Knife Sharpening

[bob91343]

What is white polish?

[AntiProtonBoy]

I believe it a waxy polishing substance used in metal working to buff metal surfaces to a nice sheen.

[tanveerriaz]

Colors use for polishing wax.
https://blog.esslinger.com/guide-to-buffing-compounds-and-their-uses/

[Vtile]

Freehand sharpening .. Isn't everyone doing it like that? Below 1500 grit I use any cheap flat stone. Then old mystery approx. 2000 grit oilstone (not arkansas stone) and leather strap to hone ... or 5000 grit japanese waterstone.

Most used in kitchen is however a regular plastic knife sharpener from grocery store, as for Aisi-416 or what ever decent ($€10 each) inox knifes are it is waste to go with stones..   

[WattsThat]

This YouTuber does some great reviews, this one of several he has done on knife sharpeners.

[PlainName]

Now that's a Tube vid worth watching. Thanks for posting 

A brief takeaway seems to be that some of the better sharpeners take much longer on a dull blade, and that might be why they get mixed reviews compared to the not-so-good ones that put a so-so edge on quickly.

[TimNJ]

To me, this seems like a nice way to get repeatable results, without requiring the finesse of using a honing rod or free-handing with a bench-stone. I don't know how it compares with the more typical kitchen tabletop sharpeners above.

Looks like a fun project atleast.

[antenna]

I made this one when my green Lansky stone snapped and I got tired of spending 2-3 hours on a knife. This one can do anything from little pocket knives and thin fillet knives to machetes and swords. I am too unsteady to freehand a constant angle so this really helps. Whatever stone I want, I just tape to the board. I spaced the guide holes so that if I go to one of those cheap thin diamond stones (I use junk coarse ones when the edge is rounded and there is a lot of metal to move), I just move down a hole and the angle remains constant. I tried velcro for the stones but it got weak. I plan to use dual-lock tape to hold the stones eventually.

[helius]

To me, this seems like a nice way to get repeatable results, without requiring the finesse of using a honing rod or free-handing with a bench-stone. I don't know how it compares with the more typical kitchen tabletop sharpeners above.

A honing rod somehow needs "finesse"?
Honing rods are incredibly simple to use and are applied daily to knives in professional kitchens. A home cook should use a hone once a week.
Sharpening is a different process from honing and is only required very rarely on quality knives (with steel hard enough to hold a good edge). Instead of bothering with stones, sharpening systems, and other toys, you can simply have your knives sharpened by a cutlery service once a year (if that) for very little cost.
The key fact to remember, if you remember anything, is that honing and stropping only correct bending of the blade edge. Sharpening is a metal removal process that puts the edge on the blade. A blade can only be sharpened a limited number of times because each sharpening procedure removes metal, but it can be honed or stropped forever.

[TimNJ]

To me, this seems like a nice way to get repeatable results, without requiring the finesse of using a honing rod or free-handing with a bench-stone. I don't know how it compares with the more typical kitchen tabletop sharpeners above.

A honing rod somehow needs "finesse"?
Honing rods are incredibly simple to use and are applied daily to knives in professional kitchens. A home cook should use a hone once a week.
Sharpening is a different process from honing and is only required very rarely on quality knives (with steel hard enough to hold a good edge). Instead of bothering with stones, sharpening systems, and other toys, you can simply have your knives sharpened by a cutlery service once a year (if that) for very little cost.
The key fact to remember, if you remember anything, is that honing and stropping only correct bending of the blade edge. Sharpening is a metal removal process that puts the edge on the blade. A blade can only be sharpened a limited number of times because each sharpening procedure removes metal, but it can be honed or stropped forever.

To some degree, yes I find the technique a little tricky based on the infrequency in which I do it. If you find honing a knife a simple procedure, then that's great.

In fact, I do have my knives sharpened at a local shop that's been in business for 75+ years. The cost is reasonable, but it's still something like $25-30/year for 5-6 knives. No real problem there, but a simple sharpening jig is probably <$50 with a good quality stone.

Thanks for the explanation of honing vs sharpening though.

[BrokenYugo]

I've probably honed a knife a thousand times and I'd certainly say it requires some degree of finesse and knowing what you're doing to not merely roll the edge over all one way. To do it in a few light swipes without checking anything before or after isn't realistic if the knife has been abused as most are in home kitchens.

[El Rubio]

I use a Chef’s Choice electric sharpener. I’ve had it for about 20 yrs. It’s easy to put a nice edge on most blades. I keep some ceramic rods with my kitchen knives and ‘touch’ them up before each use. I have a soft stone in my kitchen knife drawer too, but haven’t used it but a few times since I got the Chef’s Choice.

[onsenwombat]

My 2 cents. If you take it as a hobby, then all good, do your thing and enjoy. If looking from purely functional perspective for an everyday engineer in their kitchens, going cheap is more than enough. I got myself as basic as it gets whetstone from the local junk shop for ~US$2. Doesn't probably give you the sushi chef level razor sharp finish, but still keeps my tools in sharper condition they were off the shelf.

[helius]

Returning to the subject of honing, I was able to recover a pair of very old and neglected Wiss scissors with the honing steel.
Honing is simple: always use an angle of 30° between the edge and the steel; start at the heel of the blade, and draw the knife downward with light, even pressure until you reach the tip of the blade. Do about 20 passes on each side.

[Zenith]

For kitchen knives, start with a quality carbon steel knife. They are not cheap. You will need to look after it, because they rust easily. Touch it up with a steel when it goes dull. After years of use the blade will lose its profile and it will need grinding.

Something I've noticed is that where there's a big difference between cheap and expensive tools is anything with a cutting edge; twist drills, knives, wood chisels, side cutters.