How-To: How to Grind a Gut Hook?

Sharpening a gut hook may seem complicated, but it’s not. In this How-To we explain which grinding products you need and how you can grind a gut hook very sharp yourself.

What is a Gut Hook?

A gut hook is a ground hook that is usually attached to the back of the blade of a hunting knife. This hook is designed for cutting open the belly of a freshly shot game. A gut hook makes this job much safer. It prevents you from slipping and puncturing the gut. Since the gut contains many bacteria that promote spoilage, it is imperative to avoid damaging the gut.

In addition to cutting open games, a gut hook is also useful for cutting rope, stripping cable, and opening a beer bottle. Some outdoor enthusiasts even use the gut hook as a hook to remove a hot grill or pot from the fire. A gut hook is more versatile than you might first think. That’s why a multitool often has a cutting hook attached to it.

Which grinding products can I use to grind a gut hook?

To grind a gut hook, you need a grinding rod. Please note that the grinding stick must have a smaller diameter than the diameter of your gut hook. In our assortment, we have several small grinding rods that are more than suitable. The diamond particles on a diamond grinding wheel quickly wear away material. This makes these grinding sticks perfect for quickly sharpening a dull gut hook. Ceramic grinding sticks are often a bit thinner and therefore take up less material. These grinding sticks are perfect if your gut hook is still relatively sharp. The grinding result with a ceramic grinding rod is therefore also sharper than with a coarse diamond grinding rod. Ideally, you should sharpen with a coarse grinding stick first to get the edge of the gut hook straight and sharp again, and then sharpen with a finer grinding stick to make the gut hook really razor sharp. At the bottom of this guide, we have compiled a selection of all the sharpening sticks that are suitable for sharpening a gut hook.

How do you sharpen a Gut Hook?

Once you have selected the correct abrasives, you place the sharpening rod against the sharpened part of the gut hook. This means the slanted inner side of the gut hook. Then run the grinding rod back and forth over the ground part of the gut hook several times. Remember that you are touching the entire edge and therefore grinding at the correct angle. As soon as you feel a so-called “burr” on the back, the unsharpened side of the gut hook, you know that the edge is sharp. Turn the knife over, place the fine grinding stick flat on the blade, and move it back and forth to remove the burr. Then grind with the same fine grinding stick, with the ground side of the gut hook until it is very sharp again. Remove the burr on the back of the blade and your gut hook is ready to use again!

Make sure that the diameter of the grinding rod is not larger than the diameter of your gut hook!

We use the DMT Diafold Dimond Knife Sharpener for our Gut Hook Knives.