Lotsa knife sharpeners out there but , being a maker, I have to agree with these guys.
Check some vidz.
http://www.theedgema...ningVideos.html
frosty said:That was a beautiful knife you made. Is it wrong to be aroused by a knife. Nah i'm sure its not.
My experience with sharpening knives. I did an experiment to find what I thought was the best system. I bought a cheap $1 knife and only used it to cut things. Also I used a plastic cutting board. So it was my cooking and eating and everything knife. I had to sharpen it often. I tried the spyderco, lansky system, diamond stones, and some other systems I forgot. I preferred the spiderco. My next favorite was a large stone.
All the systems took practice. The spyderco can set an edge but if you want to change the angle or the blade is seriously dull start with a stone and then switch to the spyderco. For me sharpening is setting the edge and then polishing the edge.
Some random thoughts. When someone says use a strop(sp?) cloth to sharpen they don't know what they are talking about. A strop cloth straightens a thin bur used on razors. It actually doesn't do much sharpening. There is a new technique that uses leather with diamond paste or something similar and that is not the same. Getting the sharpest angle possible will cause hairs to jump off of your arm when you test the blade. So it seems really cool. Sharp angles also dull the fastest. So sometimes a blunt angle is better. Extreme case would be an axe. A steel should be used often. To test whether an edge is set properly run the blade gently across your thumbnail. If the blade doesn't slip down when you run it across the edge is set and you can move to polishing. When learning to sharpen use a jeweler's loop to understand what you are doing and to see if your angle is right. It is easier to keep a knife sharp than to sharpen a dull knife, In other words, sharpen often.
Most people have dull knives. When my wife's friends come to the house to cook they start nagging their husbands about sharpening the knives. When I get a knife I choose the shape based on the ease of sharpening. For instance I would never (again) get a tanto blade.
I hope someone got something out of my ramblings
You would like my J.A. Henckels Jeff.Jeff H said:
I was at a party recently and watched someone struggle sawing through a tomato. I died a little inside when I saw that the knife was one of the nicer JA Henkles. How the heck do you spend that much on a knife and let it get as dull as a butter knife?
Not a pro knife sharpener here, but Grandpa taught me how to get a knife sharp enough to shave your arm.
People have had dull knives for so long they don't know what sharp is. You can see it when they use a sharp knife, There is always this pause.Jeff H said:
I was at a party recently and watched someone struggle sawing through a tomato. I died a little inside when I saw that the knife was one of the nicer JA Henkles. How the heck do you spend that much on a knife and let it get as dull as a butter knife?
Not a pro knife sharpener here, but Grandpa taught me how to get a knife sharp enough to shave your arm.
They dull knives very quickly. They actually aren't any cleaner than bamboo or wood.Proud Marine Dad said:What's wrong with plastic cutting boards Frosty?
frosty said:They dull knives very quickly. They actually aren't any cleaner than bamboo or wood.
I'm not serious about throwing them away. I have a very large plastic board I use sometimes. If given the choice you should use wood or bamboo.
I have switched to bamboo cutting boards.frosty said:They dull knives very quickly. They actually aren't any cleaner than bamboo or wood.
I'm not serious about throwing them away. I have a very large plastic board I use sometimes. If given the choice you should use wood or bamboo.
AaronTT said:Pictures don't even come close to showing this beauty.