Without a good hunting knife, a hunt is unimaginable. It doesn’t matter whether hunting is your pastime or profession, a hunting knife will always be a part and parcel of your hunt. You may use it to clear the pathway or to cut down your hunt. Well, there are various ways to put your hunting knife to good use.
After every successful hunt, your hunting knife will be messy. You have to clean it and make it ready to go for the next one. But how to clean a hunting knife properly? Will dishwashing do the job completely? Stay tuned till the end. You will find all the answers to your questions regarding the cleaning of a hunting knife.
Table of Content:
In this article, we are going to describe what you will need for cleaning, how to clean and how to maintain a hunting knife. Just visit the section to go to your desired part.
Contents
What Will You Need For Cleaning A Hunting Knife?
You will need different materials for different situations. For example, after light use, you will only need a simple water wash. For heavy uses, you will have to pass several steps to clean your hunting knife properly.
To clean a hunting knife, in different situations, you will need water, rag, soap, and oil. Sometimes you may even need to hone and sharpen your knife after using it. Though the materials are very common and available, you better get them ready to clean your hunting knife right after every use.
How To Clean A Hunting Knife?
The method you are going to follow to clean up your hunting knife depends on how you have used it. For simpler uses, a general and simple cleaning will do the job. But for complex uses, you have to follow a series of steps to clean your hunting knife. We are stating only two methods of cleaning here for your better understanding, namely-
- General Cleaning
- Complex Cleaning
1. General Cleaning
We are trying to cover both the fixed blade knife and a folding knife in these two methods. Hope we will be able to make the cleaning process easier for you. After simple uses, you will have to just clean your hunting knife using soap and water. But before cleaning with soap and water, remember to remove the dust using a rag or pieces of clothes.
If your hunting knife has a fixed blade, you can use straightforward processes. But if you do have a folding hunting knife, then you have to pay extra attention to details while cleaning it.
2. Complex Cleaning
Returning from a successful hunt is always a joyous event. But you will have to prepare for your next trip by getting every necessary piece of equipment ready to go. Otherwise, the next trip will be a miserable one instead. Keeping your messy hunting knife nice and clean for the next destination is a must. Though it may seem to be a very easy task, it isn’t.
Making any kind of mistake will lead you to damage your knife severely. But, don’t worry. We are here for you. We are stating all the necessary steps you need to follow here to ease off your hassles.
3. Cleaning Blood and Sand
First, you have to clean any kind of blood and sand from your hunting knife. You can do it by putting the knife under a water flow. If you don’t have water at that moment, you can use a rag to get the job done. But if you don’t have a rag or any piece of clothes nearby, you can always use your leg pants.
4. Cleaning with Rotor Oil
After removing blood and sand from your hunting knife, you can either clean your knife with rotor oil or with Baking Soda. It’s up to you which one you are going to prefer.
Step 1– To clean your hunting knife with rotor oil, first, apply rotor oil to the blade. It must be done by applying oil from the top to the tip of the blade.
Step 2- Then, you have to clean the oil from the knife using water.
Step 3– Now, you have to follow the first step again.
Step 4– Clean the knife for the second time.
Step 5– Gently remove the leftover from the knife using a rag, if there is any.
5. Cleaning with Baking Soda
To clean the knife with baking soda follow the below steps and clean properly.
Step One– At first, you have to mix water with baking soda. (The proportion must be equal)
Step Two– Now, you have to apply the mixture.
Step Three– You have to wash the knife after the application with a cloth. A microfiber cloth will be preferable.
Step Four– If there is any leftover remaining, apply a solution of Salt and Vinegar
Step Five– At last, wash the knife off using a rag. Remember not to make any direct contact with the knife with your hand.
How To Maintain A Hunting Knife?
Maintaining your hunting knife after every use is the right way of making it prepared for your next use. If you do not do it out of laziness or tiredness, you are screwed for your next trip. And if you do not take care of your knife for a long time, it may become rusty, and make your life more difficult. You have to take care of your knife regularly.
Honing and Lubricating:
You have to either hone your knife or sharpen it, per your need. But you must do it after every use. And after the honing or sharpening process, you have to lubricate it. Don’t overdo the lubrication. Use a washing cloth to remove any leftovers.
Storing:
Though it may not seem very important, it holds great importance to keep your knife efficient. If you plan to store your hunting knife for a short period, a nylon sheath or a leather sheath will do the job. But if you plan to store it for a longer period, you have to wrap it up with plain paper first and then insert it into a plastic bag.
Summary
A good and well-maintained hunting knife is a lifesaver. You can use it for different purposes. But after every use, you have to remember cleaning it. There’s a saying, “if you take care of your hunting knife now, it will take care of you in the future.” Well, that is absolutely right.
Though cleaning the knife is a must, you must not do it without any proper knowledge. If you do not use the right methods, you may even end up damaging your knife instead of cleaning it! We hope we have made everything clear about how to clean a hunting knife. But if you have any further questions, the comment box is always open.
Resource article:
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- 8 Safety Tips For Hunting
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