Sharp knives

[CNY rider]

Somewhat OT but I think we have lots of people here who know their way around metal so......
How do you keep your kitchen knives, hunting knives etc. sharp?
I have some quality cutlery but I know that I am not doing a good job keeping them sharp.
Has anyone used the sharpeners from Chefs Choice? Do you use a send-away service?
Please do tell.

[207 cm]

IMO you can maintain an edge for a period of time if you know what you're doing with a steel. After that [or if not], professional sharpening.

A lot of people think 'sharp' is a bur they're feeling.

My FIL "sharpens" his knives on a bench grinder till they all look like fillet knives........I tried to tell him........ :crap:

*People don't kill people, dull knives do*

[spamjoshua]

I have a 1520 that serves me very well.

[Don49]

I use a sharpening stone from Sears and a couple drops of cutting oil. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00964404000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I'd probably avoid a bench grinder or other powered sharpener, but it's pretty hard to do any damage when sharpening by hand.

[draper]

I primarily use DMT diamond stones, but I have ceramic and Arkansas stones.

I tend to use the diamond for modern steels just because it works faster.

[Ti Designs]

Understand your metal, understand your edge or bring 'em to a professional. I have lots of things that need to be sharp - end mills, circular saw blades, knives... For the end mills I have a low speed sharpening wheel and an index jig. I tend to use diamond sharpeners for carbide teeth like the saw blades or indexable bits. Of knives it gets tricky 'cause different blades use different angles. The electric shapeners are either 15 or 20 degrees - that's useless on a sashimi knife...

There are good books on the subject...

[Secosera]

I use a coarse grit whetstone to get a base convex edge on my kuhkri's and other big knives, then hone it down with a fine grit stone. Some people bring their's to hair popping sharp, but IMO it's pointless and can even lead to easier chipping.
For swords I put the same type of edge (convex, appleseed) but use around 20 different stones of varying grit. You can also use sandpaper, but I've found setting the stone in a base and drawing the blade along it is a LOT easier (and safer) than running sandpaper down the blade.

[stephenmarklay]

Understand your metal, understand your edge or bring 'em to a professional. I have lots of things that need to be sharp - end mills, circular saw blades, knives... For the end mills I have a low speed sharpening wheel and an index jig. I tend to use diamond sharpeners for carbide teeth like the saw blades or indexable bits. Of knives it gets tricky 'cause different blades use different angles. The electric shapeners are either 15 or 20 degrees - that's useless on a sashimi knife...

There are good books on the subject...


Yes this is important. If you just go buy a stone and you don't know anything about the grind you can ruin a good edge. For instance I use to Japanese kitchen knives and bought the sharpener with them. It is simple but designed for that grind and works well. likewise for my chef knife.

I carry a pocket knife and have 5 I use for rotation. Many companies will sharpen the blades for you i,e. Kershaw, Spyderco.

You may be able to buy a sharpeners for your specific knives.

[Clydesdale]

Try a Lansky sharpening kit or one of the clone systems. You clamp the blade in and then use the stone, guide rod and pilot holes to get the angle right. You can use whatever combination of stone and angle that is right for your blades and with only a little practice you can do a good job. They work well for re-touching dull or older blades and with aggressive stones can even be used to change blade angles. If you are willing to do a little ultra-fine stone or leather work by hand afterward you can get great results with a good blade.

[bluesea]

King japanese water stones, stored in the dark, water immersed in tupperware. Just the way my pappy did, sans the tupperware. The kitchen is stocked by the way, with an amalgam of Global, Henckel, Mac, and hand forged japanese lam blades. All get put away wiped with camelia oil, to help with corrosion.

[johnnymossville]

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen.html

My Dad has always used a stone to sharpen the kitchen knives but I never showed any interest until recently. I found some good Japanese Wet Stones at my local Korean Grocery store by chance and bought some.

Everything in the Kitchen is VERY sharp now. We have some Calphalon knives I really like.

[Ken Robb]

"whet" stones may be wet before use.

[johnnymossville]

"whet" stones may be wet before use.


oh yeah, it's whet. hehe. I use mine wet.

[SEABREEZE]

Being a speed skater, had a jig and stone, and always sharpened my own. All so keept my pocket knives sharp. When it comes to kitchen knives, chinsaw blades, saw blades, drill bits, I leave it to the pros...

[flydhest]

Try a Lansky sharpening kit or one of the clone systems. You clamp the blade in and then use the stone, guide rod and pilot holes to get the angle right. You can use whatever combination of stone and angle that is right for your blades and with only a little practice you can do a good job. They work well for re-touching dull or older blades and with aggressive stones can even be used to change blade angles. If you are willing to do a little ultra-fine stone or leather work by hand afterward you can get great results with a good blade.

I have a Lanskey kit and it works well. TiDesigns point is a good one--the angle matters, and the Lanskey allows you to get the right angle (different angles) without having to guess at the difference between 10, 15, or 20 degrees.

[beungood]

I have used Arkansas Stones for Buck knives and hunters and have also used the Lansky Jigs. The jigs make it easier to hold the correct edge and not round it over.

I found a service the next town over and they sharpen everything and the pricing makes it worthwhile and a time saver..

[CNY rider]

Some great advice in here.
Sounds like I need to find a pro who knows what they're doing.
Thanks.

[phillybill]

a good wet stone is a nice option....

[Ozz]

Mine go to a pro every couple years....using a steel frequently seems to be sufficient in-between intervals.

[bluesea]

A competent pro belt-grinder/buffer treatment is a fine alternative to stones for western blades.