Sharpening Your Gerber Folding Knives

Folding knives are becoming increasingly more popular these days. Many people own Gerber folding knives, which are some of the most fastidious ones on the market right now. Unfortunately, without proper care and sharpening, your knives will become dull quickly and will be difficult to use. There are a few techniques that you can use to keep your knives sharp and smooth; if you follow them you will increase the lifespan of your blade.

Whetstones are the most commonly used item for sharpening blades, so make sure you buy one with a coarse and fine side in advance. First, make sure you're working with a clean blade. Use soapy water and a stiff brush to remove any dirt on it. Next, take your whetstone and thoroughly soak it in water or light oil. Oil is recommended because it lubricates and does not evaporate as quickly as water. Hold your knife at about a 30 degree angle and gently move the blade back and forth on the coarse side of the whetstone. Take the blade and examine the sharpness of the edge, if you see burn marks evenly dispersed throughout the knife, then you are ready to move on to the fine side of the whetstone.

Repeat the above process with the finer side of the whetstone until the burn marks disappear. At this point you are finished and your Gerber knives are sharpened.

Don't put too much pressure on your Gerber folding knives when sharpening; it will cause unneeded damage to the blade. You may also injure yourself if the blade staggers while you're sharpening because of too much pressure.

Always use the same angle against the whetstone. You may cause damage to your Gerber knives if you change the angle while sharpening. This is the most difficult to follow, because holding a steady 30 degree angle is difficult.

Hopefully with these tips you will shortly and safely be on your way to a sharp, steady knife.