Thread: Knife sharpening

She can use my knives any day!

What techniques do you guys use to get a knife hair popping sharp?

Originally Posted by Lemur

She can use my knives any day!

Are yours dull so she can't hurt herself?

Originally Posted by ChopperStyle

What techniques do you guys use to get a knife hair popping sharp?

Patience on the lower grits (DMT 325 and Shapton 1K) and I finish on the 4K. Stropping with newspaper and it will cut arm hair effortlessly. I don't bother with 8K and 16K, such a fine edge won't last for 2 days on our mid-end kitchen knives. The 4K edge, especially stropped, will do just fine, unless we're making sushi.

I was yarning to a mate of mine yesterday and he asked if my pocket knife was sharp (a really silly question), but I pulled it out, tested the edge and replied that I had used it on the farm so it wasn't scary sharp, but sharp enough. He looked at me, and said, "Your sharp enough is downright scary sharp in a normal persons opinion!" I promptly told him he wasn't normal, and he promptly replied back that he wasn't scared of m edges either.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

I was yarning to a mate of mine yesterday and he asked if my pocket knife was sharp (a really silly question), but I pulled it out, tested the edge and replied that I had used it on the farm so it wasn't scary sharp, but sharp enough. He looked at me, and said, "Your sharp enough is downright scary sharp in a normal persons opinion!" I promptly told him he wasn't normal, and he promptly replied back that he wasn't scared of m edges either.


Mick

Hilarious. Most folks settle for the factory edge on the knives they use. Honing razors has definitely raised the bar for what I consider "sharp."

Originally Posted by ChopperStyle

Hilarious. Most folks settle for the factory edge on the knives they use. Honing razors has definitely raised the bar for what I consider "sharp."

I find this weird lol. I trained as a chef before I was a code monkey and was always led by the mantra just sharp enough to cut is a dangerous knife.... A kitchen knife should slice with no resistance at all. If that's too sharp for you then you dont belong in a kitchen.

Geek

I agree Geek, a knife should be as sharp as a skilled hand can make it and maintained in that condition. My own mother throws the spanner into that idea though, as every time I re-hone her kitchen knives she always seems to cut herself. I don't understand why she does, but she just seems to do silly things right after I warn her to be careful this time.


Mick

I've seen "chefs" let the knife slide down their fingers/nails when cutting, if they would try that with my knives they would regret it.
Not the side of the blade against their knuckles, the edge!!!

Originally Posted by Lemur

I've seen "chefs" let the knife slide down their fingers/nails when cutting, if they would try that with my knives they would regret it.
Not the side of the blade against their knuckles, the edge!!!

There's some nuances in how they do that. My girlfriend works at a cooking school with various skilled chefs and they taught her that technique of making a "crab" with your hands and letting it guide the knife. She showed me how she does that with her nails against the blade without cutting her nails, when I repeat it, the knife grabs my nail.
I suppose if the angle between nail and edge is lower than the honing angle, you're good, but I have not mastered that yet.