Thread: IHD (Improvised Hone Disorder)

After watching the Carter Cutlery guy do an improvised sharpening job on a knife using a concrete block & some cardboard, I started to get curious about the everyday objects around me & their sharpening properties.

I read a tip on a cooking forum about using an ordinary red brick, so I tried it. I flattened one of the narrow sides, and it makes a perfectly good whetstone! It's not fine (I'd guess around 300 grit), but plenty good enough for slicing cuts.

Then I came across a couple scrap water filters at work. These look like hard gray hockey pucks, scooped out on one side to form a shallow cup. "Gee," I said, "that sure looks like sintered silicon carbide." Sure enough, that's exactly what it was. Or maybe it's aluminum oxide, it's hard to tell. Whatever it is, it's hard as hell & removes steel very aggressively. Perfect for pocketknives and such. These come in two flavors, one much coarser than the other. So now I have a coarse hockey puck & a medium hockey puck.

Next I found a piece of slate. Coticules are often backed with slate for strength, and the disclaimer says, "This is not a combination hone, the slate side will not sharpen." Oh really? Tell that to the good people of Ayr. So I flattened one side, and it sharpens incredibly well! Not fine enough for a razor--I'd say 400-600 grit--but a perfectly fine stone for a knife.

So now I can't even look at a stone without going, "Hmmmm, I wonder if it has any abrasive properties." And I've got a brick & a slab of slate in my kitchen.