# Knife sharpening.



## IoannisII (Jan 28, 2018)

Hello everyone.I am a home cook and I have come across a problem and I need your help.Do you have any ways of sharpening knives that you can recommend that doesn't involve stones?(I am afraid I will ruin a bunch of knives before I learn how to use the water stones) 
Thank you.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

It's a lot easier to ruin knives on other methods. What kind of knives?


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## IoannisII (Jan 28, 2018)

millionsknives said:


> It's a lot easier to ruin knives on other methods. What kind of knives?


Stainless steel chef knives mostly and a filleting knife.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

It's not the knife-type to consider, are talking about ordinary German stainless, or something like it?


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## IoannisII (Jan 28, 2018)

rick alan said:


> It's not the knife-type to consider, are talking about ordinary German stainless, or something like it?


They are ordinary German knives.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

You'd have to make a completely conscious effort to ruin any knife on a stone, and with Germans that would also be a considerable effort given how thick they are at the edge, along with the general abrasion resistance of stainless. A King 300 paired with either the 800 or 1200 grits will set you back about $50, and that is all you really need. Unless you have the annoying and useless dumb ass full bolster, then a bench grinder comes in handy for removal.

Recent posts tell where the sharpening tutorials all are. It's nothing more than rubbing steel on stone.

If you still want to go another route then it would be an electric, ranging $100-150.


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## IoannisII (Jan 28, 2018)

rick alan said:


> You'd have to make a completely conscious effort to ruin any knife on a stone, and with Germans that would also be a considerable effort given how thick they are at the edge, along with the general abrasion resistance of stainless. A King 300 paired with either the 800 or 1200 grits will set you back about $50, and that is all you really need. Unless you have the annoying and useless dumb ass full bolster, then a bench grinder comes in handy for removal.
> 
> Recent posts tell where the sharpening tutorials all are. It's nothing more than rubbing steel on stone.
> 
> If you still want to go another route then it would be an electric, ranging $100-150.


I actually worry that I will ruin the geometry If I happen to use the wrong angle or I will fill the blade with scratches and these two things wouldn't make me very happy.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

And that is why you need a 300 grit stone, and electrics are a bad choice. Right out of the packaging your knives could have used considerable thinning.

Ruin the geometry of an ordinary German knife? You really could only make it better.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

And don't worry about scratches, it's not as if you have a mirror polished honyaki there.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

If you are intent on doing the sharpening yourself, there really isn't any way to avoid learning some sort of method be it with stones, or some electrical device (which I would not recommend) or some sort of mechanical device like a hand sharpener. I would strongly encourage investing the time in learning how to use water stones. Its really not that hard at all and you can practice your technique on crappy knives until you are confident enough to use it on your good knives. It is time and money very well spent. Trust me. You can find hundreds of videos on YouTube that deal with how to use whetstones to sharpen your knives.

But, the question I have is do the blades really need to be sharpened or simply "restored?" Sharpening removes metal from the blade and a good knife under moderate to heavy use in a commercial kitchen may only need to be sharpened once every 3 months or so. Knives used by home cooks have a lighter work load and therefore, may only need to be sharpened every 6 months or less. This is not a steadfast rule, however. When a knife needs to be sharpened is a combination of the user's preference and the status of the blade itself. I've heard of some chefs using a whetstone on their knives daily to keep an insanely sharp edge.

However, a common mistake is confusing the need to sharpen a knife with the need to simply restore the edge. This is where a good honing rod comes in. When a knife edge dulls, its because the sharp edge itself has curled, usually from coming in repeated contact with the cutting board. A few well angled swipes with a honing rod will restore the edge of the blade very nicely. Its good practice to get in the habit of using the honing rod each time before and after the knife is used. That way you will always have a sharp edge when you go to use the knife.

You should inspect the edge of your blades by _*very carefully*_ feeling the edge with your finger. If you feel nicks and burrs, the blade needs to be sharpened. If it feels smooth, but dull, try a few swipes at a 15' degree angle on a honing rod and recheck the edge. If the sharpness seems to be returning, give it a few more swipes and recheck. Rinse and repeat until it seems like the edge is not getting any sharper. If the sharpness does not fully return, adjust the angle and try again. If you can't restore the edge regardless of how many times you swipe the knife on the honing rod, the knife most likely needs to be sharpened. A honing rod will only do so much.

If you are not motivated to learn how to sharpen your knives at home, you should have no problems finding a professional sharpener in your area to do the job for you for a few dollars per knife. Higher end blades tend to cost more. Just make sure the person you hire to sharpen your knives is experienced and reputable.


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