NCJ Number
218066
Journal
Tactical Response Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: March-April 2007 Pages: 107-109
Date Published
March 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After discussing the importance of keeping a police duty knife's blade sharp, this article describes the techniques and materials for sharpening a knife blade.
Abstract
There are three main reasons for keeping a knife sharp. First, a sharp edge produces a clean cut in a short time with little effort. Second, a sharp knife is a safer knife; and third, for defensive purpose, a sharp edge is more effective than a dull blade in stopping an attack. The sharpening process uses an abrasive material to scratch the surface of the blade's metal, exposing and shaping the carbide molecule in the steel that does the cutting. The fineness of the grit in the stone determines the size of the blade's micro-serrations. The finer the stone, the finer the edge, but the less durability it will have in retaining sharpness when put to hard and frequent use. For police work, a medium stone gives the optimum balance between sharpness and edge durability and retention. Ways of testing for sharpness include shaving the hair on a forearm, cutting into the surface of a thumbnail, or cutting a piece of paper lengthwise as it is held by one corner. Other than buying a new knife every time one becomes dull, an officer can send the knife back to the factory for sharpening, have it professionally sharpened, or do one's own sharpening. As guidance for doing one's own sharpening, this article describes the features of types of sharpeners and techniques for using sharpeners to achieve the type of blade edge an officer desires.