You Won't Believe this WORKS! Survival Hacks Knife Sharpener! 

Here's a survival tip... Always bring a dull knife and a sharpening stone when you go to the woods. If you get lost just sit down and start sharpening that knife. Someone will always come along to tell you that you're doing it wrong.

My father is ex military from the Angolan bush war. He taught me this about 15 years ago and it’s a great way to sharpen tools for general use.

Well, im not too proud to say even @60yrs old, useing and maintaining razor edged skinners and boners, axes, chisels , plane blades etc with a variety of tools for over 40, I learned something new. I never even considered useing mud or dirt on the end grain of a log as a hone. Bloody beauty. Thanks mate.

Im so glad you won Alone Season 8, i was cheering for you right from the start. The only person on that show that season who actually looked like they knew what the hell they were doing. Then when you actually TANNED LEATHER from the deer hide I had to call my wife over to check it out. When You took down that deer I knew you were going to win.. The other guy tried to go in extra heavy but in the end knowledge = survival.

When I was 18, the Marine Corps felt it was necessary that I travel halfway around the world and expand my experience. In Vietnam, one the villagers used a very large boulder to sharpen knives. This boulder had been in his family for generations and he could put a razor edge on any cutting tool with it.

NICE ya clay on the cut cood was how I kept my knife sharp and congratulations on the book I'll have to get a copy!

Good stuff! I have often used a flat rock for a sharpening stone when out. It wasn't that long ago that I was shown the grit on the endgrain of a log trick. Nice to see it repeated. Thanks. Enjoyed watching the Alone series..........

I was never taught how to sharpen a knife so I watched tons of videos trying to figure it out this video honestly is the best one I just took a knife that has no sharp edges and did what you did and it Sharp now

Nice work clay as always I’ve seen similar techniques of wet stoning from all over the world definitely worth revisiting Evan for the most experienced woodsman

Cannot wait to hear your recap on episode 2. I saw Adam had two different types of tarps. Black for roof and clear one with gramments he had for window and made fishing pole with. Didn’t see where they could bring two tarps. Like your intake

Great book Clay. Thanks for the story, lessons, and perspectives. I made sure to leave a nice review too!

Finally somebody to show the dirt method of sharpening your blades I believe you're the first person I've seen to show this on video I've used them in a pinch and it's also a great way to polish your Edge but thanks a lot I appreciate it and if anyone's getting into Bushcraft this is fantastic for them to know thanks for bringing it up. Keep you power to dry

Thank you for this knowledge Clay, This could really save a life

Definitely have to read your book. I've used stones many times and sand. Glad your getting this information out to other folks.

Great video and information as always. Thanks Clay

ive been doing this for 50 yrs and i am learning things from you mate thanks! I have a paralysed leg and arm and not very smart but survival isnt about smart it about adaptability, i love the one hand feather sticks with the knife dug into a log! Big T/U and sub.!

Just got the book in the mail yesterday 👍 Looking forward to reading it. Slick tip with the mud/sand/clay on the piece of cut fire wood. I will definitely try that one out. Nate

Very nice! Thanks for the tip Clay!

Awesome! Thank you!

thanks for the tip!

Excellent!

great tips

Great tips. My grandpa used flat stones, very fine grit, at his camp in NW New York when I was a kid growing up. Worked well.

Clay to hone, wood to strop... I thought I'd learned all the cool bushcraft tricks already... Thanks. :)

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Great video.

What a fantastic video, thank you so much for sharing

Many thank's!

Life saving advice. Thank you 🙂👍🏻

These are actually fantastic.

Thank you for these wonderful tips God bless

Just subscribed. I happened on your water filtration video I found it very interesting. I follow probably a dozen or so prepper channels and yours is certainly the most interesting and the most realistic in my opinion at least. Nice work! Looking forward to exploring your channel. I'll have to go find season 8 of Alone, so far I've only watched the first two seasons.

Thanks for sharing. Great nuggets of info. 🥰🙏

Thank you

These videos are awesome! Like survival water. Thank you immensely!

Using the dirt is clever. Thank you for sharing that.

Excellent!!! 😎

Good stuff!

Thank you. 👍

Wow this is awesome!

Funny. I was thinking this morning I needed to learn to really sharpen the blade on my Leatherman. Love that tool. Thank you. New subscriber here. 👍👍

Outstanding! I never knew how to do that I've just given it a try in the woods and yes ! Thank you for your generosity wisdom is awesome God bless you bush craft Jesus Amen ✨✝️💫

Thanks for the idea of using on the end of the firewood clay, Clay.

Awesome hack! Amazing!

Awesome method Clay, going to add that to knowledge base ATB Spam.😁👍

Thank you 😊

Thank you,great tip

Great video

Wow. this is some very cool tips. I'll have to try them out!

i have been WAITING for someone to make an in depth tutorial on The clay paste technique!

Handy. Thanks.

This is some good cutting edge info. Thanks guy 😏👍

Great Sharpening Tips! Thanks for sharing!

Bevel is the Angle for folks in Rio Linda. This angle is super important in sharpening metal cutting tools. A jig to hold tool for this process is critical to get a perfect edge. Looks like you go for a combined angle of 25 -30 degrees to me. Different angles for different applications. These contact angles are always a topic to study in cutting metal. The Dirt in the log is a clever idea, not thought of that one before. TY Going into my tool box of concepts.

Good job

As a Kid this is how I kept my knife blades sharp. I could not or maybe did not want to spend the money on a sharpening tool. I had a rock like that in the grey and a flat granite in the red & gray style that was the best, with the flat hard gray rock being a little easier even if the granite did a better job due to the quartz and black mineral in it and being a bit rougher, less smooth. Then later as a teen at about age 16 I found you need to use a piece of leather or normally used cardboard to swipe backwards and get the almost micro shards off the blade but was using a small wet stone sharpener by that time that I have since lost but have two other things a rougher small item I could use out in the field and a smoother metal with some micro abrasive sharpening thing that the handle broke at work for finishing to get even sharper before the back stopping. I live in a place Central South Dakota with no wood in non river parts but lots of this thick clay soil almost mud and some parts not enough small rocks to find in the soil, like the one you have so in that case I would be hosed having to try and bake the clay soil if wet enough to a hard enough substance, because if the soil is not wet enough, in most of central South Dakota it this crappy dirt that does not want to compact together if not wet enough. That or try to find antlers of a deer/shoot a deer or same for an Antelope, for something hard enough.

When I was a little kid around 3 or 4 my big brothers taught me the trick to shine an old coin. Put it on wet soil and step on it with your heel and turn your heel around a couple of times. But I never thought similar principle can work for steel and sharpen it. Great video!

I haven't seen the mud / sand technique, thanks for the tip.

Nice 👍

No fancy stuff, just what’s laying around 💪

Thanks I'll get ur book .

Cool

Good instruction. thank you!

Just a quick tip, if you hold the knife edge on the bottom, you can watch your bevel angle in sunlight off the reflection. The main benefit is that one can see exactly what you are doing to the bevel.

There’s a great video on here somewhere where they do extensive testing with all different systems of whetstones and diamond stones and other methods. All of them basically give you the same level of sharpness with the proper technique and a leather strop afterward

I don't watch TV. Lol I subbed you for your tips and family centered ideals. Then while binge watching I caught you mention you won a living alone challenge! 😂🤣 Great job! Love your videos showing real world tips. God bless and keep you and your family. 🙏👨‍👩‍👦❤️💯😃👍

Cool. Hadn't seen that technique that utylizes a cut-off log and some clay or dirt or sand smeared into the end grain. Lesson of the day. Right on, dude.

🤔👍🏽 very informative, thanks 🙏🏽

Thanks for sharing this, Clay! I was one of those who requested this, particularly liked the log end with, dirt, sand, etc, tip! Hope to get up to Berrien Springs to see ya! Good shootin, Steve McQueen

cool

Smart man

You are the man Clay. I told my wife in the very first episode that I had you picked to win it all.

Dam I suck at sharpening. Your videos have helped alot. Actually fist video I ever watched of yours was broad head sharpening.

Makes complete sense.

First time I've seen someone else share this. I've been using Palmetto frond and palm frond with mud on it for years. Greatstuff. Down here in Florida we don't have stone but this method really works.

Matter of fact I just got your book in the mail today. Can't wait to read it.

Great hack! I will give it a try. I am in the middle of your new book now & am really enjoying it!

Bro that book is huge!!!

Well, I have used rock, leather. Wood and dirt, now that is a new one. Thanks Clay.

Pior que fazer isso faz sentido. Obrigado pela diaca.

Wow I will try this. From my experience with sharpening I know that if you use less mud it will be finer and the particles will crush or just get embedded deeper into the wood and get finer the more you use it.

For stropping, birch polypore or Fomitopsis betulina will also do a great job!

never thought about putting some dirt on some wood like that. i could have wasted an hour or two smoothing a stone to sharpen my tools in a critical situation. thanks for the knowledge.

Do u only move 'Away from the edge' when stroping and using the dirt log (or do u move away from the edge when you're using an actual sharpening stone as well)?

Good stuff! Plenty of dirt, So no excuse for a dull blade!

Impressive edge on your axe!

If you take a flat piece of shale, you can smooth it against a brick, or concrete to get a nice flat surface, to make a good home stone.

It works to me thanks man and I accidentally have cut wounds on my left finger but it's ok I'm still satisfied 👍

Using the log end is epic • Thank you for all the video uploads •• Stay better than well with your fam

That's cool as hell!I noticed you sharpen pulling the cutting edge instead of slicing into your stone,can I ask,any reason why?

Grit is grit,makes sense ! 👍

ayyy i like that firstlite your wearing :)

Stropping is something that alot of people seem to neglect when maintaining their knives . After hard use I always strop my knife on my belt or even my pants leg and it will reset the edge back to shaving sharp , I very rarely have need for actually sharpening

Looks like that works really well. I’ve been curious if ashes will work in place of a buffing compound but im not willing to sacrifice a strop to find out.

I like how you rebuilt your shelter. Lol you did good man. Lol I called you for it, episode one☝️

Ima new sub to your chann because I find the content fascinating and thanks for the vids

VERY cool trick using the dirt when you dont have a rock. Thank you!!!!

Got it.

Makes sense. If you cut into the ground when you're working with a chainsaw, you quickly dull the blades. If soil can dull blades, then it can sharpen them if done properly.

Looks like something feel out your pocket @ 1:39… good video, thanks for the tip!

Besides my pocket sharpening kit i also keep a 4 inch wide 2 foot long length of leather wrapped around the neck of my axe to protect from overshots but also as a strop, another addition cut bike tubing into bands to wrap the handle, absorbs shock and helps with grip.