Knife sharpening

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Knife sharpening
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:11 am Post subject: Knife sharpening
What do people use to keep your knives sharp? I have a combination sharpening stone, bought for a couple of pounds at a chines supermarket. Even without using oil on it I get a good edge on kitchen knives, penknives etc. Those diamond sharpening pads look useful for taking with you but do they work, do they last and are they worth it?

footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:39 am Post subject: Re: Knife sharpening

Treacodactyl wrote:

What do people use to keep your knives sharp? I have a combination sharpening stone, bought for a couple of pounds at a chines supermarket. Even without using oil on it I get a good edge on kitchen knives, penknives etc.

Those diamond sharpening pads look useful for taking with you but do they work, do they last and are they worth it?

Want an edge you can shave with? Use a steel once you are happy with the edge you get with a stone.

The diamond stones are good, and even if you are little clumsy they will always remain flat.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 9:51 am Post subject:
I reckon my knife sharpening skills could be a lot better. If someone wanted to do an article with pictures that would be really useful to a lot of people I reckon.

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 9:56 am Post subject:

sean wrote:

I reckon my knife sharpening skills could be a *lot* better. If someone wanted to do an article with pictures that would be really useful to a lot of people I reckon.

and how to sharpen garden tools too, I keep meaning to do mine that are in the shed but I'm not quite sure how to do it right...

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 11:15 am Post subject:

ele wrote:

sean wrote:

I reckon my knife sharpening skills could be a *lot* better. If someone wanted to do an article with pictures that would be really useful to a lot of people I reckon.

and how to sharpen garden tools too, I keep meaning to do mine that are in the shed but I'm not quite sure how to do it right...

I'd also be very grateful for an article on how to sharpen knives and tools. I've got a mini blender that needs it's blades sharpening - I really hate to throw out a perfectly functional machine just because the blades have blunted. I'm sure it can be done, but I don't know how.

And it's not very downsizery to buy a new knife when the old one gets too blunt to use.....

Blacksmith

Joined: 25 Jan 2005
Posts: 5025
Location: Berkshire

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 11:38 am Post subject:
My ex-RAF survival knife has a small pouch on the sheath with a small stone (wrapped on plastic to stop the oil soaking into the leather. I think the secret to sharpening is to keep your stone oiled (dear Liza dear Liza) With garden tools, I use a 4" angle grinder and finish off with an old oilstone. The edge it keeps will depend on the quility of the steel and how you use it ! Dave

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 12:44 pm Post subject:
Much more small scale I know... One of the ladies at work used to resharpen her scalpel using a piece of board with wet and dry paper glued to it. I keep one of these boards with my drawing stuff for sharpening pencils too as it is easier to fit in my pencil tin than a sharpener.

footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 4:42 pm Post subject: sharpening

culpepper wrote:

Much more small scale I know...
One of the ladies at work used to resharpen her scalpel using a piece of board with wet and dry paper glued to it.
I keep one of these boards with my drawing stuff for sharpening pencils too as it is easier to fit in my pencil tin than a sharpener.

On the subject of smaller scale. A scalpel would be ruined on wet and dry, or even a piece of really fine emery.
A razor sharp blade can be maintained using the untanned side od a belt. Not a new idea. Barbers with the old cut throat razors used leather strops.

My Father told me that you can prolong the life of your "safety " razor by stopping it on the palm of your hand. His Father did it, I have always done it, and my son on blades that cost over a quid each, who was at first a little sceptical, now prolonges the life of his Mach something turbo. Is that a scrooge or a downsizer moment?

I shouldn't have to say this, but as you know, "where there's blame there's a claim" Saftey razors are stropped on your palm in a stroke action that is opposite to the direction it cuts in

I was interested in the subject of a sharpening article. Trouble is that some of the crap that we buy today, cheap garden shears etc is in my opinion incorrectly sharpened from new.

Also If you take the example of the cheap chinese garden shears. You may pay a fiver for the shears, but you may also pay eight quid for a good file with a handle to sharpen them

Its our own fault. We demand cheaper and cheaper goods, And we get em

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 5:33 pm Post subject:
This to me is areally good subject for someone to write an article on. I am so inconsistant with my knives when sharpening them. Last week i could shave the back of my arm with the blade. This week it is a different story. There must be a surefire way of getting a decent edge on carbon steel, someone?

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 7:33 pm Post subject:
Well I'd love an article, either on sharpening knives or all sorts of tools including scythes & chisels. If no one is an expert we could write some a joint one or at least a collection of comments to help people along. One question, I often hear that stainless steel is harder to take an edge and doesn't keep it as long as carbon steel. Is this true, false or does it depend?

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 7:36 pm Post subject:
Give me a day or two with Ray Mears books and I should have an answer of sorts, I am no expert so somebody out there will know better.........

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:01 pm Post subject:
https://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/JA01_ISsharpenknives.pdf https://gpvec.unl.edu/filesdatabase/files/feedlot/sharp1.htm#sharp_c Are both worth a look, but IMHO in takes more than just theory, alot of practise as well

crackapple

Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Posts: 204
Location: teeside

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:02 pm Post subject:
I always use a stone, never use a grinder because the heat generate by the wheel, in my opinion, ruins the temper and the edge never lasts. As Footprints says, a steel is also good. A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one.

footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:18 pm Post subject:
I like the idea of a shapening article but....... Wood workers maintaining blades aquire the skills you are looking for. (Chisel/planes/scrapers.) Far better to read the articles already available for wood workers. Equally important to the technique for sharpening, is actually understanding what it is you are doing to aquire the edge, be it chisel or blade.

footprints

Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 234
Location: North Wales

Posted: Sat Oct 01, 05 8:29 pm Post subject:
Forgot to add this to my post. Stay sharp knives don't. No blade in use will maintain its edge, regardless of what you are promised. Pocket knives from India for a pound aren't as good as those from china for a pound, and both are sxxxe. Hope the guns given to the Swiss army are better than their knives Don't buy a Swiss army knife copy! Gerber make some good one handers

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