/ksg/ Knife Sharpening General

[Anonymous No.20150346]

Do you sharpen your knives, /ck/?

I sharpened my heavy duty knife today and I've been so satisfied with the process and the result that I may even sharpen my Miyabi 5000MCD tomorrow.

[Anonymous No.20150366]

>>20150346
I am in the process of getting a side business set up as a sharpener. My edges are only okay, but compared to the grind wheel garbage that the mobile services do I think there's more than enough room for my mind kind of service.
Anyone got advice regarding the quality of stones? I'm looking at getting some of the nicer shaptons to see if that will help my edge, since I'm using a pretty crappy combo stone at the moment (the pores get clogged very easily and it needs lapping more often then I think it should), but I don't want to spend the money if I can get more out of what I've got by focusing on my sharpening motion.

[Anonymous No.20150534]

I'm trying to learn
I managed to get a kiwi very sharp and the burr formed very quickly but I'm finding other steels to be difficult

[Anonymous No.20150563]

all my knives are 20€ tefal knives and I sharp them with a 5€ stone every week, is pointless to spend money on knives when you work on a busy restaurant and you need to be brutal on them

[Anonymous No.20150824]

>thinned my 150mm gyuto (more like a petty desu) and touched up my kiritsuke and bunka on Friday
Yeah, I'm thinking based.

[Anonymous No.20151628]

>>20150346
I sharpen my paring knives well enough but I take my big chefs knife down the road to this old divorced dude who runs a knife shop. does it for like 4 bucks way better than I could

[Anonymous No.20151639]

I tried learning and stopped because I wasn't doing it right. I need to try again but my life is on fire.

[Anonymous No.20151796]

Just get a Work Sharp Precision Adjust and quit pretending you need more or could ever do better.
/thread

[Anonymous No.20152689]

trend diamond stone 400/1000 and leather strop with 5000-10000 diamond compound

[Anonymous No.20152714]

I used to have an edgepro apex but I outgrew it
I switched to shapton glass and I highly recommend it if you're competent
500 and 2000 is the sweet spot

[Anonymous No.20152753]

Anyone know the cutting angle for those Victorinox Fibrox Pro knives?

[Anonymous No.20152755]

>>20152753
20

[Anonymous No.20152756]

>>20152753
Factory edge is 17°

[Anonymous No.20152784]

>>20150346
I'm a klutz and if the knife is too sharp I usually find random blood dripping from a finger because the blade merely glazed my hand. I also cook drunk at times. I prefer dull knives.

[Anonymous No.20152795]

>>20150366
ive seen people get knives razor sharp on a brick. so its not the stone but technique that will get a knife sharp. better stones can be more efficient and satisfying to use though

[Anonymous No.20152802]

got this for $3 on aliexpress ($8 normally) and am really happy with it. you can juse use it dry so you dont have to bother with soaking a whetstone which always puts me off from sharpening.
idk how long it will last but its really good so far.

[Anonymous No.20152804]

>>20152795
No you haven't. You just don't know what razor sharp is (a burr is not razor sharp)

[Anonymous No.20152812]

>>20152804
what ever it means, it was shaving sharp

[Anonymous No.20152826]

>>20152812
that's an incredibly low bar, you can shave hair (badly) with a burr, it just won't hold up for more than 5 seconds when you try to do anything useful with it

[Anonymous No.20152842]

Can you skip the strop if you use a honing steel? What are you losing if you do?

[Anonymous No.20153148]

120 to shape and fix badly damaged chips >1mm
240 for general purpose touch up
400/1200 if I'm doing fancy shit
Maybe 2000 if I'm bored, and maybe once a year polish with 6000
done
touching up apexes takes around 20s with the 240
having adequate coolant/lubricant is important depending if you use oil- or water-based stone.

[Anonymous No.20153583]

>>20150346
I use a Lansky turn box for my knives, clippers, scissors, and other bladed tools. Excellent perf/effort ratio and it's compact.
Thinking of getting pic related for the longer rods, but unfortunately they only ship in the USA outside of $500+ orders.

[Anonymous No.20153974]

i have just about every knife sharpener ever made, i run a sharpening service as a side business.

for home use get a spyderco sharpmaker or a sharp worx, both around the 100 dollar price point. if you're serious about it get a belt sander and the wicked edge system but neither are cheap

some people can easily pick up stones, some cant. by some people i mean maybe a few percent of the population. people aren't good at holding consistent angles.

[Anonymous No.20154206]

op here, it's time. I've drunk 1/2 l of vodka and I think it's time to sharpen my Miyabi 5k MCD (picrel).

Wish me luck, anons.

[Anonymous No.20154226]

>>20153583
>>20153974
Based crock sticks enjoyers.

>>20154206
You got this, vodka always helps.

[Anonymous No.20154371]

>>20154206
>>20154226
op is back with all his fingers. The cut on the back of my hand is too small to count.

I am happy given the circumstances. The knife is significantly sharper than where I started and it's about 75 % of where I want to get. In a few days I will redo sharpening on 2000 and 5000 grit and I'll be at least 85-90 % there (which is, to a recovering perfectionist like myself, really really good).

To be quite honest I should've done this earlier. I treasured the knife (as one should) and wanted to have it sharpened by a qualified knife sharpener with the best tools but at the end of the day I've been able to do a pretty good job using 200/1000 and 2000/5000 finished on a ceramic honing steel (I did not use 200 grit).

[Anonymous No.20154574]

>>20154371
>op is back with all his fingers. The cut on the back of my hand is too small to count.
That's the power of liquid courage, if you had drank 1L you wouldn't have been cut at all.

Are the percentages by feel or you measuring it? Also, the 5000MCD is really hard, how is it?
Haven't needed low grit for just maintenance, maybe if it's chipped or need a new bevel.

[Anonymous No.20154743]

>>20152802
>you can juse use it dry
Please stop doing this. The diamond-plates are supposed to be used with oil. Dry-sharpening will kill your apex and weaken your edge.

[Anonymous No.20155114]

>>20152784
Unfortunately, I came to the same realization. I don't have the coordination or motivation to be a knife master.
I didn't go as far as using dull knives, instead I use a higher edge angle. Still get grazed, but it draws less blood now.

[Anonymous No.20155177]

>>20152802
You can get splash and go stones. If diamond plates don't feel like shit to sharpen with who cares? Those will not last nearly as long as a proper diamond plate.

[Anonymous No.20155203]

>>20152842
Strops are entirely unnecessary with enough skill.

[Anonymous No.20155634]

I don't want to sound racist, but do we really need a general for knife sharpening?

[Anonymous No.20155806]

>>20150346
I can understand using a whetstone being "fun" but if I don't give a shit about that is there a reason I should use one instead of a pullthrough sharpener or throwing away my cheap $10 knives when they get dull?

[Anonymous No.20155854]

>>20155634
No, we don't.
>>20155806
It's all about self "cultivation". Acquiring and mastering a certain skill can enrich your life in a meaningful way.

[Anonymous No.20156296]

>>20150346
I just run them along the side of my car window for a bit when they get too dull to cut a tomato in one slice

[Anonymous No.20156316]

>>20155806
If they're 10-dollar knives there is indeed no reason for you to buy a stone.

[Anonymous No.20156343]

I just can't get the hang of it, I can feel the burr form but when I sharpen the other side I just blunt it again.

[Anonymous No.20156351]

>go to amazon
>type in 'commercial cooking knife/knives/chef's knife/whatever
>get a nice edge and an even better plastic-rubber sticky coating so you don't slip.
$20 or less. save your money. i've been using and abusing and sharpening with one of these >>20153583
>>20154226
but small enough that it closes up and fits in your pocket, and everything is more than fine. i also bought a giant one of the same brand for cutting steaks when/if we ever buy another ribeye or new york strip full roast. they used to be decently affordable now they cost the same as a 3 pack of 1-inch thick pre-cut steaks. shit's gay

[Anonymous No.20157404]

I'm a bit confused about principles of sharpening
I have a knife with an inconsistent edge
The edge is not a consistent width along the blade and at the tip of the left side and the end of the right side the edge mostly just disappears
What would you do to make this edge more consistent?

[Anonymous No.20157472]

So, I'm a learner, but is there a tool that can help me set an angle and keep it?

[Anonymous No.20157489]

>>20157404
Specifically I'm thinking along the lines of
>am I meant to keep a consistent angle and grind along the entire edge
or
>am I meant to work on the specific parts of the knife that aren't good? am I supposed to measure the edge with a ruler to make sure it's the same width?
>>20157472
They sell angle guides but most people seem to think it's better to learn freehand

[Anonymous No.20157492]

>>20157404
The thickness is changing, so you need to thin the blade to a consistent thickness.

>>20157472
Your fingers/hands.

>>20156343
You need to use a very slightly higher angle and light pressure when removing a burr. A cheaty way to remove a burr is to lightly drag the edge through a piece of wood a few times.

For a beginner try making a huge burr so it is easier to see. I'm talking like 1 or 2 mm.

[Anonymous No.20157499]

>>20155634
Anything but the cooking.

[Anonymous No.20159552]

>>20150366
You are going to realise real quick why professionals use grindwheels.
Stone is 10x slower, are you charging 10x as much?

[Anonymous No.20159555]

>>20159552
That's not true but you're right that it wouldn't make sense for anon to not use a grindwheel

[Anonymous No.20159565]

>>20152784
They say a sharp knife is a safe knife, but I’ve never cut myself badly with a dull one. I still prefer super sharp knives because they’re so much easier to work with.

[Anonymous No.20160016]

>>20150346
>Do you sharpen your knives, /ck/?
Bottom of ceramic cup.
Sometimes an OSHA violation with angle grinder
>>20150366
Why not combine grind wheel with manual stone? Get shape 99% there on wheel, finish 1% by hand.

[Anonymous No.20160031]

i use both depending on the knives but i like the red one better

[Anonymous No.20160035]

I fucking suck at sharpening
I manage to get the knife to cut better than it started, but it's never really sharp

[Anonymous No.20160066]

>>20153148
You are doing it backwards. Why are you even letting your knives get chipped and damaged before touching them up? A fine stone is what you can use to touch up the edge from time to time. If you go too long between sharpening, you will have to use a medium stone and can then progress to a fine stone to polish the edge. Coarse stones shouldn’t really be needed that often, and are only used for chip removal or putting a new edge on a very dull blade.

[Anonymous No.20160076]

>>20160035
All that really matters is keeping the angle consistent and polishing each side until you form a burr. The edge angle, the grit, the exact pull technique are all secondary after that.

[Anonymous No.20160103]

>>20160066
>why are you even using your knives lol, knives are for collecting not for cooking!
your skin color is showing

[Anonymous No.20160107]

>>20160076
I have very bad coordination so it's no wonders

[Anonymous No.20160117]

>>20160103
I’m saying polish the edge on a regular schedule before it gets to the point that you need a 200 grit shaping stone to salvage the knife.

[Anonymous No.20160137]

>>20160117
most people do. that doesn't mean shit doesn't happen when you're using the tool as a tool and not just a flex you bought for your instagram followers. own your stuff, don't let it own you

[Anonymous No.20160141]

>>20160137
>most people do.

You clearly do NOT if you're using 240 grit for "general purpose touch up." That is an extremely coarse grit that is not suitable for a finished edge.

>when you're using the tool as a tool and not just a flex you bought for your instagram followers
Word salad.

[Anonymous No.20160148]

>>20160141
I'm not the person you were seething at before, I'm >>20152714 (and as you can see I do recommend having heavy grits around because they are necessary)
I'm just calling you out for being a larper who buys knives to show off to reddit.

[Anonymous No.20160172]

>>20160148
>I'm a different person
Sure you are, sweetie. Sure you are.

>I'm just calling you out for being a larper who buys knives to show off to reddit.
I have no idea what this means.

[Anonymous No.20160331]

I bought an ikea 3 step knife sharpener for $9, is that good enough for homechef?

[Anonymous No.20160455]

>>20160331
Your knife should cut effortlessly through most vegetables with a smooth, slicing motion. If you have to saw at it, chop at it, hear crunching when cutting onions, squeeze out guts or water when slicing tomatoes, then your knife isn't sharp enough. Either you're not using the sharpener correctly, or it's not up to the task or your knife isn't compatible with that sharpener. Based on price, I'd say the sharpener is the weakest link in this chain.

[Anonymous No.20161569]

>>20155806
Watch this, go to 4:19 for the comparison between pullthrough and whetstone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uy5NrLEZ4g

I hope people like small flecks of steel in their food.

[Anonymous No.20161589]

>$30 knife
>$10 sharpener
let me guess, you """"""need""""" more to cook a couple meals per day?

[Anonymous No.20161600]

>>20160137
pseud

[Anonymous No.20161608]

DAILY REMINDER that even the worst cheap chinese shit $10 knives are of better durability and materials than knives made 100 years ago. Goes against your sensibilities but it's true, economies of scale with magnetic steel and aluminum furnaces at least beat out crumbly and flakey iron knives.

[Anonymous No.20161614]

>>20161589
Watch this vid >>20161569

[Anonymous No.20161739]

>>20161589
Those things dull the blade.
I think best thing is just regular old sand paper, if you can't have $5 stone and some patience and steady hands

[Anonymous No.20161740]

>>20151628
never trust a married knife sharpener, anons.

[Anonymous No.20161754]

>>20152795
i sharpened the busted-ass chef's knife at the last airbnb i stayed at on the spine of a sharper image bread knife i found in the house. we did a lot of cooking in that house and i was pretty happy with myself that i managed to make at least one knife pleasantly usable while we were there.

[Anonymous No.20161891]

Fuck
Am I supposed to be raising the angle to deburr?
I just did light strokes with the same angle I was using before

[Anonymous No.20161901]

>>20161891
Only a tiny bit, and with very light pressure. Like half a degree or less.

[Anonymous No.20161902]

>>20161891
Not generally a good idea, no

[Anonymous No.20163723]

>>20157472
a sharpy is really all you should need and use
>>20161891
fiy light strokes are a meme if youre not aiming for the sky
pressure is what brings you progress