I just can't seem to get a good edge one of my fillet knifes. Not sure but I think the honing tool took the edge off, if not used correctly it can do more harm then good. I sharpened a Rapala fillet knife with a True Value bought knife sharpener and it seemed to work fine but on a qaulity fillet knife the same sharpener didn't do anything...any good sharpeners out there? p.s. Santa got me a Santoku "7 for the kitchen that knife is the nutts.

A good 'ol Arkansas stone will always do the trick.

get a stone with synthetic diamond chips, a rough and smooth side and a steel. Remember, when using a steel, pull the knife towards you.
Works for me.

I've been using an Acu-Sharp for years. Replaced the grindstone on the boat back in the 60's with one and I'm on my 3rd. or 4th. since then.

And then, I touch up my kitchen knives with an arkansas stone.

I spent about $30 and bought myself a Dexter-Russell steel. The one that is sprayed with the industrial diamond dust. Some places call it a jewel stick.

It takes practice to hold at a good angle but a few swipes after a few fish and it will keep you in business.

I have 2 hand held ones..Put the blade in and make 2 passes with it..Nice and sharp..Red top has them...About $10

I just can't seem to get a good edge one of my fillet knifes. Not sure but I think the honing tool took the edge off, if not used correctly it can do more harm then good. I sharpened a Rapala fillet knife with a True Value bought knife sharpener and it seemed to work fine but on a qaulity fillet knife the same sharpener didn't do anything...any good sharpeners out there? p.s. Santa got me a Santoku "7 for the kitchen that knife is the nutts.

T~
Your welcome to try the on I have http://www.chefschoice.com/page2a.html also Mike sells a small carbide hand held sharpener that is amazing. I have never seen elsewhere, short money too.:btu: Its called Edgemate Carbide Sharpener by Gatco.

Yea, that 3 stage Chef's Choice model is pretty decent for an electric. I think the best manual sharpener is the Apex Edge Pro.

-spence

This works for me, To keep the edge I use the bottom unglazed rim part of an used cermic coffee mug, draw the knife across it acouple of times and you'll be amazed of the edge.
Link Sr.:eek: :btu: :cool:

One thing you have to be careful about is the angle that the knife is made with. Not all are the same and you need to sharpen at the precise angle that that's on the blade. If you don't you'll dull the knife rather than sharpen it. There are lots of good sharpeners out there. The chef's choice system, I have one, is good, but it requires that you regrind your knife to the angle of the machine. If you want to use a stone and a different angle than the Chef's machine, the "Lansky" system will do a good job. The most important thing is to get yourself an angle guide, and attach it to the blade before you put the stone to the knife.

Buck knife sharpener. Bright orange so you can find it in your fishing mess, ceramic rods preset at the right angle, easy to use, cheap.

A good stone is all I use. A lot has to do with the quality of the material the blade is made of. High quality materials hold an edge much longer than cheap. That is why those German knifes cost so much.

Two-sided stone and a white-handled Dexter Russell steel. The stone is the last resort, when touch-up work with the steel fails to renew the edge. It's not so much the tool you use to sharpen, but the process. Many cheapo stainless fillet knives have an edge that's tapered on both sides. Once that edge "rolls over" it can be pretty tough to get it back without grinding an 1/8-inch off the blade. Start with a cheap high carbon (non-stainless) blade like a Dexter Russell 1377, and when it goes dull, practice your technique on that. What you really want is an edge that tapers in one direction and is flat on the other (like the blade on a plane), rather than a "v" edge. You can accomplish this by making, say, five or seven swipes on the stone in one direction, then one swipe the other way. Put some pressure on the blade while you swipe the stone. That will give you a rough edge. Then take the burrs off your rough edge using the steel. Few swipes toward you should tune the edge. Every time you use the stone, do it the same way, or you'll be working against yourself, undoing the edge you already made. Then maintain the edge with the steel until you need the stone again. Every time you use the stone, you get to a wider part of the blade, making it increasingly difficult to keep an edge. Use the stone once for every 15 times you use the steel.
Again, practice on a cheapo before you try it on a knife you value.

Just my two cents, worth about one.

Zach Harvey

Two-sided stone and a white-handled Dexter Russell steel. The stone is the last resort, when touch-up work with the steel fails to renew the edge. It's not so much the tool you use to sharpen, but the process. Many cheapo stainless fillet knives have an edge that's tapered on both sides. Once that edge "rolls over" it can be pretty tough to get it back without grinding an 1/8-inch off the blade. Start with a cheap high carbon (non-stainless) blade like a Dexter Russell 1377, and when it goes dull, practice your technique on that. What you really want is an edge that tapers in one direction and is flat on the other (like the blade on a plane), rather than a "v" edge. You can accomplish this by making, say, five or seven swipes on the stone in one direction, then one swipe the other way. Put some pressure on the blade while you swipe the stone. That will give you a rough edge. Then take the burrs off your rough edge using the steel. Few swipes toward you should tune the edge. Every time you use the stone, do it the same way, or you'll be working against yourself, undoing the edge you already made. Then maintain the edge with the steel until you need the stone again. Every time you use the stone, you get to a wider part of the blade, making it increasingly difficult to keep an edge. Use the stone once for every 15 times you use the steel.
Again, practice on a cheapo before you try it on a knife you value.

Just my two cents, worth about one.

Zach Harvey

Thta's the worst advice I have heard about sharpening a knife (nothing personal but its just plain wrong) what you are advocating is basically making another knife out of the one you have, and single edged one at that! Almost all U.S. made knives are double edged, that is the edge is tapered on both sides of the blade. And they are tapered at specific angles, which you should adhere to when resharpening. Using different angles ofrsharpening only one side is nothing more than making a new knife. If that's what you want to, that's fine, but if all you want to do is sharpen your knife, then stick with the original specs on blade angle and double/single sided. It'll make things a lot easier.
BTW- Steels are only for use in straightening the edge, they don't sharpen at all. But it seems like they do, becasue with use, the edge rolls over, and when you straighten the edge with a steel the edge seems to be sharper. Its not really sharper, just straighter.

Maybe you want me write an article on sharpening knives for you? :)

I prefer to use a fine stone. The steel will not sharpen the blade, he is right. If you want a razor sharp edge after stoning the blade use a strap of leather, like the barber does, and it will take the burr off that is left after stoning it and you will be able to shave with the thing. P.

Lord god almighty Zach hope you're not in the knife sharpening business.

And they are tapered at specific angles, which you should adhere to when resharpening.

FWIW, that's not quite accurate either. Most knives come from the manufacturer with a hollow ground edge. It would require a 12" wheel and the experience of freehand sharpening thousands of knives to duplicate. Just like the guy that put it there.

That hollow ground is the reason that so many knives are razor sharp right out of the box. Its delicacy is also why that edge does not last very long.

The first sharpening should be done on a coarser stone than subsequent sharpening in order to establish the appropriate angle. This is true whether you use a chef's choice or freehand. Unless you damage the blade, you never need to go through that step again.

Failure to perform that step will result in a blade that does not keep an edge for very long.


You might want to hold off on that article.;)

Roger,
You sound like you know quite abit about knife sharpening. Do you work for a knife company? If so can we arrange an interview, if and when I'm preparing to write that article? I'm serious, I'll be that a lot of publications ahve readers ineterested in knife sharpening.

Mike,
PM sent

kNIFE SHARPENING I guess i need to put in my two cents. I have worked in the food industry since i was a teenager . My father was a wood craftsman of the old school so he could sharpen anything . He gave me my first knife and stone. the stone was actually used for scalpels, diamond stone of course . not sure of the brand name but ive been using it for 20 years or so and its still in good shape. although its almost worn out. And mike yes the steel does sharpen the knife its not just for honing. I have also worked in the fishing industry commercially and on headboats and six pack boats.I grew up in a family of commercial fisherman . At one time my brothers were the best in the buisness when it came to filletting fish. my brothers could keep a razors edge on their knifes and they would always sharpen one side of the knife more than the other . They would then run the knife on the other side a few time to remove the burrs and then would use the steel for resharpening . I imagine they knew what they were doing . i have used the same method for filet knives and i sharpen both edges on my kitchen knives. Another note ask any chef what holds a better edge and carbon steel will hold up a lot better than stainles.

Sharpening vs honing on the steel is just semantics, from a practical perspective it's the same thing. The sharpened edge developes little fingers as it wears. The steel can align (straighten) these fingers without removing little if any material. Call it whatever you want, a knife that's less sharp becomes more sharp.

I'm no expert, but I have a lot of nice cutlery and like to keep it up. I've got carbon steel knives (including a vintage Sabatier Jeune beauty) but rarely use them as the overall performance isn't really that much better. They do sharpen easier, but require more TLC than I'm willing to give day to day.

As a note, many expensive kitchen knives come somewhat dull out of the box and may require sharpening before they are at full potential.

I think the most important aspect of sharpening is to choose your method then stick with it. If it's a Chef's Choice electric, then take the blade down to the angle of the machine (if different) and don't change it. If it's a manual system, either match the original angle (better) or grind to whatever you're comfortable with.

A properly sharpened knife should only require infrequent touch up with the sharpener unless it's abused. Steel it every use or as necessary.

As indicated above, the worst case is to sharpen at the wrong angle without establishing a new edge. The effect will be more round and impossible to hone with a steel.

I would think grinding on one side would give a sharper but more delicate blade, like on an asian knife. I wouldn't do it though unless you really understood what and why you were doing it.

my two cents...

-spence

I guess, reading Mike's dismissal of what I'd previously offered, I might offer some clarification. Like all things in fishing, there's more than one way to sharpen a knife (nor is there one template way to sharpen all knives). Having filleted tens of thousands of fish as a head boat mate and commercial deckhand, I do what's comfortable. Really, I do it the way I was taught by a few guys who've worked in fish houses and a couple 40-year veterans in the headboat world. You do need to know what you're after when you put the knife to the stone, or you can literally ruin your knife. Because I use D-R carbon steel knives, which are relatively soft, I've had good luck with a one-sided edge. This way, you're really only sharpening one side rather than trying to renew a "V," a process that's very tedious and yields an edge that rapidly goes away. If you go with the "single edge," it's important to follow the same angle and swipes every time you stone it. Steel should touch up the edge nicely most of the time. Avoid the stone until you need it.

Lesson here: Some topics are good for a chat room, others are not. This one, I think, isn't. Too many angles, variances in blade design, differences of opinion, etc. Sharpening a knife is a "feel" thing, and your best bet is hands-on training, not conjecture or posturing in this forum from self-proclaimed "experts" (like me).:)

In all honestly, I spend so much time lurking here I thought should man up and post on something.

Hey Zulu,
Lot of guys read the posts and may not respond, but like myself just learned a LOT ,and certainly appreciate it. Real good info here.
many thanks

Theres not enough steel on my knife to test all the different ways stated here. For some reason I thought there would be a majority in one certain way. Isn't a fillet knife a fillet knife?
This tool in the pic, I think its a steel but I'm not sure, anyway, since I've had the knife and what was taught to me was that after a few uses or if I felt like it wasn't cutting at its best to run the knife towards me 6 times on one side then repeat the other side, then do the same 4 times each side then 3 then 2 then 1. Does that sound right to you? I try to keep it at the correct angle about 30 degrees I think. Thanks alot for all your imput nice to know theres some sharpies out there:)

Sounds fine, assuming the knife has a good edge to begin with.

If it doesn't take a fine edge with the steel (which that is) then is should be sharpened on a stone (or whatever) to ensure the edge is sound.

-spence

WOW, I can't sharpen a knife for $hit!! I am awaiting Mako's write up!!
I have one of the two washer deals that you pullmthe kife threw, it works but rips the steel right off!!
For a while its fine then makes the blade so thin it no longer holds a edge for long and then the edge is all ragged.
I have destroyed some good knifes this way!

Please hurry with write up before the season is here!!