Sharpen Pencils Perfectly Without A Sharpener Using An Item You Have At Home

It's great to keep a few pencils on hand at home to help with tasks like making pencil marks when using a tape measure or taking notes at your desk. Unfortunately, though, it's easy to forget to purchase a sharpener to accompany the writing tools. When you are left with a dull pencil and no sharpener, you might assume that you are completely out of luck. However, you can actually sharpen pencils perfectly with a craft knife. All you need to do is scrape the knife against the tip of the pencil to shave it down while turning it continuously so that it is sharpened on all sides.

After you are done, you should be left with a pencil that is ready to help you tackle your next writing task with ease. This hack is so convenient that you might not even find it necessary to go out and purchase a pencil sharpener. If you do choose to use this method as an alternative, consider keeping a small knife in a drawer or writing utensil holder in your office at home. Having the tool within reach may help you stay productive in your home office as you will be able to sharpen your pencils quickly.

Let's take a closer look at how you can sharpen your pencil with a knife in just a few steps. In the YouTube video above, the content creator uses a craft knife rather than a standard kitchen knife to sharpen the pencil. You can snag one of these tools for yourself from Amazon or your preferred craft store. The Fiskars SoftGrip Detail Craft Knife is a great option because it is priced at only $5.97 on Amazon.

Now, on to how to put this knife to use. With the tool in one hand, you will need to hold your pencil in your other hand so that the tip is pointed away from you. It is important to ensure you are pulling the knife away from you rather than toward you to avoid cutting yourself while sharpening your pencil. Next, proceed with using the knife to scrape around the tip of the pencil just as shown in the video.

You may want to do this over a trash can so that the shavings fall right inside, simplifying the cleanup process. Once the tip of the pencil has reached your desired sharpness, you are all done. If you are wondering how to use a knife to sharpen a carpenter's pencil, you should know that this process looks a little different. To sharpen a carpenter's pencil after it becomes dull, simply scrape the tip against 220 to 350 grit sandpaper until you achieve your desired shape and sharpness.