Sharpening Knives

[1946 BN IHC]

I am inept as far as sharpening knives. I am very accomplished at sharpening drill bits and chisels and other shop tools. YET when it comes to kitchen, hunting and other types of knives I am inveterate failure at these. Is there any one who can assist or tell or be so kind to give me the proper equipment to be able to sharpen knives.
An aside; my father when he was alive could sharpen knives to such an edge that he could shave the hair on his arm ( that is the softest hair on the body), I have never been able to do proper sharpening at all.
I apologize for my December rant about this issue.
May all of you have a very wonderful Christmas and pleasant New Year.
Wm.

 

[ratface]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I004etmBMc

Should be a link to the Essential Craftsman, about general sharpening. He also has one on sharpening axes along with hundreds of other cool videos.
Untitled URL Link

 

[old]

I've sharpen knifes for decades using a wet stone and when done I test by shaving hair on my arm.

 

[guido]

1946 BN IHC,

Depending on the cutting edge, the angle you need to keep the knife to the stone is 1 or 2 quarters.
Once you get a decent edge, use a steel rod to get a sharper edge.

Using the steel rod will help keep the edge between sharpening. The finer the sharpening stone, the sharper the final edge will be. The rest is just practice,

Guido.

 

[da.bees]

(quoted from post at 16:42:08 12/17/22) I've sharpen knifes for decades using a wet stone and when done I test by shaving hair on my arm.

Yea I've heard of people doing that but I've been putting a dab of lapping compound in my palm and sharping for about the same length of time. For mortals I recommend Lansky Sharping System.

 

[JD Dave]

I suggest the easiest way to sharpen knifes is with a Chef's Choice machine. I run all my knives through this sharpener once a month or so. The sharpening is calibrated through three sequences creating proper angles. I've had a couple of these sharpeners over 20 years with complete success. A whole hell of a lot easier than holding and working the angles on a stone.

 

[Gary Reif]

What da.bees said the Lansky system is a good way to sharpen knives.

 

[1946 BN IHC]

yes using a stone on the bench. I will look up the suggestions listed Thank you.
Wm.

 

[Janicholson]

Use a flat thick glass plate. Put 250 grit silicon carbide paper on it. For a pocket knife to use for fine work. Tape the paper down so one edge is on the edge of the glass using blue masking tape. Don't tape the edge where it is aligned. Put the knife on the paper with a dime thickness positioned under the back of, or away from the edge about 5/8. if the blade is narrower, use a thinner shim. Do 5 or 6 one inch circles with light pressure. Look at the edge to see where the paper is wearing metal (a hand lens might be needed). turn the blade over and do the same # of strokes on the other side. Hold the blade so sunshine or a bright light shines on it, and it is straight at your eye. If you can see light bouncing off of it, it is dull. If the wear pattern is way back from the edge (like .030) there is work to do. Continue this side to side sharpening until there is no shine when looking straight at the edge. To do the rounded tip requires the same shallow angle following a radius around as you make circles. Both sides equally!!
When it seems sharp it is not. You now need 400 grit paper and the same tactics. Feel the edge by moving a finger from the blade flat across the edge. (perpendicular to the edge, or a cut may happen. The edge may have tiny burs (called wire edge) this is fragments of knife steel still clinging to the edge, and these need to be removed. Do this by dragging the edge at a steeper angle backward (like buttering bread) on a piece of leather, or soft wood. alternating sides 3 times. This action breaks the burrs off, leaving a still not complete edge. 800 or 1000 grit paper is used to finish the task. Still taped to the glass. This time only move the blade at a slight angle as though you were shaving the paper. The dime thickness is still the same.
For utility heavy cutting I use a nickle in place of the dime. Do not test it by running a finger down the edge.
When some one uses my knives I make the aware they are nasty sharp. Sometimes they still get cut. Jim

 

[MarkB_MI]

I haven't found anything better than Japanese water stones.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 18:33:21 12/17/22) what really pizzes me off is when you see a chef cutting beef then sharpens his knife right in front of you then goes back to cutting without even wiping the blade off. i dont want to eat metal filings.

What you saw was not sharpening but using the "steel". there are no filings when using one because no metal is removed. It is done in between sharpenings to just straighten and reform the the edge.

 

[Butch(OH)]

I am pretty decent with a wet stone and finishing with a steel (no brag intended) but its time consuming. Some of the cheaper stainless knives are very hard to sharpen and may be part of your problem?
My wife can dull knives like no other and I bought one of these sharpeners pictured for the kitchen, it was like $20. It works very well and takes nothing to learn how to use it. The knives work very well after a few strokes but If you hit them with a steel or strop them with leather they will shave you. Some knives will never have a shaving type edge without using a steel or strop, it depends on what they are made of.

 

[Stroby]

Basis your text that you have had numerous failures, Lansky Sharpening system is your answer. It has a device that sets the angle then provides the proper stones to get the job done.

 

[Fred Werring]

(quoted from post at 12:57:25 12/18/22)
My wife can dull knives like no other


Butch, bet my wife can give your wife a run for her money. Won't hardly ever use a cutting board, cuts things on dishes which dulls the knife right now. You ever tried to tell (ask) your wife not to do something? But she's a cross between Betty Crocker and Julia Child, and I am certainly not suffering.

Got to the point we have seperate kitchen knives. But I've caught her using mine. Now the battle is asking her to not run my wood handled knives through the dishwasher.

Found the Rada sharpener you showed on Amazon. For $17 delivered, think I'll try it.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

My contribution: does what I need it to do. gm

 

[Butch(OH)]

Fred, sounds like our wives are twins in
the kitchen!

 

[John Garner]

A couple swipes of a felt-tip marker will make it MUCH easier to see where the blade is contacting the abrasive.

When it's time to clean up, a bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel takes the ink away.

 

[Janicholson]

Good idea