Anyone know how to sharpen a knife?

[Zebo]

I got these decent knives and was provided a cylindrical sharpening utensil to sharpen them but even time I do it they seen to get duller or not sharpened. No instructions were provided. What angle to the blade do I hold this sharpening utensil to? What is the correct procedure and how many times do you do it? Should I just pay someone? Guys says it's $2.00 a knife to sharpen them. What a PIA... I miss my miricle blades.. Dishwasher safe and always sharp/

 

[Eli]

So why don't you get another set of Miracle Blades?

They're 40 bucks.

 

[Broohaha]

<grizzled war veteran voice> with your enemy's neck.......... </gwvv>

 

[Kelvrick]

That sharpening tool you speak of doesn't sharpen the blade. It is used to straighten the blade. As you use the knife, things like cutting boards and bones could bend the blade to an angle, making it seem dull while it is still sharp. The sharpening tool fixes that, it doesn't sharpen.

TO sharpen, you'll have to have a professional do it.

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: Zebo
I got these decent knives and was provided a cylindrical sharpening utensil to sharpen them but even time I do it they seen to get duller or not sharpened. No instructions were provided. What angle to the blade do I hold this sharpening utensil to? What is the correct procedure and how many times do you do it? Should I just pay someone? Guys says it's $2.00 a knife to sharpen them. What a PIA... I miss my miricle blades.. Dishwasher safe and always sharp/

over the summer, i sharpened mine every month due to extra use. you should sharpen when you feel that it's dull.

there are 2 different ways to restore and maintain a sharp blade. one is sharpen, and one is hone. sharpening steels merely realign the edge. ceramic and diamond sharpening tools remove material. honing and sharpening are basically the same thing. but hone generally creates a new edge. most people just use a sharpening steel. it's a rod with tiny groves in it with a handle which prevents you from cutting yourself. also, there are "sharpening steels" with diamonds on the surface.

the angles differ depending on what type of blade you want, and what type of knife it is. for me, i use my eye. i use 3 different blade types. one is a chisel, one is an asymmetric V and another is a symmetric V (as much as i can by hand). i have many knives, so i use a diamond "whetstone." a normal hand operated manual one will do for most ppl who dont care.

i recommend looking online for guides. http://www.dmtsharp.com/sharpen/ that's the link of the manufacturer fo the diamond "stones" i got. it's just diamonds on a thin piece of steel, mounted on a plastic block.

sharpening stones are not very easy to find, unfortunately. some stores do carry them, i saw some japanese stones at bed bath and beyond once. and those are not cheap. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00150.asp is something else i found... also shows use of a sharpening steel.

one last thing: for serrated knives, microserrations should only use sharpening steels (no diamonds) to realign the teeth, coarse serrations can be sharpened with a diamond rod which you can see in the dmtsharp site. and the microserrated knives will become a regular knife once all the little teeth become useless.

 

[Zebo]

Eli...I will if I can't get around the inconvienence/ Spent a fortune on Kasumi knives for more work and have to wash by hand.

 

[Zebo]

Thank you verymuch Mday...Exactly what i was looking for.

 

[Mday]

Originally posted by: Zebo
Thank you verymuch Mday...Exactly what i was looking for.

just make sure you let the stone or whatever do the work. dont apply much force, or you will damage the knife and the sharpening tool.

if you want to get stones or what not: 1200 grit is nice for maintenance, 600grit for removing small knicks, 320 grit or lower for large knicks (may as well just use a grinder, or take it to a pro).

i dont put knifes in a dish washer or wouldnt ,since i dont have a dishwasher... i dont put the knives with other things because anything the blade touches will cause damage to the blade edge and the object.

in a pinch, you could use the bottom of a ceramic plate, bowl, etc.

kasumi