And a jolly new year to all
I hate using a blunt knife to carve meat etc.
I sharpen my good quality knives on a stone but only get them serviceable but never razor sharp as I would like.
Who out there is able to get a knife really sharp and do you have any techniques of secrets you are willing to share.
Cheers dad
Phil uses a steel that was his fathers. I bought him a new one but he likes the old one. He says a knife isn't sharp until you can shave with it!!
We have been off house sitting and every knife there was dead blunt. They left a nice leg of ham for us but the knives were all to blunt to carve it.They are now all sharpened!!.
(and the ham was lovely once we got into it!!)
Hi Daz,if you are passing through Curra {just north of Gympie} i can touch them up for you.i use a Tormek sharpening system to do mine,sharpest tools i have ever had. Cheers Rod
We use a global-minosharp-3-ceramic-water-sharpener on our Global knives and it keeps them very sharp but not razor sharp. I'm not sure why you would need it razor sharp in our house where we have many visitors from 5 year old to those in their 80's who will use our knives. Cost about $60 and is easy to use.
Knife sharpeners like coffee makers have people who swear theirs is best so be prepared!!
When I was first married (too many years to remember how many), I was getting our meat from the local butcher. He was chopping some meat cuts for me and was missing his knuckles by less than 1 mm it seemed. I asked him if he ever cut himself. "I rarely cut myself, but if I do it will heal a lot quicker if the knife is sharp" he said. He told me that with a sharp knife you steer it, not force it and you have much more control than with a blunt knife where you have to force it. He still had all digits on his hand many years later when he retired.
I went home and got my oilstone out from the shed and sharpened all our knives, and have done so ever since. We rarely cut ourselves withour knives. Lately, I bought a diamond whetstone. I use the oil stone to get the edge and then finish it off with a fine diamond pollish. They seem to keep their edge much longer this way.
A stone or back of another knife to keep edge . Remember the old leather barbors used to sharpen their shaving blades ? Same same . Lol Steel is not tempered like it used to be . Much softer now . Unless you pay for top quality !
Neal. Strop for ALL knives to touch up b4 use. AFTER sharpening. Basically to straighten the fine edge you made when sharpening. I use a 4in ex army Donkey strap with brass buckle for mine. Had since army days in '50's.
Read up on knives and maint. It's fascinating.
I've used knives as all of us for 50plus. Was a serious hunter for yrs.
You have to have Razor sharp. And with skinning. NO point.
I used Power Hacksaw blades. ground with curve to suit skinning, then hilt dipped in rubber vats at tyre factory a mate worked in, to the layers you needed.and ground to shape. They were THE best serious skinners.
Usually I had Wusthof knives (Germany) and they the best Euro, knives.
Nowadays I've changed over to mainly Japanese. Multi layered 3. ( Tojiro). and Several makes of Damascus. 33\67 layered. Cheaper models but still very good blade steels.
Sharpening. Stones ok If you have patience (Jap Stones) do beautiful job. Eventually I use a diamond plate system. differing grades of chips to 600 Steels are 600 and 1000 Smooth as glass.
Di has House knives in block in kitchen. (She likes sharp but not razor.) They are older Wusthof, Mundial. and a coupla Tojiro. 150 Universal,and 170 Santoku.
My knives I keep in cases in bedroom. A mix of Wusthof 8in Chef's for heavier work.
And several mfg of Damascus. Nobody touches those edges.
Unfortunately I've always had a fascination for knives. since childhood.
Have a"few" Custom Hunting. Handmade. and others.
Even my pocketknife will shave hairs.
Plus, as that Butcher said. And sooo true.
A sharp knife, is a safe knife.
Blunt ones are the ones that cut you.
PS. Little tip if using stones. and want to get even edge to each side (50\50)
Get a small\medium "Paper clip\clamp??.
the ones you use tohold several sheets of paper together.". The ones with flip up handles? on each side.
Clip to BACK of knife blade..
Then when you stroking the length of stone with length of blade. It'll hold YOU at an even angle. PLUS. Give a much betterer\sharper edge.
Long blade, move a coupla times to suit. After a few yrs it's automatic. But even then you float a bit.
Just try it. But don't get the fascination for the different steels.
It's like fishing reels, I'm bad with them too.
Everybody sober again by now???.
-- Edited by macka17 on Monday 2nd of January 2017 12:37:49 PM
daza , do yourself a favour n go out n buy yourself some japanese Waterstones :), say maybe an 600-800 grit a 1200 and a really fine one around the 6-7000grit to finish off with a mirror sgine to the hone:).. Have a read on the net about using waterstones . You wont get a better hone or finish with much other method far as i am concerned ..
Used oilstones etc etc and finally finished up with waterstones.
You can purchase small belt driven micro sharpening tools or electric waterstone tools to sharpen knives with also , the first taking quite a bit of meat away from the blade if you dont knowwhat your doing or too rough with it and the second being a pain in the but to cart round and the need for power every use.
A good diamond steel for taking the bur away from your hone or touching up and your in bussinus.
I used to skin a fair bit in my younger days and a sharp knife for filletting fish in my older years to now lol.
My good knives stay well away hidden from the Missus so (1) she dont cut herself and (2) she doesnt undo all thework put intothe sharpening by trying to cut through legs of lamb etc :)..
Good waterstones arent cheap but they do a wanderfull job if soaked well prior to use, used right and surface maintained..
I purchased three many moons ago and only about to replace two of the coarser ones ..
Also if you wish to go online and squizz howto make your own strop using belly hide , some aluminum powder and a wee bit of oil for keeping your knives razor keen buti settle fine with the steel and fine waterstone.
Steel i use to touch up steel as im filleting and fine steel to polish the hone off..
Cheers n happy sharpeing
Japanese or German knives now there a good question.i use only Japanese. I can take an A4 piece of paper holding it between thumb and forefinger at the top middle and with my knife slice almost completely though the paper from one side to the other. The key is to get knives professionally sharpened using a saw doctor who completes the edge with first a leather strop and then a felt wheel. Good sharp knives are expensive and a treat to use. Why not then use an exspect Twice a year?
Some ARE very good. But most were brought up on European steel.
The knives are a LOT thicker in the blade.
And they tend to sharpen on the old angles
instead of the narrower (much) angles of japanese Steel.
Around 24deg. comp to 34\5 from memory. Each side.
have to look it up.
A person with some practice and care. AND instruction.
can normally do pretty much as good a job after a few goes.
At meatworks we used to hand sharpen every night for next days shift
(Son in law was boner And i used to go round and help him with his sharpening.
I had a steady hand and even cut on stones and steel..
They'd have comp's on who got best edge and how many beasts before changing knives.
Normally a couple a shift, even with steeling.
I've still got a couple of old boners in boat for gutting\gilling.
Oh.
Anybody wanting some new. Basic meat knives.
Go "Mitchel Knives" on net.
They mfg meatworks\commercial knives, steels for the trade.
VERY cheap and quite good.
I have a 12 in blade for Pumpkins etc.
Slides through like (almost) butter.
Cost $11 plus post. Now $14ish but great steel for edge. and holding.
Their 600 grade Diamond steel is very good\cheap too.
Ally not steel base shaft.
Just be careful with angles if a new bloke and Jap blades hey.
Oh. Anybody wanting some new. Basic meat knives. Go "Mitchel Knives" on net. They mfg meatworks\commercial knives, steels for the trade. VERY cheap and quite good.
Looked them up Seem very good value Thanks Macka Cheers Daz
Seriously. I used and have stones, Japanese wet and oil, for yonks.
Got into the diamond sharpening around 8 yrs ago.
There's seriously. NO comparison. apart from nostalgia.
Diamond plates coarse. Medium, fine. extra fine. then steels. 600, 1000 and 1200.
Polish up the fine steel till like glass.
Anything over 2000 is only for looks. It won't, Practically. Cut anything easier. For 98% of the people using. I've got a 2000grit.(Jap Wetstone.) Never used it. Bloody expensive things too.
Sharpening.Practically. Normally finishes at around 800 to 1000 or whatever the superfine is in Diamond. (1200ish)
Normally vegie knives smoother\sharper than meat\fish. The latter need the "micro saw" edge to start the tear of the meat. Not the smooth for vegie.
If people just bought one diamond plate at about 600grit. They'd see what I mean. That'll do majority of knives to sharpness most will ever need. Just touch with a steel after.
I carried a small round coarse\fine oil soaked stone in pocket for 30 yrs. Just to touch up when Skinning and cutting up Roo's Pigs. Goats etc.
We didn't shoot reds and fallow in forest at night. Over the Vict border Nor in that farm that stocked then outside the Grampians parks fence
Family in van area. Couple of us with crossbows and a big knife to bleed.
That big black plastic sheet in back of wagon. Firewood truly.
And that $25 Mk 3 or 4 .303 in ditch back there. Never seen it b4.
last few yrs. I had\have a 6 in fine diamond steel in belt, Does a much bettereer job in fraction of time. On any size knife
It'd be nice if somebody on here bought a diamond plate, tool and used it. then a comment on here. They not too exxy on net.
There were truly some naughty persons. Not us.
In the old days.
Reds for snags and burgers. (chewy)
Fallow etc, roast after a week or so hanging. MMmmmmmm.
Don't ask us how we know though.
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 3rd of January 2017 08:12:48 PM
