The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf] • Hacker News Board

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

#51

Post by Steve44 » Sun, Oct 15, 2023, 4:40 PM UTC

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.

They are really good for a normal person to get a knife sharper than they could ever wish for. I've given one to all my kids as it's the only method for them to keep their knives sharp. It's a great tool for an everyday household kitchen.

They do have downsides and are not the right tool if you are intent on spending time honing your skill, that's not their place.

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

#52

Post by downut » Mon, Oct 16, 2023, 12:35 AM UTC

gorgoiler wrote: post #30

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…

In the spirit of the best camera is the one you have on you right now , this DMT hone fits on a keychain. https://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/pocket-sharpeners/mini-s... I used to get by in a pinch with the bottom edge of a ceramic coffee cup but it’s nothing compared to having a properly flat and consistently abrasive stone on you. It struggles with anything longer than a steak knife but most times it’s a steak knif…

So this is a late comment but I finally clicked the link because I am a DMT addict, and lordy that's a cool thing that looks like it will travel just fine.

Which do you find best for traveling? I travel with one of the big DMT fine hones but if I was resorting to something on my keychain maybe I want coarse? When I said I do a "quick repair" I meant I can't correct each knife with only a fine hone, but I can make them better. In that spirit maybe the optimal travel keychain hone size is coarse. Because I don't have all night, nobody else cares, and sharper is better than "prop knife", as another commenter mentioned.

Very cool about the ceramics, I had not thought of that but since we have many crafty ceramics we know their abrasive properties and once you are given the idea huh that's obvious. Thank you!

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

#53

Post by gorgoiler » Mon, Oct 16, 2023, 6:41 PM UTC

downut wrote: post #52

gorgoiler wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the spirit of the best camera is the one you have on you right now , this DMT hone fits on a keychain. https://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpeners/pocket-sharpeners/mini-s... I used to get by in a pinch with the bottom edge of a ceramic coffee cup but it’s nothing compared to having a properly flat and consistently abrasive stone on you. It struggles with anything longer than a steak knife but most times it’s a steak knif…

So this is a late comment but I finally clicked the link because I am a DMT addict, and lordy that's a cool thing that looks like it will travel just fine. Which do you find best for traveling? I travel with one of the big DMT fine hones but if I was resorting to something on my keychain maybe I want coarse? When I said I do a "quick repair" I meant I can't correct each knife with only a fine hone, but I can make the…

You got it in one, spot on. The coarse will put an edge on a blunt instrument but you won’t be able to strop it. The fine hone isn’t aggressive enough but will produce an edge you can strop to a razor. I carry both, with the coarse blue on my keychain.

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

#54

Post by axpy » Tue, Oct 17, 2023, 6:16 PM UTC

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?

Same here. Sometime it was working nicely, sometime not. I came to the conclusion that I was not sharpening often enough (maybe 1x/month) to be able to hone my skill properly and get the muscle required muscle memory. I finally got one of the sharpening stand contraption that hold the angle for you and it’s been a game changer. It is still very rewarding but without the frustration.