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Does anyone know how to sharpen knives? My favorite is a 10" knife which I use for just about everything. However, it is dull and I've tried the grinding wheel on the back of an electric can opener but I may have made it even duller. A knife sharpening shop is nearby but they charge $1 an inch to sharpen knives. I have a rectangular stone thingy but I don't really know how to use it. Anyone have any do-it-yourself tips? Does the knife sharpening steel tool work? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just checked Amazon and a new 10" Victorinox knife runs $25.
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I suspect you need to payt the price to have it done professionally THIS time.
While I do know how to use a wet stone I just use a steel the first week end of every month to touch up my knives. Have NEVER had to have them done professionally. I have had these knives 25-30 years. -
We have one of these:
Works very well. We've used it for years. Considering the pros charge $1/inch, it doesn't take long to come out ahead on a $100 purchase, and you can probably find a used one on ebay for less.Steve
* Despite the high cost of living, it remains very popular.
* Why should I pay for my daughter's education when she already knows everything?
* There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.Comment
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Have 3 Global knives (Chef, Utility, and Paring) and use the Shinkansen sharpener specifically designed for the Global.
Check the grocery stores in your area, to see if their meat department offers free knife sharpening.Comment
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It's one of those things that you CAN do yourself, but that doesn't mean you should. Kind of like rebuilding your car's engine.
I have a collection of very nice German kitchen knives (Wusthoff brand) and I take them to a professional sharpener once a year. It's expensive but worth it to protect the investment, as a non-professional sharpening can ruin the knife.
If you have cheap knives, I wouldn't pay to have it done professionally.Comment
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If it's a good knife, use something like the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Don't use a cheap grinder, it will take way to much steel off with each sharpening, and won't make your knife that sharp. A cheap grinder will also make visible scratches on your knife edge. A sharpener like the one someone mentioned above will shorten the life of the knife.
What type of steel is your knife?
I use the sharpening system below made by spyderco. I keep my kitchen and pocket knives sharp enough to shave with.
Edgepro Apex is also a great sharpening system.
On the other hand, if it's a cheap knife, it really doesn't matter, the grinder will do.Comment
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My knives are all cheap models so I figured that it would be no loss if I damaged any of it trying to sharpen it on my own. I'm so glad I tried using the rectangular stone that I had because my 10" knife can now slice through a tomato without having to puncture the skin first with the tip of the blade and then subsequently having to angle the knife into the puncture in order to slice through a tomato. I can't wait to try cutting meats. It will be delightful not having to use all my strength just to dice up some cubes from steaks for stewing fr'instance. My knife can now shred paper. Before it would just bend the paper without cutting through it. This is a good way to test your knife if it needs sharpening. A sharp knife should shred paper with ease. Another quick way to see if your knife needs sharping is to look directly at your blade. If it reflects light it needs sharpening due to the blade being flattened (see video below).
After watching some youtube videos I learned that I will need to buy more sharpening stones of different grits (ie, 250 grit (very course), 1000 grit (medium grit), 4000 grit, 8000 grit (fine grit), etc). The duller the knife the more grits needed. I currently have these stones on order from Amazon, the total was approx. $50, includes shipping;
Here is a good youtube video on how to sharpen a knife with the multiple different sharpening stones;
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I have never ever spent a lot on knives but once had a family member purchase the Cutco knife set and 15 years later they are still using them and have never sharpened them. You can however purchase a set with a sharpener that will save you money long term.Comment
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Top down:
10" Victorinox chef knife ($35)
7" Santoku knife ($1.95 + $4.50 shipping on Amazon)
3.5" pairing knife ($5.95 at Target)
6" De-boning knife (approx. $45 German brand but name illegible from wear-n-tear)
8.5" x 4" Alpha meat cleave ($16 from Amazon)
10" serrated bread knife ($7 from Dollar store)
Used Japanese waterstones for sharpening with grits from course to fine; 250, 600, 1000, 3000, 6000, and a leater strop with polishing compound (learned from Youtube)Comment
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You probably already know this but the angle you want to use to sharpen your knife is really easy to eyeball - the perpendicular to the stone is 90 degs; half that is 45 deg and half that is 22.5 and there you are. It is important to use the entire stone (don't just run the knife around in the center: so place the stone on a surface that won't slip with length away from you, on the near end start with the tip of the knife at the correct angle and as you move the blade away from you slowly change the edge so that by the time you are at the end of the stone, you are at the haft-end of the blade - do this on both sides and only do this once or twice a month, use a steel before and after each time you use the knife. If you want to get fancy, tip to haft away from you, flip the knife over and haft to tip back towards yourself. Smooth, even strokes sets up a rhythm. Granted, using the entire side of the stone is only really important when you spent a couple hundred dollars on a 3-sided stone but still...I YQ YQ RComment
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Not to beat a dead horse but......
I've gotten big into sharpening my knives and these are the waterstones that I recently bought. From top to bottom (each stone was approx. $20-$40 each);
1) 220 grit
2) 400 grit
3) 600 grit
4) 1000/6000 combo grit
5) 3000 grit
6) steel
7) leather strop
8) green honing/polishing compound
IMHO, the combo 1000/6000 grit waterstone is all one would need to maintain sharp knives but if you want crazy sharp like me then you'll need to go to town (lol).
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I am envious of your knives and sharpening implements - great sets! Glad you learned about sharpening your own knives. It is a skill that will save you money and actually improve your safety. Some people don't realize that dull knives can actually lead to more injuries because you end up pressing hard only to have the blade slide off in an unexpected direction.
You should check out sharpening scissors next since you like sharpening. I pride myself on putting a nice cutting edge on my knives but the day I learned to do scissors also brought joy - and saved me lots of money. I used to just buy new ones whenever they got dull. Slightly different technique due to the angles on the blades but it was kind of fun to work on that skill and very rewarding once I got it right.Comment
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I use an old 50A ceramic fuse I pulled out of an industrial surge arrester. I cannot find a picture of it online. It's about 6 inches (15 cm) long, and about 3/4 inch (1.8 cm) in diameter. I have two of them; one in the US and one here in Dubai.
The secret is not to let the knife get too dull. Sharpen before you need to, and the knife will stay sharp forever.Comment
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We probably fit into the "sacrilege" category when I say this: we have a decent set of Carico knives, they go in the dishwasher, and I sharpen them twice a year by eye using a bench grinder. They are so scary sharp they cut through a tomato simply by drawing the blade across the skin with just gravity. They also cut through onions without the onion layers slipping around.
Some people pay a lot for knives and for sharpening, maybe because they feel those are requirements. But I can tell you that my method works perfectly.Comment
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