Folks, besides the thrill of taking a knife that is so dull, a child could play with it to a point where a child shouldn't even look at it, is the joy of teaching people how to sharpen knives.
It is really amazing how many gadgets are available to sharpen knives, how many people who really don't know or care about knife sharpening have created devices designed to lure you in. What this tells us is that we all need sharp knives and there is a market for a magical device but the gadgets just don't cut it......(note the way I used "cut it" there)
Now there are a couple of very precison guided systems out there that work, the best ones (2 that I know of) use stones to shape and sharpen the edge, these are not gadgets,they are instruments and they work. You won't find them hanging in the same spot where you can get keys cut or anything.
You don't need them, if you want to sharpen a knife to a point where you you can use it in a professional setting and have the knife as sharp as you want it to be, you can do that for less than $100.00 and some of your time and patience and desire to learn.
You need a few things, some Japanese Water Stones, (I prefer these much more than oil stones), you need a coarse/medium and fine stone, some water, a knife and a mentor would be a nice add on to that but there is a lot of video out there on YouTube that will steer you in the right direction.
One of the most persistent issues I encounter with sharpening is that people, many people, not all, think that all they need is a Steel sharpening rod. I have met people who have used a steel on their knives for 10 years and nothing else and some of them even tell me that their knives are fine. "I don't need you to sharpen my knives because I can do it with my steel rod". I then thank them for telling me that and wonder why I wasted so much time and money on my Japanese Water Stones and Edge Pro Professional and diamond sprays when I could have just got a 40 dollar steel at Walmart.
Quite simply, a Steel is a vital piece of equipment in your kitchen, if you have no knives at all and you have $150.00 to spend, get a good knife and a good steel, instead of 2 or 3 knives. Folks there are 2 important things in my life, family and sharpening, so believe me when I tell you this:
The Steel will keep your sharp knife sharp for a while but it WILL NOT sharpen a dull knife. Once the edge starts to remain dull after a good maintenance period with the steel, over a few months or even up to a year for those who really maintain their edges. Eventually, you need to remove metal to get it sharp again, the steel or ceramic is not going to do the job. Stop looking for the easy way out and get it sharpened or sharpen it yourself.
Ok here we go:
Purchase a 500-1000 grit stone and 3,000-6,000 grit stone. You can purchase many more grits than that but you need 2 or 3 (better) stones to reach your goal. The Japanese term for the 3 stones in progression that should be used is: Ara-to (rough stone), Naka-to (medium stone) and Shiage-to (Finishing Stone)
You can get an 800 grit and a 4,000 grit King stone at Lee Valley for $60.00. King stones, while not the best in comparison to Naniwa or Shapton stones will do the job just fine.
You just need to remember a few things, I will just talk about one in this post and I'll carry on a little later.
The Burr, sometimes called a wire edge. The burr is formed when one edge meets the other, basically side A of the knife meets side B, you sharpen side A until it meets Side B.This will form a burr, when you have achieved a burr you have just eliminated the need for any of those gadgets. You will do this quickly on the first stone, forming the burr is the ONLY way to be sure that you have gound that side of the knife ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE EDGE.
This is the key, you create the burr and all your dull knives will start trembling in fear because you have unlocked the door to sharp knife heaven.
(I know that as I type these words that many of you know this already of course, however, let's assume that not everyone does know)
Soon, I will show you how to actually form the Burr, you just have to get those stones first.
Remember that I am always available to show you in person how to sharpen knives for anyone in my area.
More to follow
Thank you again for being here.
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