Sharpening Knives

If I want to do a really nice job of sharpening I break out the Lansky kit.
It comes with three little long stones that you hook to a rod. These rods go thru holes that give you the correct angle for each sharpening situation. IE. different knives require different sharpening angles.
The knife is locked into a clamp and can't move. Unclamp and turn over to do other side.
This is not a quicky system but very effective. A good steel will keep knife sharp for quite a while before resharpening.
There is someone else that makes a similar system, but can't remember wh
Should be available at outdoor stores-maybe wal-mart. Also Cabelas or Bass Pro.

The big secret to getting a sharp knife is getting the correct angle consistintly, that's why the Lansky system works so well.

I use the Spyderco System much like Fish's. It has two ceramic rods and a diamond steel. Locks in the same. Even does scissors, serrated, and ice skates. And has slots for sharpening fishhooks and darts.

Both of the systems mentioned work great, although I don't own either. A friend has the Lansky set and loves it. I use one of the diamond rods, looks like a butcher's steel that is impregnated with diamond particles. After each knife use, I use the rod like a butcher's steel and draw the knife along it two or three times on each side, then use a regular steel two or three strokes on each side. After I use the knife, I wash it by hand, dry it and stroke it a couple times with the steel and put it in the knive holder in the drawer. Easiest way to do them is to not let them get dull, don't put them in the dish washer, clean immediately after each use and keep them in a rack or someplace where they don't bang against each other. For me, I find that I always have good sharp knives, ready to use and it doesn't take a lot of work. This is more maintenance and assumes that you start with a sharp knife and don't have to "put" the edge on it.

If your friend has "a really expensive knife". He should take it to a professional sharpener when it needs it and just use a fine grained magnetic steel in between. It's easy to ruin a good knife.

My 2

Joe

I use a Tru-Hone LC-300 electric sharpener. It does a very good job, but at around $300, not too cheap. I keep my knives touched up with a steel in between sharpenings.

This one of the best places on the internet for this question:
Knife sharpening made easy

Jim

My Knives are extremely important to me. Every time I use a dull knife I end up cutting my self.

My rules for knife usage are as follows.

Horses for courses - you only need a couple of knives but use the right Knife for the duty. Do no use your bread knife on frozen food. Make sure you have a cleaver for the heavy work and never use glass cutting boards. Do not throw you knives in a drawer use a knife holder. Don�t use a dishwasher or leave sharp knives in a sink.

In terms of sharpening I have German steel knives 20 years old used almost every day that I only sharpen with a steel and stay really sharp. I usually lightly steel a knife just before use.

I use a Kitchen Chef 110 electric sharpener on my knives.

When you use their system, you are advised not to use a steel on your knives.

This gadget puts a very nice edge on my knives.

I agree with Cbear. A few strokes with a diamond steel after each use keeps my knives sharp

When they’re dull after heavy-duty use, I start with a Tru-Hone or Chef’s Choice Model 120 electric sharpener, both of which put a triple bevel on the blade. (In the past, I’ve had success with Lansky’s system and with just a coarse steel, but I’ve gotten lazy enough to invest in the electric sharpeners.) Go easy with the electrics as they can eat the blade pretty quickly.

A good wooden or soft poly cutting board that yields to the blade also helps retain the edge. For tips on knife care and use, as well as a great selection of professional knives, try Professional Cutlery Direct. I’ve been a PCD customer for many years and recommend them highly.

Interesting thread! Let me exploit the expertise here. Can I restore a knife? Over the years, a couple of my blades have developed an arch from poor sharpening technique on my part. So, if you put it edge down on a block, you can see daylight under the knife. Makes for frustration when mincing delectables. Would an electric sharpener, or a professional, be able to restore the blade? Take off the humps?

Hey,i2.

I'd find a good pro knife sharpener,locally or through the mail and let them rework them.

To make the project worthwhile,you can send along other good knives and let them do several at once.

Joe Ames is right there IMHO.

While I support the idea, the "professional" knife sharpeners in and around me seem bound and determined to put themselves out of business with a pricing schedule that would make a surgeon blush. What are other folks finding for fees? I had a Wusthoff 8 inch chef's knife right out of the box that I wanted to see what they would say and the local guy wanted almost $50 to get a "good edge" on it!

Needless to say, I am sticking with my course/fine double sided DMT diamond stone for a few quick strokes frequently rather than allowing the blade to ever need a new edge.

The Best in the West

This is the real thing for Knife Sharpening and getting the correct roll back (taking the flat spot out of the middle)) in a Chefs Knife

Columbus Cutlery
358 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-1342

They are honest and do an great job.
You should send mutiple knifes to help offset postage. I used them when I lived in the Bay Area and still send my knives every couple of years now that I live in Montana.

rich

Use a diamond flat myself and a steel to refine a quick edge. Trick behind using a steel is to practice the technique of holding the proper pressure and holding the angle. If not you will make the knife even duller.

One trick I learned when using a flat stone and keeping the angle was to use the plastic clips that come with presentation folders, it will keep a consistant angle for the blade when attached to the back. Make my own guides for other knives. Never had a problem. Kind of like a poor mans Lanski.

All a steel does is take the "knurl", (If that's the right term. ;-)) off a very sharp blade, that is, when the very fine edge of the blade gets bent over from use.. I don't think you can see this with the naked eye, however, you know it when your cuts get a little harder to make.
About a half dozen strokes on a steel will get it back in shape, when a steel doesn't do it it's time to sharpen.
I'm not familiar with the electric sharpeners you guys are using, do they use water or something to keep them cool. I have been taught not to let a blade get hot while sharpening, it will take the temper out of the blade and will lose its egde faster.

Joe

Joe,

As I said in an earlier post, I use a tru-hone electric sharpener. It has 2 sets of wheels that spin, and you adjust the angle of the wheel for three different sharpening stages. No water is used to cool the blade. With that said, I've never really noticed the blade getting hot, and I always touch it after completing the steps to check for sharpness. I'd never really thought about it before you brought it up, but I wonder why it doesn't get hot. It stands to reason that the two wheels grinding the metal to the proper angle would create friction, and therefore heat, but it doesn't seem to happen. If I remember tomorrow, I will check the temp. of the surface of the blade both before and after sharpening and report back to the group. If anyone else has more info on this it would be interesting to hear. Any "sharp" minds wish to opine?

P.S. A picture of this sharpener can be found at
Tru-Hone. Click on products, and the sharpener I use is the uppermost one on the page. This may give you a better idea as to what I am using than my feeble description above.

The reason the knife doesn't heat up with either Tru-Hone or Chef's Choice electric sharpeners is that you move the blade through very quickly, about 2 seconds per pass, and use almost no pressure. I also ordered a pair of grinding wheels with a much finer grain than original Tru-Hone wheels and they really polish the blade. Then I can keep the knife sharp with just a few strokes of the diamond steel after each use.

BTW, the reason I picked Tru-Hone is that I saw several cutlery factory reps and cutlery store owners using that brand to resharpen knives.

I believe you're right JB. I did a little test earlier today, and the blade doesn't seem to heat up. I tested the surface temperature of the knife just prior to sharpening (74F), and again just after completing the second step in the Tru-hone's three step sharpening process. I tested at this point because the sharpening wheels turn very slowly (less friction) on the third step. The thermometer read 75F. I tested about a 1/2 CM in from the edge of the blade on a 12" Forschner chef's knife. I don't think most infared thermometers are the most accurate things in the world, but if there was a large difference, it surely would have read more than 1 degree difference. FWIW!

All the learned fellows have covered most of the approaches and I use several of them at different times of need.

One other handy item is the pocket sized ceramic finishing rod.

They have a wood handle and about 4" of ceramic rod.They do a good job and may be called a ZipZap.

You can find them at restaurant supply stores and maybe? Williams-Sonoma.

In case anyone is interested, here is a link (if it works?) to an article in "Cook's Illustrated" online magazine where they tested some electric knife sharpeners. They are often, but not always, reliable in their conclusions.

Tests of Electric Sharpeners