Knife sharpening.

[Boar]

Where can on get knives sharpend. its one of those things that I just cant get a handle on. Ive tried various things, wet stones, steel, sharpening kit, and with any of these i just cant get a good edge. anyone know where or who can sharpen knives for the up coming season.

[delcecchi]

ask around.   or

Buy a Chef's choice (uses little diamond wheels) or

buy a work sharp (uses sanding belts) 

Both work well and are available at amazon among other places.  

Either of the above will run you in the c-note neighborhood.  But they last a long time, do the job, and are reasonably portable.  

They do need to be plugged in.

[nofishfisherman]

I've run across a few guys that do it in the cities but it seems like the best way to find one is to know a guy who knows a guy whose cousin knows a guy that does it.  I know my bro in law who is a chef and he had a connection who would do his kitchen knives but that was a couple years ago.  Personally I've never had a problem keeping a nice edge on all of my knives.  I use the sharpening steel that came with my kitchen knife set and it works well for me.  However, its more about maintaining the edge versus sharpening them once they get dull.  All my fillet and hunting knives get touched up before and after each use, kitchen knives get touched up periodically.  I watched a few things showing the proper technique and practice a little on an old knife before I got it down, its really more of an art than a science.  It takes the proper motion and the proper angle to work.

[Jim Almquist]

I have just about every device for sharpening and the easiest is the Work Sharp. $70 on Amazon and it is money well spent. Also pick up a few of the crock sticks mounted in plastic to touch up the knives once you get a edge on them. The part I like it is a no brainier. Keep the knife straight up and down against the edge and pull thru and the belts do the work and the angle is set perfect. Do all of your knives with the medium belt and then switch to the fine. You will be slicing tomatoes like a pro in no time.

I should also add that I have a paper wheel setup, A Hobart tri-hone industrial size and my Razors Edge clamp that I use on the tri-hone. They will all be for sale soon!!

[sunniewally]

SAME HERE WITH THE WORK SHARP!!  MANS BEST FRIEND AFTER THE DOG!

 

[LoonASea]

Try a Work Sharp  ,,,After seeing mine sharpen knives I know of 5 guys that have gone out and bought their own Work Sharp 

[leech~~]

4 hours ago, Boar said:

Where can on get knives sharpend. its one of those things that I just cant get a handle on. Ive tried various things, wet stones, steel, sharpening kit, and with any of these i just cant get a good edge. anyone know where or who can sharpen knives for the up coming season.

I'm sadden to hear that the big woods Bear legend doesn't know how to pull a blade across a wet stone.

That's ok my wife doesn't know how either.

Edited September 7, 2016 by leech~~

[Boar]

thanks guys, looks like its off to amazon. leech, Ive run my blades up againts so many bear hides, I might as well have ran them across cement.for the last 15 years, Knife sharpenign just isnt my fortae' or spelling. Altho youd think id make it nessesity,supermans weakness is  kryptonight ya know, mine is knife sharpening. givin time and lots of practice i could probably get it down. this is one of those things in life where a quick fix is needed. thanks again guys ill have to look into that suggestion.

[jmd1]

I talk to my butcher and find out when he is going to oil stone his blades.  I slip him a couple bucks and he puts on heck on an edge on them, even my cheap old pocket knife.  Might be worth a try, if not watch the restaurants as many use outside companies to sharpen blades.  Again a couple bucks is the easy part.  Good luck

[BobT]

The mistake so many make is to wait too long between touching up the edge. By the time you realize the knife is getting dull, sharpening it can be a daunting task. Touch your knife to a stone or steel every time you use it and you can keep it sharp enough to shave with. The flatter the angle you use, the sharper the edge will be but also the more delicate it will be. 

Also, always avoid cutting on hard surfaces. My nerves twinge every time I see my wife use a knife that I try to keep sharp on a dinner plate or other hard surface. Always use a cutting board.

And finally, did I mention touch your blades to a stone before or after each use? 

[delcecchi]

That is the real advantage of the worksharp or chef's choice.  It is trivial to swipe the knife and get a little hone on it.   A steel works also but requires some skill.  

[Boar]

ok i see there are a few varieties with the work sharp,varying in price, anyone in particular? or the most expensive i can afford?

[RebelSS]

On 9/7/2016 at 0:09 PM, BobT said:

The mistake so many make is to wait too long between touching up the edge. By the time you realize the knife is getting dull, sharpening it can be a daunting task. Touch your knife to a stone or steel every time you use it and you can keep it sharp enough to shave with. The flatter the angle you use, the sharper the edge will be but also the more delicate it will be. 

Also, always avoid cutting on hard surfaces. My nerves twinge every time I see my wife use a knife that I try to keep sharp on a dinner plate or other hard surface. Always use a cutting board.

And finally, did I mention touch your blades to a stone before or after each use? 

Exactly!!! I do mine (by hand on a stone) after 4 or 5 uses. Just becomes a quick and easy thing to do, like washing that dish when you're done with it.

[Jim Almquist]

4 hours ago, Boar said:

ok i see there are a few varieties with the work sharp,varying in price, anyone in particular? or the most expensive i can afford?

I bought the cheapest one or the $69.99 model. I also bought extra belts right away but you really don't need to get extra till needed.

[delcecchi]

I think there are basically two models, regular and ken onion.

There might be accessories as part of various packages as well.

[BobT]

Of course it's just a guess but I like to use about a 10 degree angle when sharpening my filet knife. This makes it very sharp but the edge can be a little more prone to getting dull quicker so I always, without exception, lay it across a stone after each use to maintain the edge. I like to use a circular motion touching both sides maybe twice with lighter pressure the second time. I only need to basically polish it.  If I didn't, I would have to spend too much time re-establishing the edge again because it would get too dull. Stainless steel blades get dull because the edge rolls over and that is what you need to remove. The sharp edge is sure nice to work with though.

[jmg]

Wife gave me ok to order a work sharpfor Birthday present.  Planned to use sharpener for kitchen and filet knives, but maybe also or scissors and pruning shears.  Will the reg. one do all that or do I need to spend a bunch more for the Ken Onion model?  Would rather buy fishing accessories than pay the extra for the KO, but want to be happy with purchase. Thoughts?

[Jim Almquist]

From the description of the regular WorkSharp:

 

Product Description

An innovative abrasive belt sharpening system, combination of flexible premium abrasive belts and precision sharpening guides. It creates the sharpest blades with speed, ease and repeatability. Sharpening guides are purpose built for kitchen knives, outdoor knives, hunting knives, pocket knives, filet knives as well as scissors and serrated knives.

 

[delcecchi]

I think the main difference is ken onion model uses a wider belt.   

[BoxMN]

I use the Presto Eversharp and it works pretty darn good. I think the AMaz price is about $23 so a cheaper unit, but i have one for home and one for cabin, and it works great. Not quite as good for really wide blades, but for normal hunting knive and fillet knives and kitchen knives I think it works great. Has two sets of stones, you just do #1 first, and #2 second, and then watch out for your fingers

[Grainbelt]

Boar, Get yourself some of these real cheap steak knives the kind you would get from Menards for your birthday and practice on the belt sander till you get it. You tube has many videos on how to sharpen with belt sanders. If you mess them up keep practicing until they are sharp again. I have a 1" x 30" belt sander from Harbor Freight for $50 that I bought years ago. 

[BobT]

Can you get belts with fine enough grit to put a truly decent edge on a blade? 

[delcecchi]

2 minutes ago, BobT said:

Can you get belts with fine enough grit to put a truly decent edge on a blade? 

Available to 1000 grit, or leather stropping with compound.  

Edited September 23, 2016 by delcecchi

[Jim Almquist]

On 9/21/2016 at 7:28 AM, Grainbelt said:

Boar, Get yourself some of these real cheap steak knives the kind you would get from Menards for your birthday and practice on the belt sander till you get it. You tube has many videos on how to sharpen with belt sanders. If you mess them up keep practicing until they are sharp again. I have a 1" x 30" belt sander from Harbor Freight for $50 that I bought years ago. 

As good as your idea sounds the beauty of the Worksharp is you don't need to practice. You are close to a expert right out of the box.  I bought a leather strop for my Worksharp and was not sure how good till I used a cheap steak knife to cut up some tomatoes.Wow could not believe what a nice edge it put on the knife. Now if I could just get the wife to stop putting them in the sink with the rest of the dishes. 

[delcecchi]

She will stop when someone, maybe her, gashes their finger.  

[Jim Almquist]

We can only hope its a small nick and she stops