Knife Sharpening

[Fire Escape]

Originally Posted by muguvian

Fixtures and stones are mentioned, but just as important is the direction the edge moves relative to the stone. What do you guys do? My dad taught me to use backhand to get a very thin rolled wire edge with the coarser/medium grits, then break that "wire" off with finer stones and polish with a strop.

With stones I always run the blade 'forward' as if I was trying to shave the stone. On paper wheels I do just the opposite, creating the 'wire edge' that you mention. I could not say that I really know which is correct (although I would be afraid to try reversing the edge to 'cut into' the wheels).


Bruce

[Chisenhallw]

Originally Posted by slackmeyer

I made this extremely simple jig:


It's a block of wood with 11 degree from verticle saw kerfs. I've got a few different chunks of aluminum plate, with sandpaper from 240 to 2000 grit glued on. It's easy to keep the knife vertical. I used to sharpen entirely by feel, and I could get a very sharp edge, but I wasn't as consistent or fast. The first time I sharpen a knife, I'll start with a belt sander to shape the edge- most knives that have been sharpened before have a very fat edge, like 45 degree included angle.

I bought a lansky for my in laws, and I often use it when I visit, so that I can use a sharp knife, but I think it's slow, and I'm not that happy with the coarseness of the stones. I sharpen woodworking tools on an almost daily basis to a razor edge, and sandpaper (and occasionally buffing compound on a piece of maple) is all I use.

That's brilliant

[fierostetz]

people employ both techniques to varying degrees of success. ultimately, you want to create a burr then knock it off. That can be done edge leading or edge trailing, though I *personally* have found better success with edge leading (cutting *into* the stone) - the results are much prettier through a jewelers loupe and the cutting performance seems to agree, but everyone's different. Just remember whichever you do, by the time you get to a strop you better be trailing the edge and not leading it :P

Something often forgotten is the ceramic on the bottom of an un-glazed coffee cup - awesome surface for quick kitchen knife touch-ups.

[Dysco]

Originally Posted by VegasKLRider

I use a Spyderco tri-edge if the edge is okay, a cardboard wheel followed by the Spyderco if the Spyderco alone doesn't cut it, and a 400 grit belt followed by the rest if the edge is completely shot.

I can use a whetstone, but they take forever....

I've even had to replace a stone on my Spyderco sharpener (hit the floor too many times, $17 at the outlet in Golden). It travels really well and if I go to a holiday meal somewhere I'll pack it and sharpen the host's knives the day before. Sharpening serrated bread knives usually gets the biggest compliments.

[fierostetz]

nice - its good that the sharpener breaks before what ever surface you dropped it on. I dropped one of my DMT plates once in my wife's parents kitchen and it cracked a marble tile :(

[zedd]

Originally Posted by VTvfr

What about the WorkSharp unit?

I have this and for me its perfect. I'm not sharpening Hattori Hanzō blades.
Its quick, easy, almost impossible to get wrong, and takes up very little space.

sure its a single use product and the replacement belts are a pia, but the belts seem to last a decent amount time. I wish I had the skill to do stone, but sadly I don't.

[tslewisz]

Originally Posted by fierostetz

what's the belt length on the worksharp? I'd like it more if I could use more standard belts... maybe an additional idler pulley to take up the 30" slack :P

love love LOVE trizact belts, but they're not available in a whole lot of sizes.

The WorkSharp belts are .5"x12"-ish.

[Fire Escape]

Originally Posted by Dysco

I've even had to replace a stone on my Spyderco sharpener (hit the floor too many times, $17 at the outlet in Golden). It travels really well and if I go to a holiday meal somewhere I'll pack it and sharpen the host's knives the day before. Sharpening serrated bread knives usually gets the biggest compliments.

Our FD holds a Christmas dinner for the retirees each year, prior to becoming one of the retirees, I was 'in charge' of the event for a number of years. As the time drew close I would bring in my Lansky and sharpen all the kitchen knives at the station. Despite posting a warning sign on the knife block, I (inadvertently) sent two different Lieutenants to the ER for stitches. Since retiring I have added a Sergent to that list. Some people just can't understand "sharp" without feeling it for themselves!

Bruce

[slackmeyer]

Originally Posted by Fire Escape

What are you not happy with? Too Coarse, Too Fine?

I agree that they can be slow, in the two or three decades I have been using mine I have upgraded all the stones to diamond and added some of their "ultra" fine (non diamond) stones to finish up the edges. Having the Extra-Coarse diamond stone has really sped up the process for me to straighten out a poorly contoured factory edge, wish they had brought it out in the beginning. There are still some steels that take a long time to shape, even with that stone. My Gerber LHR (S30V?) came out of the box looking like a rookies first day project and that required a couple of hours to get where I wanted it.
My only issue with Lansky (besides getting bored or hand cramps from a really 'needy' edge) has been the plastic 'holders' for the stones, most come unglued eventually and I have managed to break one at the rod attachment but that was probably from being too lazy to take the rod out and bend it with pliers (or a vice) to get it to align with the stone.


Bruce

Too coarse. Now that I'm used to sandpaper, the stones seem like they're really coarse. . . . yet they sharpen slow. IMHO, you should try making a little pad for your Lansky that you can glue some wet/dry sandpaper to, and give that a try.

I also have some diamond plates that fit in my wood w/kerf jig, they work fine, but I can't see any advantage over the sandpaper.

[Beamklamp]

I like the Lansky and have had very sharp blades with it.
The drawback to it is the clamp doesn't hold very well on blades that have much taper on the back.

[Dysco]

Originally Posted by Fire Escape

Our FD holds a Christmas dinner for the retirees each year, prior to becoming one of the retirees, I was 'in charge' of the event for a number of years. As the time drew close I would bring in my Lansky and sharpen all the kitchen knives at the station. Despite posting a warning sign on the knife block, I (inadvertently) sent two different Lieutenants to the ER for stitches. Since retiring I have added a Sergent to that list. Some people just can't understand "sharp" without feeling it for themselves!

Bruce

I've gotten a few friends and my grandma has been incapable of handling a sharp knife forever. Apparently her drawer full of dull paring knives is a midwest safety feature.

[liquidsmile]

http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-BS-TR10...ener+tri+stone

This is what I use. Sharpening a knife can be soothing. Sitting around talking and sharpening knives is something I enjoy doing when I am camping or just sitting around chatting at the the house.

I still remember when my uncles and my father would sit around the house and sharpen their knives and see who could make the sharpest knife. They used a single piece of newspaper and held it up and tried to cut it from one side to the other without a rip in the paper.

It takes practice, buy a cheap knife and go to it.

[Dbear]

I have one of the earlier Wicked Edge models and am upgrading to their new design.

Consistent, precise and you can get as freaky as you want to on micro polishing edges.

http://www.wickededgeusa.com

[Juanjo_NY]

Originally Posted by VTvfr

What about the WorkSharp unit?

I have that on its way.
In my mid time I tried this on a Ka-Bar BK17 that came from factory pretty dull and actually works!!

[DriveShaft]

Originally Posted by Flood

I have a japanese water stone, but I never got the hang of it. In the end I always go back to my Lansky set, which is practically foolproof.

I'm fairly proud of my knife skills in the kitchen...the basis of any effective cook is efficient prep work, and a major component of that is knife work. I keep my knives in pretty good shape. I can definitely feel when the knife is working with me, or against me.

When my grandma was alive, she looked at my sharpening paraphernalia, and basically shamed me into relegating them to the bottom drawer, and just picking up the steel and water stone for 99.9% of my sharpening needs. The way Grandma does it, you go at it, with some basic indexing methods, and you'll get the angle you need most of the time, w/o the meticulous one-draw-at-a-time-being-careful-to-be-exaaaaactly-right kind of motion that she couldn't bother with. Then she's off getting shit done with her pretty damn sharp knife. Was it perfect? Fuck perfect, the chicken is deboned already, while you're still here masturbating with your oiled stones and guides. Then my aunt pretty much did the same thing, and I put the crap away and learned how to do a speedy tune and keep moving. Doesn't take long to get the hang of it, once you decide it's ok to experiment a little, and a messed up edge doesn't stay messed up for long. After all...it's not a holy grail...it's a tool.