Posted on 03/12/2022 7:37:02 AM PST by mylife
Any chef will tell you that you're only as good as your best kitchen knives despite your culinary skills. On top of that, if you have a top-of-the-line knife set, they'll quickly become useless if you don't maintain them and keep them sharp. It's kind of like a carpenter trying to frame a home with plastic nails or a hunter trying to take down a buck with a slingshot.
Even if you don't step foot in a kitchen but use knives for other things like work or outdoor survival, you need to keep them sharp. The bottom line is dull knives are dangerous. That's because you have a greater chance of misusing a dull knife and injuring yourself while sawing away at whatever you might be trying to cut, slice, or whittle. While proper handling is crucial, a razor-sharp blade should do the job in one stroke.
The art of knife sharpening can be intimidating and definitely takes some practice to perfect. However, learning to sharpen yourself is the prudent choice, instead of running out and buying a new knife every time it gets dull. Indeed, you can avoid the process altogether by paying a professional bladesmith to sharpen your knives. There are also knife companies that offer this service, and if you can't seem to get knife sharpening down, there's no shame in going this route.
But if you have the time and patience to learn, purchasing a whetstone (or water stone) and perfecting the art of blade sharpening will save you a lot of money in the long run. Like most knife experts, we believe using a whetstone to sharpen your blades is the best method for knife longevity. However, there are other methods available that we'll dive into a bit later.
(Excerpt) Read more at themanual.com ...
https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/HRBD1/
On the ribcage of your enemy?
Ford/Chevy
Religion
Republican/Democrat
let us pray...
I have several high carbon (stainless) steel knives, but the stainless is too hard to sharpen quickly.
I prefer low carbon.
Arkansas stones are great if you have the skill. I used to have the skill but now I use an electric Chefs Choice. It costs a $100+ but works great and is fast. The angles are correct and the edge lasts a long time.
One trick is to use magnifying glasses to examine the edge and make sure it is not nicked.
With a good steel and know how to use it. I have one about a hundred years old and it gets my kitchen knives like a razor.
high carbon sharpens well, but dulls quickly and rusts, imparts iron flavor to food
440 stainless stays sharp easy to keep razor sharp
For ease of use and functional sharpness, the little "two ceramic stick" thingies made by AG Russell, Spyderco, and probably others are worth a look. Anyone can use them and maintenance consists of washing the sticks now and them with an abrasive cleaner like Lava soap. The trick is to use according to instructions, rotate the little sticks around just a few degrees every so often, and then wash them with they're full of microscopic filings all the way around.
I am a believer in Arkansas stones
Oh, I want a razor edge, you can shave with my meat cleaver...
and admire the shave in the side of it
full disclosure: I have a ZZ top beard and a very sharp knife..
had a water wheel from sears, worthless pos
Anyone who uses an Arkansas stone is going to have a sharp knife...
“440 stainless stays sharp easy to keep razor sharp”
True just make sure it’s 440C
I thing they take to much metal, very aggressive
amen
D2 knife, Arkansas translucent, leather strop with compound.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.