Could you sharpen a dull knife?

[SP33Demon]

Yep.

This: http://www.amazon.com/Lansky-8-Ceram...arpening+stick

Then this: http://www.amazon.com/J-A-Henckels-9...arpening+steel

I'm no knifesmith, but I can put a decent edge on a dull knife. It's all a matter of practice and getting the angle consistent.

Why do you need two? The ceramic should be fine.

 

[Cerb]

fyi those done work, they scrape the edge so you cant hone the knife and yet they dont grind well enough to sharpen. I wouldn't use that

I wouldn't use one either, having had one, but they do work, and are honing, so long as your edge is as fine or less fine than the rod's surface.

I decided to try good strops, one day, though, and there was no going back (HandAmerican paste, so it washes off the knife easily). Even with soft Vic steel, the difference is quite noticeable. With Messers, or even harder steel, like my favorite Shibazi, it's night and day. Experts can successfully use newspaper or notebook paper to finish an edge, but I don't think I'll be anywhere near that good until I'm a senior citizen, so I'll take rather forgiving leather.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I wouldn't use one either, having had one, but they do work, and are honing, so long as your edge is as fine or less fine than the rod's surface.

I decided to try good strops, one day, though, and there was no going back (HandAmerican paste, so it washes off the knife easily). Even with soft Vic steel, the difference is quite noticeable. With Messers, or even harder steel, like my favorite Shibazi, it's night and day. Experts can successfully use newspaper or notebook paper to finish an edge, but I don't think I'll be anywhere near that good until I'm a senior citizen, so I'll take rather forgiving leather.

its not honing the blade its literally shaving it, which u dont want to do

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Those bags are decent for some types of things. E.g., meatballs and sauce, if you're making meatball sandwiches. That's actually about the only food that I'll ever cook in a slow cooker - toss the meatballs in, pour some sauce over them, and come back in from a day on the lake 8 hours later. Otherwise, I don't purchase food that requires slow cooking to be tender enough to eat.

you should try a bottle of sweet chili sauce with some grape jellly and a big bag of meatballs in the slow cooker. tastes pretty awesome.

Those slow cooker bags are OK. I think you could make your own sauces that would taste better.

 

[Cerb]

its not honing the blade its literally shaving it, which u dont want to do

No, it's not. It's grinding/smearing it, with very little surface area done at once.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

No, it's not. It's grinding/smearing it, with very little surface area done at once.

yeah, thats exactly what you dont want to do

 

[Sattern]

I know how to sharpen restaurant knives from when I worked as a Busser/Caterer, but a common knife might require much less tension.

For those that don't know how, YouTube can teach you pretty much anything nowadays.

 

[sm625]

I bought one of these 5 years ago for practically nothing:

 

[disappoint]

I bought one of these 5 years ago for practically nothing:

That's what it's useful for.

Mirror polished razor sharp edge on VG-10 steel:

 

[ahenkel]

Recently started sharpening my knives on a decent whetstone. After using one of those gimmick sharpeners a whetstone is so much better. As for it be a necessary life skill it really isn't.

However if you enjoying cooking having a set of sharp knives and knowing how to keep them sharp is a basic skill you should have.

 

[smackababy]

You guys should join the 20th century already... A whetstone? Are you a swordsmith? Just buy the 'never dull' knives off the late night TV and a slap chop and you're good for life.

 

[Adul]

I use one of these
http://www.v-sharp.com/product/classic-ii/

Easy to use and just works. I been able to sharpen dull knives with a few strokes.

 

[irishScott]

Why do you need two? The ceramic should be fine.

The ceramic is for sharpening, the steel is for honing. Hand sharpening with a ceramic still leaves a slight burr on the new edge, a few careful strokes with the steel shaves that off and makes it noticeably sharper. Plus the steel can also act as a sort of maintenance pseudo-sharpener without removing a lot a steel.

 

[Muse]

She writes nothing down and just mixes it all up from scratch

When I got into cooking it was as if I was in chemistry lab... I made recipes to the letter from out of cookbooks, etc. I eventually came to the point where I realized that I could use my slowly developed knowledge and familiarity with techniques and wing it somewhat. I've made a lot of things just winging it entirely, throw in some of this, some of that, etc.

I still make recipes to the letter sometimes, don't often do very complex ones that way, spending an hour making a meal. I have too many interests to allow myself to do that. I know how to save time now in the kitchen.

 

[Muse]

Experts can successfully use newspaper or notebook paper to finish an edge, but I don't think I'll be anywhere near that good until I'm a senior citizen, so I'll take rather forgiving leather.

Leather is, I think, the traditional stropping material. However, you can use just about anything to strop a steel edge, including the back of another knife, which I do sometimes. I have even stropped with the palm of my other hand (carefully!).

 

[lxskllr]

That's what it's useful for.

I used to use one to sharpen my machetes and shovels. It worked ok for that, and was nice cause it easily fit in a pocket, but I prefer a file to sharpen my coarse cutters.

 

[Cerb]

yeah, thats exactly what you dont want to do

Yes, it is what you want to do. That's what honing is. With a soft steel, you will also need to true the edge, but a ceramic rod is there to take away metal, preferably mostly burrs, much like a fine grit stone, to help extend the time in between needing to rebuild the whole edge. It will shorten the life of the blade more than just hand sharpening, but so will a toothy sharpening steel, V-cutter, electric wheel sharpener, etc..

 

[Muse]

I use one of these
http://www.v-sharp.com/product/classic-ii/

Easy to use and just works. I been able to sharpen dull knives with a few strokes.

WTF is that? It looks like a medieval torture device.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I used to use one to sharpen my machetes and shovels. It worked ok for that, and was nice cause it easily fit in a pocket, but I prefer a file to sharpen my coarse cutters.

I've read the accusharp isn't a bad alternative to doing nothing. Of course it won't produce the best edge but serviceable after steeling.

I suppose we now come to the point of diminishing returns and just showing off. I've known people to take a knife and hone it to steep angle and polish it off. It's super sharp at the outset, but it turns out not to have been the best choice because it is impossible to maintain that profile properly with the particular blade thickness/geometry/blade composition.

My go to kitchen knives are carbon steel CCK slicers Howard put me onto some years ago. They look like cleavers to the uneducated eye, but they decidedly are not. To try to put the same edge on them as a heavy and thick blade designed to break through bones would make no sense, yet I've seen some weird things attempted. Go figure. As far as the actual metal goes? It's takes an amazing edge. In fact if there were a contest between me and my CCK and Dissapoint and his VG-10 to cut the most slices from a cucumber you might bet the farm on his knife, but you just might lose

 

[Howard]

I've read the accusharp isn't a bad alternative to doing nothing. Of course it won't produce the best edge but serviceable after steeling.

I suppose we now come to the point of diminishing returns and just showing off. I've known people to take a knife and hone it to steep angle and polish it off. It's super sharp at the outset, but it turns out not to have been the best choice because it is impossible to maintain that profile properly with the particular blade thickness/geometry/blade composition.

My go to kitchen knives are carbon steel CCK slicers Howard put me onto some years ago. They look like cleavers to the uneducated eye, but they decidedly are not. To try to put the same edge on them as a heavy and thick blade designed to break through bones would make no sense, yet I've seen some weird things attempted. Go figure. As far as the actual metal goes? It's takes an amazing edge. In fact if there were a contest between me and my CCK and Dissapoint and his VG-10 to cut the most slices from a cucumber you might bet the farm on his knife, but you just might lose

I have an AccuSharp and while it can give an edge to a dull knife, it is nowhere as miraculous as many of the Amazon reviews would lead you to believe.

The main thing I have to say about the edge it leaves is that it's extremely "toothy". Great for tomatoes, which appear to be the bane of many a lay kitchen prep. Perhaps this explains its popularity.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I have an AccuSharp and while it can give an edge to a dull knife, it is nowhere as miraculous as many of the Amazon reviews would lead you to believe.

The main thing I have to say about the edge it leaves is that it's extremely "toothy". Great for tomatoes, which appear to be the bane of many a lay kitchen prep. Perhaps this explains its popularity.

I shouldn't be surprised if you have it right. I was considering giving one (or something like it) to relatives who apparently don't have a way to sharpen a knife at all. They also have a glass cutting board (shudder).

 

[yllus]

I have Global knives and a Minosharp water sharpener that takes me approximately six thousand run-through to get my knives sharpened. It's a real pain but I don't really know what to do about it.

 

[disappoint]

I shouldn't be surprised if you have it right. I was considering giving one (or something like it) to relatives who apparently don't have a way to sharpen a knife at all. They also have a glass cutting dulling board (shudder).

I think you misspelled dulling. A common mistake.

 

[disappoint]

I have Global knives and a Minosharp water sharpener that takes me approximately six thousand run-through to get my knives sharpened. It's a real pain but I don't really know what to do about it.

I'm sure it sharpens water just fine. J/K

If you want to do what I did, and the only regret I have is not doing it sooner, then do the following:

Get an Edge pro knock off for about $30 on amazon.

Get some Shapton glass stones for the EP on chef's knives to go.com:
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/shprostforep.html

I got the 220 grit, 500 grit, 2k, 4k and 8k. Each cost about $40, so about $230 for everything including the EP. You don't really need the 8k unless you want mirror polished results. I'm glad I got it though. Sharpening is fun and gratifying.

 

[Muse]

My go to kitchen knives are carbon steel CCK slicers Howard put me onto some years ago. They look like cleavers to the uneducated eye, but they decidedly are not. To try to put the same edge on them as a heavy and thick blade designed to break through bones would make no sense, yet ...

I had a look at my favorite kitchen knife today. It looks like a cleaver, but it's not, it's thinner, really a knife in the shape of a cleaver. It's evidently some kind of stainless (doesn't rust). On the blade it says Ikea and Made in China. It holds an edge really nicely, is a great slicer, all around kitchen knife and it's my go-to blade. I suppose I should dry it after washing, but never bother, it seems to stay sharp anyway. I don't know where I got it, maybe a former roommate left it here, maybe I found it, maybe picked it up at a thrift store, maybe bought it new, that's possible. The handle broke (the blade tried to come up through the handle), and I just wrapped plastic tape around the whole affair to keep it alive and it works fine!

PS: I guess I couldn't have bought it new, I've never been in Ikea in my life.