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Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 12:06 am
by WBcoach
So I'm just now getting into sharpening as I've began making bacon and will soon be making sausage and will need sharp knives.

I bought Smith's TRI-6 Tri-hone and after some practice I can say it does a nice job. Took a while for me to get the hang of it and being able to hold the knife at the correct angle was challenging. I reshaped my knives using the coarse stone and then made my way to the fine. A few swipes on my steel and my knives can cut paper pretty clean. But I feel they should be MUCH sharper.

So, I went ahead and ordered a combination 1000/6000 grit Japanese whetstone because I'm thinking that will bring the edge up some more. I also ordered Herb's Yellowstone Honing and Stropping Compound and I plan to use that with a strop that will be homemade by me.

What do you think of my plan? I've seen lots of sharpening "systems" but I'd like to do it by hand without the aid of machines and guides. There's something very therapeutic about it that I like.

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:32 am
by Thewitt
The biggest issue I have with hand honing without a guide is it takes hundreds of hours of repetition to get to where you can hold the angle accurately enough to produce a world class edge.

With the guide, I'm always exactly on angle...

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 5:37 am
by Leevers
I enjoy sharpening my kitchen knives. I can't say I'm the best at it, however, certainly the angle and lots of practice are key to the process. Best of luck!

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 12:04 am
by WBcoach
Got plenty of time to learn. I've actually gotten my 13 year old daughter into it. This is the quietest she's ever been! 8)

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 2:06 am
by Leevers
WBcoach wrote:Got plenty of time to learn. I've actually gotten my 13 year old daughter into it. This is the quietest she's ever been! 8)


Quiet girl who enjoy's sharpening knives? If that's not cause for concern I don't know what is! Haha all those horror movies I've seen over the years have clouded my perception of kids with knives lol

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 3:39 am
by WBcoach
She's never quiet. She's 13. I have found that if you teach a child how to handle tools at a young age they gain respect for them. Besides, the kid grew up around the haunted houses I used to design and construct when I owned that business. She's a little jaded by blood and guts, the fake kind, anyway.

Re: Let's talk about sharpening!

PostPosted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:37 pm
by WBcoach
To update the original post, I've gone ahead and ordered the Lansky Standard Sharpening kit. It has 3 stones--coarse, medium, and fine. With some practice I was able to put a nice edge on my cheapo knives. I just ordered the ultra fine stone as I feel they can be sharper. The knives are almost shaving-sharp so I will report back after I use the new stone.