Sharpening knives


 
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R.D. Harles

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I got a set of Chicago Cutlery knives as a wedding gift about 5 years ago and they are all dull.
Does anyone have a technique for hand sharpening
knives?
Or can anyone recommend a good knife sharpening
unit to purchase (electric or otherwise)?
Thanks!
 
I recently purchased the Lansky Sharpening System from discountknives.com for about $30. This is a guide-rod system with different grit hones, not electric but it works pretty good at getting a consistent angle on the blade.

Jeff
 
I also have a set of Chicago Cutlery knives. I use a whetstone to put the edge on the knives, and a "steel" to hone it with each use.
 
There are many means and methods to sharpening a knife, some of them idiot proof, some requiring skill and practice, but one principle remains always true, and it's true regardless of whether you are sharpening knives, chisels, plane irons, straight razors or broadheads. First you put a burr on, then you take the burr off.

You can hand-sharpen a knife quite effectively with everything from a 6 inch mill bastard file to coarse Japanese water stones, to manmade oil stones through to natural whetstones ranging in grit from washita to hard Arkansas. Always the same principle. You put on a burr (wire edge) and you take it off (to reveal the sharp edge below it).

Problem most folks have sharpening a knife is that they put the burr on, and then they just keep rolling it back and forth, never taking it off. You can feel the burr form with your thumb, running perpendicular to the blade, from the spine and away from the edge, and you can also feel when it disappears.

A steel is good for returning a sharp edge that has been rolled over from use, but it will not put a sharp edge on a knife that never had one, or that still has a burr (or wire edge, as it is sometimes called).

If you are new to sharpening knives, get a 6" mill bastard file, stroke away from your blade at a 22.5? angle (halve a 90? angle visually, and then halve it again) until you feel a burr appear along the total length of the blade from the other side. Then go to that side, address the blade at the same angle, but filing into the edge instead of away from it, and take progressively softer strokes, a few to one side and then a few to the other, depending upon the location of the burr, until you can no longer feel the burr from either side. Thassit.

ONce you become proficient with this technique, then apply it to whetstones, free-hand. You'll gain some satisfaction in freeing yourself from the gadgets, gizmos and devices that compell us to assume we are incompetent, but that they'll mask the truth for us.
 
Hi! You will want to get a "wet stone" which you will not use all the time, just when the knives get real dull. You need a steel, use this to straighten the edge of your knife blade before each use. Hope this helps.

Chach
 
I bought a Chefs Choice electric sharpner (model 110 with 4 stage sharpening) a few years ago, it is fantastic. A lttle pricey, over $100, but shop the web, use 20% coupons from Bed/Beth/Beyond or Linen & Things
I never could master using a steel to sharpen, so this does the trick for my Lamson knives
 
I use the Chef's Choice electric sharpener, too. Got it at a good price on ebay, as I recall.
 
The Lansky system recommended by jefft is very good for beginners because it allows you to maintain a precise angle on the blade. The only problem is it can take a LONG time to put an edge on a dull blade. I used to lay some newspaper down in front of the TV and spend most of the evening sharpening knives maybe once or twice a year. Most people will not have the patience for this.

The simplest thing is to take your knives to a professional (or find one that will come to you). One good sharpening a year followed by regular use of a steel should keep you in pretty good shape.
 
I've used a whetstone for years, but it can be tricky to get the angle and process right.
I recently purchased a Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker. It uses ceramic rods set at prescribed angles, and I have found it to be effective and easy to use. With this kit and the frequent use of a steel, kepping my knives sharp is very easy.

Jim
 
I use a knife sharperner called Redi-Edge. It's the best thing I found that will quickly sharpen a knife. The only downside is that it will take some of the knife martial off. I'm not concern about that. It's so quick and easy. About $20

here is the link.

http://www.klawhorn.com/rediedge.htm
 
I use a Chef's Choice three stage electric. It gets the knives sharp enough to be dangerous, and best of all it doesn't require skill. I was never any good with a steel. I have yet to get an edge as sharp as Jacques Pepin's seems to be, but it's the best I've found.

There's a great little sharpener recommended by a lot of outdoorsmen called a Sterling. It fits on your keyring, and does a heckuva job. I was at a friend's lake house last week, and it put his dull Henckels knives into fighting trim in a hurry. Takes off a little metal, but it's nice to be able to carry it around.
 
I guess I just don't get it. To me, the whole excitement of living is in developing skills and experiencing the fruits skills produce. What's with all these gizmos that not only rob you of that pleasure, but that drain you of a little self-respect (by implying you aren't good enough, skillful enough, or smart enough to do it yourself) and that produce inferior results in the devil's bargain as well?

/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

Sorry if this seems abrasive. I don't want it to be. It's more of a cry. Everywhere I see us looking for shortcuts and more and more at ease with the appearance of accomplishment than with the substance of it.
 
I needed a sharpener as idiot proof as possible. I'm not good at angles, even have a tough time drawing a straight line! My answer was the Chef's Choice Model 110. As others have mentioned, it's a tad pricey but the results are incredible. Pay attention to the owner's manual. You can tailor the edge you want by using one, two or all of the slots. Note also that this model will sharpen a serrated edge as well.
 
Dean - I feel your pain! Can you imagine spending $150 for a knife and putting one of these to it?
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