How to build a simple stone knife to survive in an emergency
If you know how to make a stone knife, you can provide yourself with everything necessary to survive. Learn in this guide how to do it in an emergency.
From Martin Gebhardt. Check out my “About me” page.
👉 The key facts from this guide
- To make a stone knife, you need two fist-sized stones. One serves as a hammer, the other becomes the knife.
- The stone from which the knife is struck should have an edge that is smaller than 90 degrees.
- Place the knife stone on a firm surface and hold it tight. Strike the edge with the hammer stone until a piece breaks off.
- The narrow edge that is created is the cutting edge of the knife.
- Although a steel knife is better, a stone knife can help you in an emergency, for example, when dissecting an animal.
- When making a stone knife, always wear protective goggles to protect yourself from flying splinters.
Hello, my name is Thomas Stalter. I am a wilderness, nature, and environmental educator.
Today, I would like to introduce you to the instructions on how to build a stone knife.
The fact is: survival, living in nature, is extremely difficult and not sustainable without a knife.
Which knife is best? There are as many opinions as there are noses.
But what if I find myself in an emergency situation and I don't have my knife with me or I have lost it on the way?
Especially for extreme tours, the knowledge of how to make a knife from nature yourself can even be life-saving.
What do I need for a stone knife?
We need a material that is stronger than our nails and teeth.
Therefore, get two fist-sized stones and lightly strike them against each other and listen to how they sound.
The lighter a stone sounds, the denser its material is, and the better the knife that can be struck from it.
Always use the best material you can get. As flint is not available everywhere, you have to make do with what you find on site.
We use one stone as a hammer. The other is struck into a knife.
The stone, from which the knife is struck, must have an edge that is smaller than 90 degrees.
How to make a stone knife
This section is about the process of making a stone knife, and it is not difficult at all.
Here's how:
Place the knife stone on a firm surface and hold it firmly. Strike the edge with the hammer stone until a piece breaks off.
It may take a while and you will certainly need several hits.
If it gets a crack, you can also pause and continue later. The crack will remain forever.
And if a piece breaks off, you have your knife. The narrow edge that should arise from this is the cutting edge.
Of course, any steel knife is much better, but now you have a tool that will make things easier for you.
With the stone knife, you can also slaughter an animal in an emergency. Our teeth and fingers are far too weak for that.
If you want to try making a knife, please wear protective glasses to protect yourself from possible flying splinters and be careful with your fingers.
For the stone knife in the photos, I had to hit it about 10 times. The stone didn't break where I wanted it to, of course.
But the cutting edge was sharp enough to cut a piece of old leather [in the picture, an old school bag].
Finally, you can also sharpen both sides of your knife until it becomes even sharper. You can do this by sharpening your stone knife on another hard stone.
And if you want to go one step further, you can further develop your stone knife.
Here you can see a flint stone knife. The stone was worked on for a long time, then used as a handle and glued together with resin.
Have fun and I want to end the little tutorial with a quote from Tom Braun:
Survival with a knife is camping.
Many greetings, your Thomas from www.thomasstalter.de
Thank you Thomas for sharing your guide and knowledge with us.
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