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Thread: Kitchen knife sharpening

  1. #1
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    Kitchen knife sharpening

    I want to get ONE stone to keep in the kitchen for sharpening kitchen knives. I don't like taking the knives out to the shop to sharpen them, and I don't like bringing my shop stones (Shapton Pros) into the kitchen and back out to the shop. Since about the only stones I haven't tried yet are Spydercos, I thought about getting one of their bench stones. For general sharpening should I get the medium or the fine? I'm afraid the medium might not be fine enough for general work, but I also wonder if the fine might be too slow to bring the edges back up in a reasonable amount of time.

  2. #2
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    I think you would be very happy with the Spyderco TriAngle Sharpmaker

    https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

    Available from many sources. If you are doing no more than maintaining edges the basic set is a near perfect tool. It is really more of a sharp "keeper" than sharp "maker". Excellent for serrated edges too. If you need to reprofile or really work up a damaged edge you would likely want to add a set of the diamond rods but this in not needed for basic edge keeping in the kitchen. This is a set up that is clean and safe and very easy to use. Stores in its case or leave on the counter ready to go.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  3. #3
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    I have heard only good about the spyderco stones, but have yet to try one myself. Since you do own other stones I would go with the fine and you can always dress a damaged edge at the shop.

    This might be one of the rare cases where I would recommend getting a good combo stone. I do not like them due to cross-contamination of the grit, but really that isn't a big issue and more of a minute detail thing. Kitchen knives are users, so any minute detail is lost with the first few uses anyway.

  4. #4
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    I have lately just been using a fine diamond stone for sharpening knives for food. The tiny teeth the stone makes on kitchen knives are very effective for slicing meat and vegetables. I see no need to go back to making a smooth,razor like edge. That razor edge doesn't stay very long any way,with the inevitable clacking of the knife on the cutting board that my wife does. She has been quite happy with the diamond stoned edge.

  5. #5
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    +1 on that. I wouldn't want to do it on a fancy pants chef's knife, but i've sharpened kitchen knives on a carboroundum sharpening stone as used on scythes and the like (this sort of thing, but usually with a handle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional.../dp/B0036HMX22 ) since I was a kid. It makes a bit of a joke of all the finesse usually applied, but as George the toothing means it cuts as well if not better than any polished edge on foodstuffs.

    The fact of the matter is that most of the time the steel in kitchen knives is so lousy that any serious attempt to put a fine edge on it just results in a turned edge anyway. Even if with delicacy you get past thatit blunts in moments anyway - whereas the toothing keeps on going for quite a while.
    Last edited by ian maybury; 06-12-2015 at 5:49 PM.

  6. #6
    I've taken to using a paper wheel system for sharpening kitchen knives. It can't be beat for curved edges.

  7. #7
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    I find the 600/1200 (fine/extra fine) Duosharp diamond stone w holder works really well for kitchen knives, be they carbon or stainless. Lee Valley sells them as do many others. Without the stand the "stone" is only about 3/8" thick and is inconvenient.

    8" Diamond Bench Stone, 600x/1200x
    70M04.11
    $96.00
    Plastic Stand for 6", 8", 10" Stones
    70M04.30
    $17.90
    Last edited by Joel Goodman; 06-12-2015 at 6:53 PM.

  8. #8
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    If you are going to spend in the $100 range, consider a Chef's Pro machine. The 3 stone job runs ~$125 and the two stone ~$80. They put on decent edge - worthy of the contempt with which my wife treats them. Couple minutes per knife and done.

  9. #9
    The Bester 1200 really does a great job on my wife's kitchen knives (plus in-laws, daughters, etc). It is the first and only stone that I need. I strop on leather afterward.

  10. #10
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    I have all kinds of stones: oil stones, water stones, and diamond stones, but I keep a 1/2" diameter ceramic rod sharpener in the kitchen knife block to sharpen them with. It's handy, easy to use, and cleans up easily with scouring powder.
    Rick W

  11. #11
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    I have asked a lot of professional chefs, and the men that make and sell them their knives, here in Japan what stones they use at work. It varies with the knife and the food to be prepped. But most use a 1000 to 1200 grit waterstone for final sharpening. Softer stones are clearly preferred to the harder stones used for sharpening woodworking tools.

    Compared to woodworking tools, cooking knives are not that sharp. In fact, the saw-edge left by rougher grits is universally thought to be more efficient for prepping fish, meat, and veggies.

    For the final polish on sashimi knives (yanagiba or takohiki) most professionals will keep a finer grit stone (i.e. 6000 grit stone) to use at the end of the day, but don't use it frequently during the day. The finer edge, while not universally employed by any means, is said to cut fish with less cellular distortion, making for tastier sashimi.

    The best chefs, I am told, do not sharpen their knives except at the end of the day, but switch to sharp knives instead when one goes dull. I have also read that it is considered by some professional chefs a bad habit, or an indication of poor sharpening skills, to sharpen a knife more than once every few days. But I don't know this from expereince, only what have been told and have read.

    Stan

  12. #12
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    Well, since there wasn't any direct feedback about the Spyderco stones, but there does seem to be agreement that a somewhat rougher edge is better for kitchen knives, I went ahead and ordered the medium stone. It's back ordered on Amazon, so someone is buying them, but when it arrives I'll try to report in.

  13. #13
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    Ian and others have hit the nail on the head. A micro toothed edge cuts best-except on some types of sushi. And,most kitchen knives do not have good enough steel to take and hold a really sharp edge for long.

    An exception is my 6" Lee Valley Japanese laminated knife. It has a very thin layer of very high carbon steel sandwiched between outer layers of stainless steel. The carbon steel layer must not be even 1/64" thick. That knife was not very expensive. About $25-$35.00 at the time(I can't recall). But,it is an excellent knife that will get sharp as blazes. I heartily recommend it. You can spend big bucks on knives that probably aren't as good,or any bit better. They still sell it,I'm pretty sure. The outer layers have decorative patterns hammered on them,made by a hammer face with swirly patterns engraved upon it.

    But,even that knife for whacking on a cutting board,now gets the rougher edge. I just got tired of giving kitchen knives the full sharpening treatment only to soon have them dulled. Toothed edge works just fine.

    Let me say here that electric sharpeners are DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!! They leave a little wire edge on knives. This wire edge gets wiped off in your food. And,you DO NOT want to go eating stainless steel sharp wire edges. All of them (That I have tried) ought to be banned. Unfortunately,the powers that be do not know anything about sharpening.

    AND,DO NOT BUT those CERAMIC COATED STEEL KNIVES. The micro thin ceramic coating flakes off into your food. You eat these ceramic razor blade pieces.

    I made the mistake of buying a few of the black coated ceramic blades from Woodcraft Supply. They were razor sharp. But,when I noticed the first ceramic missing from the edge,I never will use them again. Use ONLY fully ceramic knives with NO STEEL CORE.

    The trouble with ceramic knives is most can't sharpen them. I can,since I have diamond sharpening equipment. Most can't. When I am in the area where Harbor Freight is,I'll inspect their $9.00 ceramic knives,and buy a few. They are very sharp,and,IF INSPECTED AND SELECTED, I think as good as any other much more expensive ceramic knife. Harbor Freight ceramic knives used to have the sharp edge disappear about 1 1/2" from the tip of the knife. A flat edge was all that remained there. But,the last 2 I bought are sharp all the way to the tip. They have to be inspected and picked out,to be sure. But,for $9.00 you can't expect consistent quality. You can get a bargain if you know what you are doing. It is hard to see the edge on a white ceramic knife. You have to go by feel. They aren't the prettiest knives I ever saw,but most ceramic knives are ugly anyway.

    That said,I now find just giving the Lee Valley,or other stainless knives a few strokes over the diamond stone,to be more convenient than resharpening ceramic knives.

    My best kitchen knives are the ones I made several years ago from 100% High Speed Steel power hack saw blades. These are a bit hard to find as most power hacksaw blades just have their HSS teeth welded on. The rest of the blade is soft steel so they don't shatter. Check prospective blades by filing the back of the blade. If solid HSS,the file will not bite,but will skate off. I made a bread knife that has stayed very sharp for about 15 years. And it cuts like nothing else you ever saw!
    Last edited by george wilson; 06-13-2015 at 8:48 AM.

  14. #14
    I prefer the diamond stone (also for my frequently used pocket knife) as George mentioned earlier. I have some long ago experience in meat markets and it was standard to tune the knife edges frequently during the day with a steel. I have the ceramic "steel" and like it and we have expensive German knives but my wife treats them like they came from the dime store so sharpening may be a futile effort.
    Mike Null

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  15. #15
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    Since you want feedback on Spyderco stones,I'll repeat what I have several times posted.

    After experimenting with a large assortment of stones over the years,I have settled on this setup: I start with a diamond stone if the edge is dull enough to warrant it. Then,I use my black Spyderco ceramic stone,then the white. If I strop I use Lee Valley green buffing compound on a clean piece of MDF.

    These ceramic stones will never dish like other stones. The ceramic is MANY times harder than anything else out there(save diamond,of course,which are not really "stones".)

    I had to clean up my white stone when I got it. It was scrubbed for about an hour under a faucet with a diamond stone. It had some permanent "fuzz" left on the surface from being cast. And,that fuzz would NEVER wear off!!

    Some buy the super fine white stone as it is supposed to have a better surface on it. I have not used one of those,just my regular white one,which came out before the super fine ones.

    I have seen pictures of Spyderco stones with circular saw marks on them. They would take a good deal of diamond scouring to get smooth.

    Once you get your white stone prepared(the black one did not need any scrubbing),you are set for many years of trouble free honing. The only thing ever needed from then on is cleaning the gray metal crud off the stones with scouring powder,or a touch up with the diamond stone,just to get the metal crud off.

    I use water with a few drops of Dawn dish detergent in it. This is kept in an 8 oz. squeeze bottle. You can get these lab type bottles at Harbor Freight,though they are thinner than higher quality ones. They would work fine,though.
    Last edited by george wilson; 06-13-2015 at 10:27 AM.

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