Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

"W1TEF" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600, Canuck57
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

Really depends on the kind of steel your knives are made of. High
carbon, high chromium, high manganese, tungsten, vanadium, blah, blah,
blah. :)

A lot of knives today are alloys with a little of everything if it's
just an average knife maker - most are high carbon, low chromium -
seriously, you really have to know what kind of steel the knife is
made of to properly sharpen. Also high carbon, folded steel blades
hold their edges longer and only require a little touch up.

The best way is prep work. Have to get the edge bevel correct, then
work on the edge. I work against flat diamond embedded stones working
from coarse to medium to get the bevel right, then work the fine stone
until you get the edge you need. Strop it against a leather strap - I
use an old barber's leather strop.

Just remember that the edge won't hold forever - touch up every week
or so is really important or after you make a particularly difficult
cut on hard material. Find an old wide piece of leather like an old
belt to strop the knife after you use it - even when you use it. Go
from the rough side to the smooth side - couple of times each side of
the blade.

Use light machine oil on the blade to keep it from rusting too bad if
you are going to store it.

One of the artisians here in town in a Master blade smith and I've
learned a lot from him over the years. I do what he does and I always
have sharp knives.

I have two of his blades - a 6" Hunter with flamed bone handle and a
10" Bowie with a leather wrapped and bound tang. Both weren't up to
his standards and he sold them to me at cost (little flaws in the
shape of the blades that you and I wouldn't notice, but he did). Both
are folded high carbon steel - the Hunter 100 times and the Bowie 125
times. Those things are sharp as hell and stay that way for a long
time.

Anyway, prep and maintenance - the keys to an always sharp knife.

Like the Japanese chef's knives. Can not justify the costs, but I would use
Shun knives if I was a commercial chef. They are folded 100's of times and
are about the sharpest and best steel knives you can buy.

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600, Canuck57
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

I use diamond tools, flat slabs of sheet metal on plastic, with the
stones imbedded in a nickel coating. I also have a two hundred buck
slab of German industrial ruby. Two inch by four by one quarter. It
puts a mirror finish on the edge.

If you want a razor edge on a knife, it has to be a thin as a razor.
My Chinese pattern chef's knife is shaped like a razor, rectangular 3
in by 8 in, and thin, and you can, in fact, put a razor edge on it.

Casady

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On 02/07/2010 7:23 AM, Richard Casady wrote:
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600,
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

I use diamond tools, flat slabs of sheet metal on plastic, with the
stones imbedded in a nickel coating. I also have a two hundred buck
slab of German industrial ruby. Two inch by four by one quarter. It
puts a mirror finish on the edge.

If you want a razor edge on a knife, it has to be a thin as a razor.
My Chinese pattern chef's knife is shaped like a razor, rectangular 3
in by 8 in, and thin, and you can, in fact, put a razor edge on it.

Casady

I would like to thank everyone for the great inputs. Realizing now I
wasn't on the right track. Need to get smarter at this.

While the arkasas stone I have is good if you like to spend hours at it,
it is insufficient by itself.

Going to get some machine, probably one menthined in this thread
somewhere, a coarse stone and a new fine stone. Diamond if I can as
arkansas might be too soft or something.

I figure if I use the amchines for the bevels, a quick touch on the
stone then the strap I should be getting knives I don't have to fight
with or like fishing knives, spend 3 hours to get it right.

Thanks all, this was helpful...

--
We all work for government, they ceased working for us a long time ago.

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On 7/2/10 10:46 AM, Canuck57 wrote:
On 02/07/2010 7:23 AM, Richard Casady wrote:
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600,
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

I use diamond tools, flat slabs of sheet metal on plastic, with the
stones imbedded in a nickel coating. I also have a two hundred buck
slab of German industrial ruby. Two inch by four by one quarter. It
puts a mirror finish on the edge.

If you want a razor edge on a knife, it has to be a thin as a razor.
My Chinese pattern chef's knife is shaped like a razor, rectangular 3
in by 8 in, and thin, and you can, in fact, put a razor edge on it.

Casady

I would like to thank everyone for the great inputs. Realizing now I
wasn't on the right track. Need to get smarter at this.

While the arkasas stone I have is good if you like to spend hours at it,
it is insufficient by itself.

Going to get some machine, probably one menthined in this thread
somewhere, a coarse stone and a new fine stone. Diamond if I can as
arkansas might be too soft or something.

I figure if I use the amchines for the bevels, a quick touch on the
stone then the strap I should be getting knives I don't have to fight
with or like fishing knives, spend 3 hours to get it right.

Thanks all, this was helpful...


I don't know what you are using for knives, but there is something to be
said for a good blade that takes and holds a good edge. I bought a
japanese sashimi knife a couple of years ago, and it is an incredible
tool for making thin cuts on fish, meat, veggies...

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On 02/07/2010 8:54 AM, Harry  wrote:
On 7/2/10 10:46 AM, Canuck57 wrote:
On 02/07/2010 7:23 AM, Richard Casady wrote:
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600,
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

I use diamond tools, flat slabs of sheet metal on plastic, with the
stones imbedded in a nickel coating. I also have a two hundred buck
slab of German industrial ruby. Two inch by four by one quarter. It
puts a mirror finish on the edge.

If you want a razor edge on a knife, it has to be a thin as a razor.
My Chinese pattern chef's knife is shaped like a razor, rectangular 3
in by 8 in, and thin, and you can, in fact, put a razor edge on it.

Casady

I would like to thank everyone for the great inputs. Realizing now I
wasn't on the right track. Need to get smarter at this.

While the arkasas stone I have is good if you like to spend hours at it,
it is insufficient by itself.

Going to get some machine, probably one menthined in this thread
somewhere, a coarse stone and a new fine stone. Diamond if I can as
arkansas might be too soft or something.

I figure if I use the amchines for the bevels, a quick touch on the
stone then the strap I should be getting knives I don't have to fight
with or like fishing knives, spend 3 hours to get it right.

Thanks all, this was helpful...


I don't know what you are using for knives, but there is something to be
said for a good blade that takes and holds a good edge. I bought a
japanese sashimi knife a couple of years ago, and it is an incredible
tool for making thin cuts on fish, meat, veggies...

Most of my knives are mid-range stuff, not cheap but not exotic.
Heinkels I have are 20+ years old and are great, but need sharpening
too. The only knife I have that is sharp is a fillet knife. But then I
would take 3 hours if need to be sharpen it. The hunting knife, other
than the point is so dull it is safe to handle. Kitchen knives, not one
sharp on in the lot.

Figure to get a machine, take the best 20 knives, sharpen them and huck
the rest.

--
We all work for government, they ceased working for us a long time ago.

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 23:10:33 -0700, "Califbill"
wrote:



"W1TEF" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600, Canuck57
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

Really depends on the kind of steel your knives are made of. High
carbon, high chromium, high manganese, tungsten, vanadium, blah, blah,
blah. :)

A lot of knives today are alloys with a little of everything if it's
just an average knife maker - most are high carbon, low chromium -
seriously, you really have to know what kind of steel the knife is
made of to properly sharpen. Also high carbon, folded steel blades
hold their edges longer and only require a little touch up.

The best way is prep work. Have to get the edge bevel correct, then
work on the edge. I work against flat diamond embedded stones working
from coarse to medium to get the bevel right, then work the fine stone
until you get the edge you need. Strop it against a leather strap - I
use an old barber's leather strop.

Just remember that the edge won't hold forever - touch up every week
or so is really important or after you make a particularly difficult
cut on hard material. Find an old wide piece of leather like an old
belt to strop the knife after you use it - even when you use it. Go
from the rough side to the smooth side - couple of times each side of
the blade.

Use light machine oil on the blade to keep it from rusting too bad if
you are going to store it.

One of the artisians here in town in a Master blade smith and I've
learned a lot from him over the years. I do what he does and I always
have sharp knives.

I have two of his blades - a 6" Hunter with flamed bone handle and a
10" Bowie with a leather wrapped and bound tang. Both weren't up to
his standards and he sold them to me at cost (little flaws in the
shape of the blades that you and I wouldn't notice, but he did). Both
are folded high carbon steel - the Hunter 100 times and the Bowie 125
times. Those things are sharp as hell and stay that way for a long
time.

Anyway, prep and maintenance - the keys to an always sharp knife.

Like the Japanese chef's knives. Can not justify the costs, but I would use
Shun knives if I was a commercial chef. They are folded 100's of times and
are about the sharpest and best steel knives you can buy.


The Shuns get good reviews, that's for sure. But, at over a thousand bucks for a
decent set, I'll stick with my cheap Henckels Five Stars.
--
John H

All decisions are the result of binary thinking.

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

"John H" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 23:10:33 -0700, "Califbill"

wrote:



"W1TEF" wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600, Canuck57
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

Really depends on the kind of steel your knives are made of. High
carbon, high chromium, high manganese, tungsten, vanadium, blah, blah,
blah. :)

A lot of knives today are alloys with a little of everything if it's
just an average knife maker - most are high carbon, low chromium -
seriously, you really have to know what kind of steel the knife is
made of to properly sharpen. Also high carbon, folded steel blades
hold their edges longer and only require a little touch up.

The best way is prep work. Have to get the edge bevel correct, then
work on the edge. I work against flat diamond embedded stones working
from coarse to medium to get the bevel right, then work the fine stone
until you get the edge you need. Strop it against a leather strap - I
use an old barber's leather strop.

Just remember that the edge won't hold forever - touch up every week
or so is really important or after you make a particularly difficult
cut on hard material. Find an old wide piece of leather like an old
belt to strop the knife after you use it - even when you use it. Go
from the rough side to the smooth side - couple of times each side of
the blade.

Use light machine oil on the blade to keep it from rusting too bad if
you are going to store it.

One of the artisians here in town in a Master blade smith and I've
learned a lot from him over the years. I do what he does and I always
have sharp knives.

I have two of his blades - a 6" Hunter with flamed bone handle and a
10" Bowie with a leather wrapped and bound tang. Both weren't up to
his standards and he sold them to me at cost (little flaws in the
shape of the blades that you and I wouldn't notice, but he did). Both
are folded high carbon steel - the Hunter 100 times and the Bowie 125
times. Those things are sharp as hell and stay that way for a long
time.

Anyway, prep and maintenance - the keys to an always sharp knife.

Like the Japanese chef's knives. Can not justify the costs, but I would
use
Shun knives if I was a commercial chef. They are folded 100's of times
and
are about the sharpest and best steel knives you can buy.


The Shuns get good reviews, that's for sure. But, at over a thousand bucks
for a
decent set, I'll stick with my cheap Henckels Five Stars.
--
John H

All decisions are the result of binary thinking.

And they are beautiful. Like an old Damascus steel sword,

Knives, getting them sharp like a razor blade
 

On Fri, 2 Jul 2010 23:32:03 -0700, "Califbill"
wrote:



"John H" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 1 Jul 2010 23:10:33 -0700, "Califbill"

wrote:



"W1TEF" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:18:35 -0600, Canuck57
wrote:


Going boating, regs or no regs every sane boater brings a good knife.
In fact I don't remember seeing knive in our regs, but it is a good
practice. Expecially if you have to cut others line out of the prop.

Maybe even 2 or 3. Me, I have one on my belt and another in the tackle
box as a minimum. Usually a couple more at the fish cleaning station.
Need to cut rope or a fish, or fishing line, only a quick reach away.

But keeping them shape. Same problem in the home. Real pain in the
crack. What experiences work best to get these things sharp enough to
shave with? Not gimick solutions, I mean get knives real professionally
sharp but do it at home or the cottage. What methods are people using?

Really depends on the kind of steel your knives are made of. High
carbon, high chromium, high manganese, tungsten, vanadium, blah, blah,
blah. :)

A lot of knives today are alloys with a little of everything if it's
just an average knife maker - most are high carbon, low chromium -
seriously, you really have to know what kind of steel the knife is
made of to properly sharpen. Also high carbon, folded steel blades
hold their edges longer and only require a little touch up.

The best way is prep work. Have to get the edge bevel correct, then
work on the edge. I work against flat diamond embedded stones working
from coarse to medium to get the bevel right, then work the fine stone
until you get the edge you need. Strop it against a leather strap - I
use an old barber's leather strop.

Just remember that the edge won't hold forever - touch up every week
or so is really important or after you make a particularly difficult
cut on hard material. Find an old wide piece of leather like an old
belt to strop the knife after you use it - even when you use it. Go
from the rough side to the smooth side - couple of times each side of
the blade.

Use light machine oil on the blade to keep it from rusting too bad if
you are going to store it.

One of the artisians here in town in a Master blade smith and I've
learned a lot from him over the years. I do what he does and I always
have sharp knives.

I have two of his blades - a 6" Hunter with flamed bone handle and a
10" Bowie with a leather wrapped and bound tang. Both weren't up to
his standards and he sold them to me at cost (little flaws in the
shape of the blades that you and I wouldn't notice, but he did). Both
are folded high carbon steel - the Hunter 100 times and the Bowie 125
times. Those things are sharp as hell and stay that way for a long
time.

Anyway, prep and maintenance - the keys to an always sharp knife.

Like the Japanese chef's knives. Can not justify the costs, but I would
use
Shun knives if I was a commercial chef. They are folded 100's of times
and
are about the sharpest and best steel knives you can buy.


The Shuns get good reviews, that's for sure. But, at over a thousand bucks
for a
decent set, I'll stick with my cheap Henckels Five Stars.
--
John H

All decisions are the result of binary thinking.

And they are beautiful. Like an old Damascus steel sword,

Yeah, I looked at them. Gorgeous knives. But I'd have to cut Kobi beef with
them, or they'd probably rebel. I'm sure they're not up to cutting cheap chuck
roasts and such.
--
John H

All decisions are the result of binary thinking.