Sharpening conspiracy!

[Jacob]

This dropped onto my screen this morning. https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/a63919752/how-to-sharpen-a-pocketknife/
Very long article with lots of thought about sharpening options and costs, suitability for different circumstances.
But completely fails to mention the cheapest, simplest, normal way to sharpen a knife i.e. with no kit at all on the back of another knife, or with very simple kit; a "steel". Also the least destructive and your knife will last for longer.
Are they conspiring to make sharpening difficult and mysterious? Maybe these people get paid by the word count? Do they get commission from kit suppliers? Actually yes in this case, which they state clearly.
PS the main trick is "a little and often", they do recommend this. The article refers to the "burr", but you never see this with normal knife sharpening as you work each side alternately.

 

[Sideways]

I've been a knife guy for years.
If you spend $1000 or £50 on a knife, you may at least have a decent "shaving sharp" edge on it.
No idea who that journo is but he doesn't mention any of the widely used standards so his article is just a selling piece for a bunch of new brands.

For regular maintenance, a Spyderco sharpmaker is easy to use by anyone. Yes a "jig", but a simple arrangement of two hard ceramic rods it's long lasting. The company make knives but started out as a tiny business sharpening knives for butchers, restaurants and the like so they're likely to have more experience of sharpening than just about any of us. If you wonder "why triangular rods, not round ones like some others ?" It's because there are a lot of serrated blade knives out there and those need to be maintained too.

I'm on side with the keep it as simple as possible concept. I think sharpeners that use a simple pair of angled rods and rely on the user to "slice" alternately down one then the other are a good compromise. They are really simple but make it easier for the average user to hold a consistent edge angle.

If you need to bring an edge back from months of abuse as I did the other day, the Edge Pro Apex or one of the plastic copycats of it helps keep a fairly consistent edge angle bearing in mind that knife blades are usually curved not straight edges. These jigs let you choose your own angles and have long narrow stones so you just work your way up the grits like normal.

And a few swipes on a piece of leather never hurts

Like alcoholics I don't know if collectors can ever claim to be cured, but I found my ideal knife and that did the trick. I haven't bought one in years

 

[Jacob]

I've been a knife guy for years.

We all are!
But most of us just use them, without being enthusiasts, or spending anything like £50. Got some Sabatier kitchen knives which might have cost £20 ish. And an Opinel!
For all normal purposes, a normal steel will do the job, for life, a little and often. People tend to get distracted and think they can't do it.

 

[Eshmiel]

This dropped onto my screen this morning. https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/a63919752/how-to-sharpen-a-pocketknife/
Very long article with lots of thought about sharpening options and costs, suitability for different circumstances.
But completely fails to mention the cheapest, simplest, normal way to sharpen a knife i.e. with no kit at all on the back of another knife, or with very simple kit; a "steel". Also the least destructive and your knife will last for longer.
Are they conspiring to make sharpening difficult and mysterious? Maybe these people get paid by the word count? Do they get commission from kit suppliers? Actually yes in this case, which they state clearly.
PS the main trick is "a little and often", they do recommend this. The article refers to the "burr", but you never see this with normal knife sharpening as you work each side alternately.

Ha ha - these rascals must know of thee and have decided to excite your goat by sending that stuff to you, just for that strange USA thing "fun".

You may have noticed that just about every website, magazine, newspaper and other mass media organ has become mostly an advertising channel. The adverts may be explicit as such but most of the "about" or "how to" articles are also a vehicle selling summick - objects, services and PR-constructed opinions. There are exceptions (these forums may be one of them) but so many "special interest" websites, magazines and similar are made and operated primarily in the interests of the "sponsors" (overt or otherwise) selling or promoting stuff.

I must get 'round to paying my wodge to this website, since it generally does seem to avoid paid-promotion stuff disguised as summick else.

PS I've been using knives a lot this past year and a bit, to carve greenwood things (now approaching one hundred of them). The knives I've bought (about a dozen of various kinds and purposes) have generally come sharp but not ultra-sharp. I've managed to get and keep all of them ultra-sharp with basic sharpening and honing fids - wooden shapes covered with fine grit papers or honing paste of various grades.

Some of these fids are bought but most are made out of wood scraps. The shape is a form of jig but the action is also controlled by not just the fid-shape but also by muscle-memory developed by moving the knife by hand on the fid. A steel is a fid of sorts but too much of a general-purpose thing to be used well without a lot of experience. I've observed many a cook making multi-facets along their knife edges.

 

[Jacob]

Ha ha - these rascals must know of thee and have decided to excite your goat by sending that stuff to you, just for that strange USA thing "fun".

You may have noticed that just about every website, magazine, newspaper and other mass media organ has become mostly an advertising channel. The adverts may be explicit as such but most of the "about" or "how to" articles are also a vehicle selling summick - objects, services and PR-constructed opinions. There are exceptions (these forums may be one of them) but so many "special interest" websites, magazines and similar are made and operated primarily in the interests of the "sponsors" (overt or otherwise) selling or promoting stuff.

I must get 'round to paying my wodge to this website, since it generally does seem to avoid paid-promotion stuff disguised as summick else.

PS I've been using knives a lot this past year and a bit, to carve greenwood things (now approaching one hundred of them). The knives I've bought (about a dozen of various kinds and purposes) have generally come sharp but not ultra-sharp. I've managed to get and keep all of them ultra-sharp with basic sharpening and honing fids - wooden shapes covered with fine grit papers or honing paste of various grades.

Some of these fids are bought but most are made out of wood scraps. The shape is a form of jig but the action is also controlled by not just the fid-shape but also by muscle-memory developed by moving the knife by hand on the fid. A steel is a fid of sorts but too much of a general-purpose thing to be used well without a lot of experience. I've observed many a cook making multi-facets along their knife edges.

Thing is - it's OK for enthusiasts they can do what they like, but it rebounds on the others who get convinced that these things are difficult and beyond them. In other words they give up and get worse at doing ordinary things, not better.
Just look at the vast number of woodworkers who believe that simple sharpening is no longer possible. Arguably they have been de-skilled by the media.

 

[Sideways]

There is a bit more to it than you'd have us believe Jacob.
I have a steel and use it on my kitchen knives routinely, but equally, the oval section steel with fine diamond grit will sharpen a blade where the ordinary steel just won't. It was something cheap from TKMax but worth every penny. You can't just steel an edge for ever. Butchers steel all the time but they still have their knives sharpened regularly.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have knives that sharpen well on a steel and knives that won't - they need a diamond one.

 

[paulrbarnard]

This dropped onto my screen this morning. https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/a63919752/how-to-sharpen-a-pocketknife/
Very long article with lots of thought about sharpening options and costs, suitability for different circumstances.
But completely fails to mention the cheapest, simplest, normal way to sharpen a knife i.e. with no kit at all on the back of another knife, or with very simple kit; a "steel". Also the least destructive and your knife will last for longer.
Are they conspiring to make sharpening difficult and mysterious? Maybe these people get paid by the word count? Do they get commission from kit suppliers? Actually yes in this case, which they state clearly.
PS the main trick is "a little and often", they do recommend this. The article refers to the "burr", but you never see this with normal knife sharpening as you work each side alternately.

I have some pretty exotic steel blades and need to resort to diamond stones for them. For day to day I have a couple of pocket sized combination diamond ceramic stones.

Restraining the discussion to kitchen knives I have Sebatier carbon knives from 40 years ago, stainless versions from 30 years ago and a Japanese laminated chef’s knife from 20 years ago. I had to buy a diamond ‘steel’ to make a difference to the laminated blade where as the stainless and carbon were fine on a regular steel. Once every couple of years I’ll use a diamond stone to fix up the edges but generally the steel is all that’s needed. The laminated blade take a very good edge that lasts a long time. Next best is the carbon blades and worse, though still good, are the stainless.

 

[Beau]

£20 oval diamond steel here.

As Jacob said little and often. If I stay on top of them they never have to take a trip to the workshop for heavier metal removal. Old steels were nice on regular high carbon steel knives but prefer the diamond steel for stainless knives.

Some of the contraptions you can buy to sharpen knives look great fun though

 

[thetyreman]

I use a natural waterstone just for my japanese chef's knives, everything else is diamond stone and a strop, never had a problem, the waterstone maybe gives a slightly longer lasting edge but there's honestly not much in it.

 

[Agent_zed]

I've just taken to using my oil stone freehand (which should please certain people ) with my knives. I carry a Boker penknife (uk legal) which has a 12C27 stainless blade and that sharpens up really nice, also got a Mora Kniv companion which is also razor sharp.

On the other hand I've got some cheap multi-tool type penknives and can barely get an edge on them.

 

[Jacob]

...... You can't just steel an edge for ever. Butchers steel all the time but they still have their knives sharpened regularly.

Not according to my butcher friends. Might need more attention if damaged but in general just a steel at very frequent intervals, for ever more.
I've got a third generation carving knife which has only ever been sharpened with a steel. A bit of a wavy edge but thats no prob.
People are free to go as mad as they want with sharpening but it's a pity that simple trad methods have been written out of the record. It amounts to lost skills and encourages beginners to spend money.

 

[Jacob]

.....

On the other hand I've got some cheap multi-tool type penknives and can barely get an edge on them.

Try a steel? A couple of swipes and a cheapo blade will be sharp, for a few minutes of use at least! Waste of time working up a razor edge - modern sharpening techniques would be pointless.
Mine's an Opinel, which certainly does get a good edge from a steel.

 

[Amplidyne]

I've never really known what all the fuss is about sharpening anything. If it's sharp enough to do the job needed, then what does it matter how you get there.
Pocket knife gets an occasional couple of swipes on a stone. Diamond these days. It's an inherited 2 blade Ibberson which is probably nearly as old as I am. Stainless blade which I'm not really that keen on, but it works. Chisels and plane irons I've said about before. Sharpened without jigs and stropped on an old piece of leather drive belt, dressed with - blasphemy - fine valve grinding paste. A plane iron sharpened that way will shave hairs off the back of your hand.
Turning tools for wood, HSS, straight off the dry grinder.
I'm a bit kinder to any plain steel turning tools. Just a bit.
Not a jig in sight. I'm satisfied with the results.