Sharpening a pruning knife

Thanks to a combination of the advice on here and my natural parsimony, we are tooled up with Opinel shivs.

One of them is a serpette like in the picture.

How on Earth does one sharpen such a blade?

May I suggest using a circular whetstone.

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Now the problem, @Robert_Hodge , as I think you may have discerned, is that I’m the sort of person who goes for a long weight on my first day of work.

But I trust you, so I’ll have a look :grinning:

Ahhh ! Tis cos I be old enuf to remember avin used one of dem tings.

They used to be round throughout their length, and fatter in the middle than at the ends, but I think this flattened version must be one of those modern improvements.
The round ones are certainly excellent at sharpening scythes and billhooks.
If you are lucky you may find one at a brocante.

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Now there’s a project ! Thanks

I’d imagine a circular cross-section hone, steel or ceramic sharpening rod would be OK.

I’ve got a much larger saddle maker’s version of that shape of blade (edge on the outside) that’s great for cutting curves in thick ox-hide.

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You’re welcome.
My Dad’s was like this one but pointed at both ends. About 9 inches long overall.

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I expect that these days one could use one of the various shaped grinding / honing drill bits in a bench mounted drill.