Sharpening kitchen knives

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

With advancing years and arthritis I now find sharpening kitchen knives on an oil stone very much a hit and miss affair. Any advice re mechanical or electrical contraption would be much appreciated.

Jim

[FulmenParticipant @fulmen]

Tormek. I can put a razor edge on a broom handle in 5 minutes.

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

The Tormek T-1 Knife sharpener comes in at a little north of £300 so a considerable investment. Alright if you are running a huge commercial kitchen I would guess and have the room for said item.

What about just using a good old fashioned steel

Can pick up a good one for £25 Not sure as this would work with the arthritis though as you have to use both hands.

Possible one of these £16 from Amazon just hold down to worktop / table and draw knife through it. Haven’t used one so don’t know how good they are.

John

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hi, not sure a Steel would sharpen a blunt edge.  It would however restore a dull one.  Have a look at the Lansky sharpening system.  Works great on short to medium kitchen knives, but needs a little more thought on longer knives.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

I’ve long used sander rolls to sharpen all sorts of things, including kitchen knives.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Do you remember the `edgecraft tool which had a handle that was magnetic and supplied with 3 diamond flats that fitted on the handle. Got it from one of the shows years ago and the only thing its been used for is sharpening kitchen knives and dam good it is too.

[Roger WoollettParticipant @rogerwoollett53105]

I find that the diamond laps I use on lathe tools work very well on knives. If the knife is not too bad the medium lap will restore the edge very quickly.

[NealebParticipant @nealeb]

I was taught that while you certainly need a keen edge on a kitchen knife – always believed that a blunt knife was more dangerous than a sharp one – you do not actually want the same kind of razor edge that you would put on a chisel or plane iron. I do use my workshop Tormek for grinding my kitchen knives to give a good edge but only on the grinding wheel, never the honing wheel. Then it’s back to the kitchen to finish the edge on the steel. Why? I was once given a demonstration of this. Take a razor-style really keen edge and try to slice a tomato. Then touch up the edge on the steel and try again. Much better! For kitchen use, that almost microscopic saw edge makes the difference.

Anyone else do similar?

I do have a knife-grinding jig for the Tormek but generally sharpen knives free hand. There are little sharpening jigs with a couple of crossed steels or wheels which are supposed to make it all easy and “skill-free” but I’ve never really got on with them. Might be easier for someone with arthritis, though?

[Dennis RaynerParticipant @dennisrayner52782]

I’ve just bought a Salter knife sharpener from Amazon for £39.99. It’s a WHICH best buy and I can see why. Recommended  – it regrinds -not just hones. Got sharp kitchen knives again.

[bernard towers]

On bernard towers Said:

Do you remember the `edgecraft tool which had a handle that was magnetic and supplied with 3 diamond flats that fitted on the handle. Got it from one of the shows years ago and the only thing its been used for is sharpening kitchen knives and dam good it is too.

Yes I have two, one I bought for myself, and the other for my Dad, which I’ve now inherited.
The first one I got from a show, and the second took some tracking down, as the guy who sold them was actually a one man outlet for what became a larger TV shopping channel.
I’m not sure if he also sold the tipped drill bits I still use for drilling HSS machine hacksaw blades when I shorten them. I can’t remember their name now, but the main branding colour was yellw with red and green writing as I recall

I’ve not seen the files on sale for some time

Bill

[peak4Participant @peak4]

There’s a variety of rotary sharpeners these days, so I’ll not link to any specific models, but most work similar to the one shown below in the video.
I’ve not used this myself, but did consider trying to make one.

Bill

[jaCK HobsonParticipant @jackhobson50760]

I have a lot of knife sharpening tools. These are a bit of bother but can deliver the finest edge. The above version allows quick flip of knife from one side to the other – cheaper ones (below)don’t have the flip feature:

If you don’t need perfect angles, then you can use the cheap version and just hold the knife im position with your hand (don’t bother clamping) – some might be more convienient. The stones tend to be poor quality so much better to get the diamond ones which are usually extra but maybe you can trawl ebay for a kit that incluee them (maybe coarse and fine is enough). And it is easy to make some additional wood strips which you can load up with stopping paste for hair-shaving finish.

Stropping compound is the simple secret to super sharp knives. Apply it to any backer that will hold the compound (wood, thick paper, cardboard, leather) and then strop the knife against it. The softer the backing, the more shallow the stropping angle. So your knife may be flat against the strop if leather.

Any stropping/buffing compound works – try with anything you have . Cheap green buffing compound  works well enough for most people. TCut or other metal polish. But there IS a big difference between compounds and if you want ultimate speed and sharpness then it is worth getting good compound.

 

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

I made one of these: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2613594

Works well.

Russell

[Charles LamontParticipant @charleslamont71117]

DMT diasharp mini hone. I have been using the same red (medium) one for years. May be wrap some padding round the handle to make it easier to hold in an uncooperative hand.

 

[John Doe 2Participant @johndoe2]

You are all overthinking this !

In the kitchen accessories aisle of your local supermarket, you will find knife sharpeners for a few quid. They look like a large plastic drawer handle which you hold down onto a flat surface. At one end, beyond the handle there is a slot in which are two sets of interlocking metal discs. You simply draw the knife through this slot against the discs a few times and the blade is sharp again !

No dexterity or skill needed; just pull the knife through the slot

Doesn’t every kitchen have one in a drawer?

 

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Not the best of photos, but a quick shot of my home brewed version of JaCK’s gizmo.
Made out of scrap bits whilst I was off work with a broken ankle. I intended to make a clip so I could swap sides on a knife, as per JaCK’s but the ankle mended and I returned to work, so never did finish it.

Bill

[peak4]

On peak4 Said:

Not the best of photos, but a quick shot of my home brewed version of JaCK’s gizmo.
Made out of scrap bits whilst I was off work with a broken ankle. I intended to make a clip so I could swap sides on a knife, as per JaCK’s but the ankle mended and I returned to work, so never did finish it.

Bill

Very nice! I like your mod for high angles/scissors!!!

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Hello Jim, if you opt for one of the “pull through” sharpeners (yes, they do look to be the easiest option), use with care and pull the whole length of the blade through with constant pressure.  If not, you are likely to encourage a concaved edge.  This will clearly render the knife of little use cutting against a flat board.

Constant use of a steel can also have the same effect.  Occasional sharpening on a flat stone can help to minimise this.

When I sharpen a kitchen knife, I try and aim for a very slightly convex edge to counteract this, and improve cutting performance on a flat board.

[HowiParticipant @howi]

Most suggestions are a 100 ton press to crack a nut and expensive to boot.

A pull through type for a couple of ponds will do the trick.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Just to introduce a bit of topic-drift, what’s the best way to flatten an oilstone? I have one that’s been in the family at least 85 years, probably longer, and it’s slightly dished in places. Not by much, but just enought to make sharpening plane irons and chisels a little awkward.

Rob

[Grindstone Cowboy]

On Grindstone Cowboy Said:

Just to introduce a bit of topic-drift, what’s the best way to flatten an oilstone? I have one that’s been in the family at least 85 years, probably longer, and it’s slightly dished in places. Not by much, but just enought to make sharpening plane irons and chisels a little awkward.

Rob

Traditionally might be rubbing it on a paving slab, but I use sand and water slurry on a sheet of glass, supported on a bit of old kitchen worktop

Bill

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Thanks Bill

Just ordinary sand, then? Plenty of that here 🙂

Rob

[Grindstone Cowboy]

On Grindstone Cowboy Said:

Thanks Bill

Just ordinary sand, then? Plenty of that here 🙂

Rob

Yes, something with even sized grains, ideally fairly sharp.
Last time I used builder’s yellow sand as I had some in stock; not “sharp sand” as the stuff around here is very mixed size.
Noisy/screechy to start with, but that goes down as the sand gets finer.
It gradually rips the abrasive grains out of the oilstone and forms a slurry which eventually flattens the stone, and leave more sharp abrasive exposed. It will also freshen up a stone which is starting to get dull/clogged and slow cutting.

Note that this is a different principle to the precision ground stones sometimes mentioned when talking about surface grinding.
I know it’s topic digression again, but still worth watching

Bill

[Russell Eberhardt]

On Russell Eberhardt Said:

I made one of these: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2613594

Works well.

Russell

Yes, I made something similar out of wood many years ago. It works very well.

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Hi, many thanks for all the freely given advice which was very much appreciated. I – more correctly – my wife got me one of the pull through types which is doing a decent job. Why do I worry so much these days and tend to over complicate what is usually a simple situation.

Jim

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