Old timer showed me how to sharpen pruners with a coffee cup bottom

I was out on a job in Cleveland last fall and my bypass pruners were getting dull, cutting through branches was a real struggle. An older guy I was working with grabbed his ceramic coffee mug and used the rough bottom edge to hone the blade, took maybe two minutes and they cut like new again. Has anyone else tried this trick or do you stick to proper sharpening stones?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron4261mo ago

I've used the bottom of a terracotta pot in a pinch when I left my diamond stone at home... works fine for a quick touch up but you gotta be careful not to dig into the edge too hard.

evan2951mo ago

Actually went through like 3 different terracotta pots before I found one with a bottom smooth enough to not mess up my bevel. The really rough ones can leave these micro scratches that are a pain to grind out later. I found that if you wet the clay first it helps a ton with the feedback, almost feels like a fine waterstone for a second. Definitely not something I'd use on my nicer knives but for beaters and outdoor blades it gets the job done, lol.