Knife sharpening
- Thread starter Nuts
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I've got a cheap fine/medium oilstone that works wonders for my knives, chisels etc.
paul o'
Well-Known Member
Find an old school butcher its not a dark art but a skill or as above, on my good blades I use block paste and a leather patch and on the cheap ones I use a blade tech as it gets a working edge but it kills the blade so only use one on the £10 knifes or get a jig and use that.
ChesterP
Well-Known Member
I use water stones (400, 800 and 1200 grit) for sharpening my decent knives, finishing with a fine paste stone then take the blade edge burr off with a few wipes on a decent steel. Time consuming but it's not needed very often as once established, I can maintain a decent edge with the steel for at least a good few months normal use before the next waterstone edge maintenance is needed.
For my Mora and a few other cheaper knives, I carry a Bladetech. Does a good job of restoring a cutting edge but as the advice above, will ultimately destroy your blade so don't use it on anything you value!
There's some fancy guides around like the Lanskey ones which do make the job easier but if you select a true scandi-grind knife edge, they're easier to maintain using a water or oilstone.
For my Mora and a few other cheaper knives, I carry a Bladetech. Does a good job of restoring a cutting edge but as the advice above, will ultimately destroy your blade so don't use it on anything you value!
There's some fancy guides around like the Lanskey ones which do make the job easier but if you select a true scandi-grind knife edge, they're easier to maintain using a water or oilstone.
mr_magicfingers
Well-Known Member
You might find these helpful, sharpening/steel lessons from a butcher
this is for butcher and chef knives (thin relatively soft Steel/Heat treatment and pretty much disposable ie wear out quickly over a few years ) DO not use these on High quality Custom blades
Knife sharpening can be an emotive subject, a little like Blaser's and the .243. There are many ways to sharpen a knife, but some which are just not suitable - I'd agree that a mechanical sharpener on a decent blade is not the way to go. If you really want to find folk discussing the finer points about sharpening a blade get over to the BritishBlades forum - there are some guys there that really know their stuff, and take it very seriously.
FWIW I use an old oil stone that I inherited from my Grandfather with WD40 as the lubricant. I use it in much the same way that a Japanese chef would with a waterstone, which is moving the blade with the length of the blade and not "cutting into" the stone. Some folk will disagree with that methodology but it works well for me. I don't know the grit of the stone but I'd guess that it's around 1000. I then sometimes use the edge of a glass chopping board to hone the blade (a car window edge also works, but your neighbours may get worried) and then finish it off using a leather strop with paste. I only started with the strop relatively recently but what a difference it makes. The strop and paste (known as Smurf Poo because it's a blue block in roughly the shape of a turd) were bought from a chap called Longstrider on BritishBlades for £15. It really works!
Finally, getting a good edge takes practice. It took me a long time when I was a kid to get a knife to shaving-sharp. Now, after 20-ish years of sharpening freehand, it can take a bit of time to get a poor blade to satisfactory condition, but after that it's just an occasional touch on the stone or just a quick strop.
FWIW I use an old oil stone that I inherited from my Grandfather with WD40 as the lubricant. I use it in much the same way that a Japanese chef would with a waterstone, which is moving the blade with the length of the blade and not "cutting into" the stone. Some folk will disagree with that methodology but it works well for me. I don't know the grit of the stone but I'd guess that it's around 1000. I then sometimes use the edge of a glass chopping board to hone the blade (a car window edge also works, but your neighbours may get worried) and then finish it off using a leather strop with paste. I only started with the strop relatively recently but what a difference it makes. The strop and paste (known as Smurf Poo because it's a blue block in roughly the shape of a turd) were bought from a chap called Longstrider on BritishBlades for £15. It really works!
Finally, getting a good edge takes practice. It took me a long time when I was a kid to get a knife to shaving-sharp. Now, after 20-ish years of sharpening freehand, it can take a bit of time to get a poor blade to satisfactory condition, but after that it's just an occasional touch on the stone or just a quick strop.
devilishdave
Well-Known Member
chefs choice 120
BearStalker
Well-Known Member
As noted, earlier, there are multiple different ways to sharpen a blade, and, as long as you are able to achieve the sharpness desired, who is to say your way is wrong. I started with a wet-stone and belt and 'graduated' to a steel and a razor strop. A rock, in the woods, for some, may be what is needed; although \I have not be successful with one, to date.
Bottom line - a dull knife will not cut properly, while a shape one will cut everything; including fingers. Where does one get a Chain-male glove?
Bottom line - a dull knife will not cut properly, while a shape one will cut everything; including fingers. Where does one get a Chain-male glove?
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