it will be used for the angle(s) is extremely important. In developing a burr to polishing and the grind of your specific bladed instrument as you can see above 10 to 25% angle will sharpen almost any knife you have or will need the trick is keeping the edge in contact with the sharpening surface. So, how do we do that without a machine or a work bench vise?

I personally use a "Rule of Thumb" technique. I look at my thumb and the blade to be sharpened me personally I use about a half of thumb as I have larger hands, smaller hands will require more thumb, and larger hands less thumb. Developing your own rule depends on thumb size and desired sharpness.

Heading In The Right Direction- How you are sharpening your blades will depend on what direction you move the blade across the sharpening implement.

Stone -

Should you be reshaping or removing chips in a blade move the blade from your person across the stone as if pushing the blade away. When reshaping or fixing deformities the lower the grit the better.

Should you be sharpening a blade start away from your person and move towards your person as if pulling it to you. Depending on how fine, sharp, and possibly polished you want your blade will determine how high a grit to use.

Should you find yourself in a survival situation you can use a palm sized rock. Remember to constantly check your blade and see what effect the sharpening device has on your blade.

An easy way to remember is hold your thumb up and tilt towards you and say I'm pretty sharp this gives you angle and direction of travel. Should you have ever dealt with someone who seems a little less intelligent that would get a thumbs down and you could point at them and say you need help this again gives you angle and path of travel and depending on how much help they need will test your grit sometimes you just may need to be a little more coarse.

As a Reminder always make sure stones are wet. Dry stones can be ruined if used and could possibly more than like cause pits in your blade. Think dry shaving and razor burn no one wants to dry shave or have razor burn so add a little water.

Reaching The Stropping Point- A Strop was used in old timey barber shops to sharpen straight razors. Today a Strop can be made with leather and Stropping compound and used regularly will help maintain the clean edge of your bladed instruments. Ready to give yourself a rest? So, you have worked through the "GRIND" and "SHARPENED" your skills now you're ready to "MAINTAIN YOUR EDGE" to do this you simply need to STROP your blades clean edge by moving forward through all the work lean back and relax (move the blade towards your person).

In closing it's best to remember as is anything in life

THAT the People Of The Same last name (P.O.T.S) are what is truly important and the best way to take care of them is to keep your wits and blades sharp.

When it comes to keeping your bladed instruments and your life in good condition and well maintained

PATIENCE is key.

ALWAYS pay attention to your blade and the people closest to you

NEVER add undo pressure in life or to your bladed instruments let the sharpening instrument do the work.

STROP your bladed instrument EVERY time it is used allowing you to maintain your edge.

Your Blade of choice will help in preparing meals for you and your family so in this instance it truly is ALL ABOUT THE P.O.T.S. and P.A.N.S.

SHOUT OUT- James Mastin was a major help in this month's blog post by giving me information to expand on

Until next time "STRUGGLE TO MAKE PUDDING"

The Cost of Survival VS Paying the Price.

The COST of SURVIVAL is PRICELESS right?

Making it through a disastrous situation, sickness, or life-threatening medical issues / surgery(s) and emerging out the other side can be extremely costly ask someone who has or has had a family member who has battled a life threatening if not terminal illness, devasting hurricane or tornado, or even a loss of home due to fire or flood.

Sometimes the cost of having proved yourself and earning the title of survivor could be astronomical.

SURVIVAL GEAR ($2,500)- Now we all know we may have expensive backpacks and multi-purpose shovels that attach via alice clips and molle straps not to mention all the other survival gear we may own. The expense we incur for knives, tools, bedding, hammocks, tents and any other special or specialty equipment we choose to possess could make the expenses add up pretty quick.

In today's society with the state of affairs of the world at large one would almost bet that at some point you have thought about gardening, hunting, and possibly canning or meat preparation. Let's say you want to buy a meat grinder or build a smoke shack you are also going to need to learn butcher skills. Gardening may have crossed your mind now you need to know what you want to plant and the time to sow your seeds and when the proper time to harvest is. Then once your harvest is in you will need to know how to can maybe even pickle and you would have to know the process in order to be able to do it properly.

In today's society let us remember we have city ordinances and may have to retain a permit for many self-sustaining ways of life. The added cost of permits as well as not offending neighbors or warding off complaints all so you can have a little garden and maybe a few chickens so you can combat the rising cost of groceries makes the self-sustaining life itself become a little costly.

SURVIVAL CLASSES AND COURSES ($1,500)- Chances are if you're reading this post at some point, you have probably also watched a video or television show on a survival skill or technique. There are a few very popular survival instructors who need very little or no introduction. Then there are people like myself who may be only known in a small town or even within just a state and if known in a few states it's more than likely by just a few people.

In the Survival Instructor World, I myself have offered classes and visited someone or been visited and given one on one instruction. Having spent any serious time in the world of survival you may have taken a course or attended a class where the price you paid was minimized by the knowledge you gained.

Courses can range from as little as $20 dollars up to $120 dollars. Simple instructed 2-to-4-hour classes could go for up to $250 dollars if not more. Should you have a survival instructor who offers a weekend getaway with specific skills classes they can range up to $600 dollars if not more especially if accommodations are included.

Please understand the cost of the course pays the instructor for the knowledge they possess and possibly the many years of application and learning through trial and error that they are saving you.

BEING PREPARED AND ABLE TO SURVIVE (PRICELESS)- Let us agree that survival is just not limited to being stranded on an island. Survival often comes with regret, remorse, and through tragedy and even loss. We all must endure many things that affect us all on different levels and to varying degrees and in order to survive what life throws at us we have to be able to ADAPT.

Let us all agree there are many things we would have to adapt to. Wherever we are in the world when the times comes that we have to Bug Out for better lack of terminology are we going to "Be Prepared"?

Yes, we may have a Bug Out Bag, have taken classes, studied fire start methods, and even have a handle on water purification. We may have attended seminars or taken classes we may have even practiced the applications of many skills; however, the question remains could you adapt enough to survive?

You never know when or if the day might come when you find yourself in a situation where you do not have the ability to get to your backpack or gather tools. You may or may not be able to get to your bug out bag. You might find yourself in a situation where you just have to go. This will be the time your knowledge and skills will truly come in handy and in order to survive you will have to OVERCOME, IMPROVISE, and ADAPT.

Until next time "STRUGGLE TO MAKE PUDDING".

Water Purification the "Quench" Essentials.

Most people already know that the human body is made up of up to 75% water and know that the average human can go up to 3 days without water. When it comes to survival and hydration, we want you to be informed with facts and concerns that are not "Watered Down".

I am almost positive someone in our family, our social surroundings, whether at work or at some other gathering has heard someone say, "I'm just so thirsty". The plain truth is by the time the average person feels thirsty they are already mildly dehydrated.

The average water consumed or drank in a day on average should be

MEN - 125 ounces or 3.7 liters FEMALES - 91 ounces or 2.7 liters.

These amounts will vary based on muscle mass, weight, height, and physical condition.

Let us first consider how we go about satisfying our THIRST. Right now, you could go into the kitchen and get fresh filtered water from a refrigerator, water purifier attached to your sink, or even a water purifying pitcher. Should you be out and about you could stop at any gas station or convenience store and purchase any number of brands or styles of bottled water. For the sake of argument let us assume our water purification items in our homes and our bottled water suppliers are not going to be readily available in a survival situation.

How would we go about getting drinking water without too great of a risk to our health and well-being? The obvious answer is to boil it, however you may or may not have a container to boil it in. Before we even start, we need to understand water types, bacteria, possible all natural sources and ways in which to purify water.

3 LEVELS OF WATER- Before we get SUBMERGED in our THIRST let us QUENCH ourselves in the knowledge of water types.

SURFACE WATER- Most readily available in streams, lakes, and rivers. However, it is at the highest risk of contamination as it is offered no protection from its environment. Animals drink and bathe in most surface water areas and it is most open to pollution.

GROUND WATER- Unless you find a natural spring coming up from the ground this water source will not be easily obtained. Although this water may be contaminated it is less likely as it is filtered through rocks and soil and mostly protected from pollution and animal waste or biproducts.

ATMOSPHEREIC WATER- This type of water is more captured precipitation as if you had a way to distil water or found it as dew on leaves or other clean natural surfaces and had a way to collect it.

A LITTLE WATER WON'T HURT YOU. This saying is not entirely accurate as a person could drown in a 1/4 of a cup of water or less. Let us consider all of the bottled water, purifier brands and types that in a survival situation are probably not going to be available. Things you may want to consider however are things like

Giardia- A unicellular protozoan parasite that can cause cysts to form through intestinal infection. Is usually found in fecal matter and is due in part to poor sanitation.

Cryptosporidium- This infection is worse than a simple bacteria or parasite and has an outer protective shell called an oocyst and can live outside the body for extended periods of time also is derived from fecal matter.

Clostridium Difficile (C Diff)- This infection can be life threatening due to colon damage such as perforations and in some cases can lead to blood poisoning. C Diff does not need oxygen to live and reproduce and although it is mainly found when dealing with antibiotics it occurs naturally in our guts and can derive from fecal matter.

Signs & Symptoms- Many of the signs and symptoms are the same; nausea, watery diarrhea, up to pain and tenderness of the stomach area or abdominal cramping and in some cases even bloating and vomiting can occur.

Prevention- Although in a survival situation you may not have soap, cleaning your hands as best as possible is highly recommended. Boiling water, especially distilling water, is highly recommended to THOURGHLY KILL BACTERIA almost all water would have to be boiled in a rolling boil for 15 minutes to kill some of the worst bacteria. Sadly, there are still no guarantees' unless you can distill water and have practiced the art and have the supplies to do so, boiling water is the best option.

Remember to set up a bathing area and pet area should you have pets downstream from your water source this helps to avoid contaminating your water collection area.

FILTERING THROUGH THE PURIFICATION PROCESS- Chances are you have either seen or made an improvised water filter like the one pictured above. The cone / funnel water filter can be made in 2-liter bottles, improvised with pant legs, or even made out of birch bark sewn into a cone / funnel shape. Although not a bad way to filter water it will not necessarily remove all the contaminates and bacteria you would need it to in order to make your water safe to drink depending on your water source.

Although this option would be much like distillation because your trapping condensation it would only give you up to 8 ounces of water daily and you would need at least 100 ounces bare minimum daily. The solar still is not a bad option should you have a way to store water and enough containers to store water for 12 days to have 1 days' worth of water it's not 100 ounces at 12 days you may get 96 ounces so this method could take up to 2 full weeks for one day of water.

THE BURN BOWL- In a survival situation time may be the one thing you have an abundance of. The process of creating a burn bowl will take just that time. From sourcing your wood to the repeated process of charring / burning of your wood to create the bowl shape and repeated removing of charred / burnt wood to create the size bowl you desire. Keep in mind once you have the bowl you will need stones free from moisture (moisture in rocks could cause them to crack or explode) to heat to place into your bowl to bring your water to a boil remembering it could take 15 minutes of boiling to kill all harmful bacteria that may be present.

THE SURVIVAL DISTILLER- There are videos online of how this specific distiller is made and people say it will even distill salt water. This is easy to understand as evaporating water and collecting steam makes sense (distilled water has no nutrient or mineral value) and seeing how you are boiling water you can place a small amount of the salt water once boiled into your drinking water to replace some mineral and nutritional value. Things to remember you cannot boil it dry residue much like brine will collect and this could diminish holding capacity and could contaminate or flavor your drinking water unfavorably. One thing I ask myself is how long will this last? Should you be able to suspend it over fire and not place it directly in fire it may last a decent amount of time. You would however need to carry this distiller at all times (the copper tubing and water bottle will fit in one carrier along with a canteen cup) and in some fashions have it secured to your person as to make sure it stays with you in a survival situation.

NATURAL WATER SOURCES- Many types of MAPLE and BIRCH trees can be tapped for their water (depends on time of year). The trees act as a natural water filter and produce a liquid (sap) that can be drank in a liquified form with little worry of contamination. Much like "THE WELL METHOD" where you dig 2 - 4 feet from a water source maybe more and get into the GROUND WATER the tree roots essentially do the same thing. The EARTH FILTER that gives you ground water is not guaranteed, to be safe you may still want to boil or distill your collected water for safety. You may also have coconuts or other vegetation available which provide electrolytes and a food source as well as water just be aware coconuts and other vegetation may have laxative like properties so if you have bowl issues or a sensitive digestive tract use caution.

WADING THROUGH THE REATIL WATERS- There are way too many tablets and water purifiers that are light weight and designed in some way for a survival situation to mention them all. Some purifiers only purify certain amounts of water, and some tablets can take up to 4 hours or more to be effective at possibly removing all harmful parasites and bacteria. Having something light weight to purify water on hand or some of the "best" tablets on hand wouldn't hurt. Each individual person will have to do their own research and draw their own conclusions on what would work best for themselves. I personally have made my own decisions and at best with my water purifier I would still boil my water, and with 1 box of my choice of 30 tablets drinking the recommended amount of water daily my choice in tablet would give me 7 1/2 days of drinking water. Please understand I tell you all this so you know that at some point you may have to source water if in a survival situation over an extended period of time. The chance of having on hand or sourcing materials to make / build a water purifier or construct a solar still are highly unlikely. The knowledge provided here is so you can prepare now and be prepared come what may. There are things here I did not mention and in doing research you can and may find a different way to purify water such as using bamboo to boil water in. It is my firm belief you can never have too much knowledge or be overprepared, however in all my research the best and safest method would be distillation or a rolling 15-minute boil without the proper tools and / or having something on hand vegetation, trees or a well or using the well method would more than likely be one's best option unless you can collect rainwater and with acid rain these days may not be the best option but may be better than your water source and may just give you a break from your purification process.

UNTILL NEXT TIME "STRUGGLE TO MAKE PUDDING".