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The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

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Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#41

Post by slibhb »

downut wrote: post #17

I have been sharpening my own knives and tools for 45 years, and have been doing it in the same way since I was in my teens and my dad and I read some article (in Popular Science, maybe?) which Just Worked. My dad was a bit more patient than I have ever been and his edges always shaved hairs, dry. My edges are still quite good though. Anyway Ima procrastinating today and saw this HN item and hesitated, oh no, have I…

I've been sharpening knives for the past few years with https://chefschoice.com/products/chefschoice-prontopro-diamo...

As far as I can tell it works great and requires virtually no skill or knowledge.

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#42

Post by c0pium »

oldpersonintx wrote: post #32
brabarossa wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you can buy a jig like Spyderco Sharpmaker and have a razor-sharp edge in 5 minutes.

this is basically the 2023 answer I don't care if you are a fifteenth generation swordmaker who practiced for sixty years...you cannot hold a blade in your hands steadily, at sub-mm precision, for more than one stroke changing the angle even slightly is effectively starting over but if you must go old school - BELGIAN COTICULE...all other sharpening stones are inferior, it is no contest imho

This is FUD. If you believe this I have some $8000 speaker wire to sell you.

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#43

Post by c0pium »

Detrytus wrote: post #29
rlonstein wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, yes, and my straight razor is that sharp. Kitchen knives no and certainly not hatchets or axes.

Razor-sharp knives are safer to use than dull ones. Earlier today I was invited to a dinner by a family member, and she cut her finger, because, in her own words, she had to apply some force to cut an onion and she lost control of the knife (seriously, the f*king onion. It's ridiculous and I blame her husband for being lousy at sharpening). Cutting with razor-sharp knives requires almost zero force applied, which mea…

[flagged]

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#44

Post by rashkov »

noman-land wrote: post #22
btbuildem wrote: post #7

Years ago, when I lived in Seattle, I remember meeting an old Japanese blacksmith. I found him when I was looking to buy some of the pull-style hand saws, but when I met him to pick up the wares, it turned into a bit of a social call. He must've been around 80 or so, lived by himself in a house that was half home half workshop. Got into talking about saws and chisels and blades and sharpening, complete with a Mr.Miya…

Any tips to hold the angle steady?

Roll the blade forward until the oil/water squeezes out from under it. You’ll see that happen when the blade is flat. Check out Rex Krueger’s sharpening videos on YouTube to see this in action

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#45

Post by rashkov »

blindriver wrote: post #37

I have a Japanese whetstone and I've been practicing sharpening my knives and watching Youtube videos and I'm still terrible. It's a source of frustration because I'll watching butcher TikTok videos and the way they can slice through meat makes me extremely envious. Any good Youtube videos in particular that can help me with this, as well as maintaining the sharpness for a long time?

I learned a lot about sharpening principles from this one: https://youtu.be/EmyW8nFDLr4

It’s focused on sharpening woodworking tools but it’s the same ideas for knives

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#46

Post by spott »

slibhb wrote: post #41
downut wrote: post #17

I have been sharpening my own knives and tools for 45 years, and have been doing it in the same way since I was in my teens and my dad and I read some article (in Popular Science, maybe?) which Just Worked. My dad was a bit more patient than I have ever been and his edges always shaved hairs, dry. My edges are still quite good though. Anyway Ima procrastinating today and saw this HN item and hesitated, oh no, have I…

I've been sharpening knives for the past few years with https://chefschoice.com/products/chefschoice-prontopro-diamo... As far as I can tell it works great and requires virtually no skill or knowledge.

The downside of those is that they a) don’t actually create a very sharp edge, but instead create a “toothy” edge that can’t push cut, but can slice decently, and b) remove a lot of material, and thus shorten the life of the knife.

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#47

Post by bsder »

noman-land wrote: post #22
btbuildem wrote: post #7

Years ago, when I lived in Seattle, I remember meeting an old Japanese blacksmith. I found him when I was looking to buy some of the pull-style hand saws, but when I met him to pick up the wares, it turned into a bit of a social call. He must've been around 80 or so, lived by himself in a house that was half home half workshop. Got into talking about saws and chisels and blades and sharpening, complete with a Mr.Miya…

Any tips to hold the angle steady?

1) Use a big knife for practice.

I can't tell you how difficult it was to sharpen my little paring knife accurately.

And then I tried on my big chef's knife, and it was soooo much easier to hold the angle properly.

2) Your knife doesn't need to be razor sharp

I see this all the time, but putting that good an edge on a functional knife is useless wankery (if you're shaving with a straight razor, this does not apply). Studies show that the edge dulls itself down almost immediately upon usage. The edge still works well, but it won't cut your hairs anymore.

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#48

Post by eternityforest »

oldpersonintx wrote: post #31
noman-land wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any tips to hold the angle steady?

you can buy guides to hold blades at a set angle do not believe other answer that says to just "practice" - you cannot hope to steady a blade with sub-millimeter precision, you must secure it...if you are off by a fraction of a mm you are resetting the edge

I think it depends on skill. I'm not great at sharpening, others get to razor sharp in seemingly no time with just a single stone.

Not everyone has time and a decent level of natural dexterity but it is possible, since people seem to do it.

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#49

Post by eternityforest »

Detrytus wrote: post #29
rlonstein wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, yes, and my straight razor is that sharp. Kitchen knives no and certainly not hatchets or axes.

Razor-sharp knives are safer to use than dull ones. Earlier today I was invited to a dinner by a family member, and she cut her finger, because, in her own words, she had to apply some force to cut an onion and she lost control of the knife (seriously, the f*king onion. It's ridiculous and I blame her husband for being lousy at sharpening). Cutting with razor-sharp knives requires almost zero force applied, which mea…

Occasionally a newly sharpened knife when you've only seen dull ones can be dangerous too. If you have only ever encountered dull knives, you get used to the "press and wait til it breaks through and slams uncontrollably" to the point where you can mostly* get by, but you're not as used to safe handling when just getting ready to cut.

Sharp is still safer in general!

Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]

#50

Post by oldpersonintx »

c0pium wrote: post #40
oldpersonintx wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you can buy guides to hold blades at a set angle do not believe other answer that says to just "practice" - you cannot hope to steady a blade with sub-millimeter precision, you must secure it...if you are off by a fraction of a mm you are resetting the edge

This is nonsense. Every chef I know sharpens by hand and they get an insanely sharp edge.

Kitchen knives are a laughably low bar for sharpening and most chefs don't care because their knives are destroyed, damaged or stolen in short order anyway

In kitchens I have worked in, knives were delivered by a service once a week, no one wastes time honing. Those chefs showing off their $5k custom knives get them stolen by dishwashers, these are for home users only imho

Sharpening straight razors is where you actually learn how to hone

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