JASinIL2006 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:13 pm
We rec’d some of thos old Chicago Cutlery knives in the ‘80s when we got married. They were OK, but I never thought they were all that great at holding an edge.
ronnie_suburban wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:29 pm
I had a chance to sharpen a friend's set of 6 wood-handled Chicago Cutlery steak knives a few months back. They've owned them for at least 30 years. It was fun because these were the knives I grew up with (ours were always so dull) and I hadn't seen any in a long time, so it brought back some memories. But it was also fun because I was able to put a screaming sharp edge on them. But yes, they are soft.
Again, these are not knives that will compete with high-end cutlery, but you can make them punch way above their weight. The trick is to aggressively thin behind the edge so that bevel angles are very acute. (I've completely thinned a CG chef knife but I have power tools available.) Once you've thinned, you can put a 2K edge on the knife that will be blazingly sharp. That edge will dull pretty quickly but the narrow bevel angle will allow the knife to continue to perform well; especially in a home-cooking setting.
I've only been at it for 5 months or so. I realized the first week, slow down. Don't be in a rush to finish, not if you want to like the result. The other thing I thought of first time was only leave steel on the stone, no blood. Just like you can't put metal back on, you can't scoop up the blood and poor it back in ya!
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
If you do a lot of freehand sharpening in one session, and you're not used to it, you may abrade your fingertips down to raw meat. It happens. But: There Will Be Blood. Sooner or later a knife that is screaming sharp from sharpening will part your flesh. Murphy's Law guarantees it.
ChefKnivesToGo wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:01 am
Let me write you an 8-word poem about sharpening. This is what goes through my mind every time I put a knife to a stone.
raise burr
chase burr
remove burr
test edge
Shouldn't you have written a haiku?
You can blame Mr. Suburban for my being here. The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
ChefKnivesToGo wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:01 am
Let me write you an 8-word poem about sharpening. This is what goes through my mind every time I put a knife to a stone.
ChefKnivesToGo wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:01 am
Let me write you an 8-word poem about sharpening. This is what goes through my mind every time I put a knife to a stone.
raise burr
chase burr
remove burr
test edge
Shouldn't you have written a haiku?
I was hoping you would help me out with that.
Great Goddess Anoia (Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers and tipped to be the Goddess of Lost Causes) no! Poetry and I do not mix well. I'm doing you a big favor not even trying.
You can blame Mr. Suburban for my being here. The thing about quotes on the internet is you can not confirm their validity. -- Abraham Lincoln All steels are equal if you can't keep them sharp. -- Jeff B.
First rule: don't overthink it.
Second rule: remember this is for cutting food.
Third rule: remember it is the knife that does the work.
I'm not a great sharpener, but I guess I'm good enough to know how inferior my edges are. But when I go to use my knives, I tend to like how they actually perform on food. So that tells me something. I try to embrace and enjoy that rather than obsess. But all due respect to the many people who can sharpen so much better than I can! Seriously.
~J
Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and have tried dozens of brands over the years.
Rather interesting attempting to single out a single aspect, from a package deal. I have seen to many times to my taste, images of beginners which have completely destroyed edge profiles. So for me, sweep the entire blade heel to tip. If you must work in sections, then stroke shift, stroke shift and sweep so you work the entire edge evenly. Do not get hung up in just one area. (Pretty Please!)
XexoX wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:08 am
Shouldn't you have written a haiku?
I was hoping you would help me out with that.
Great Goddess Anoia (Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers and tipped to be the Goddess of Lost Causes) no! Poetry and I do not mix well. I'm doing you a big favor not even trying.
Why not.....
Blade glides across stone
Edge glistens crisp and brightly
Produce stands frozen
d_rap wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 12:15 am
It can get a little cliche around Southern California but for sharpening "be in the moment" really applies. When I'm sharpening it's all I'm doing, and all I'm thinking about. Life's worries, big and small, work, arguments, laundry, even cooking, those are for another time. I'm alone, it's quiet, I'm focused and the steel on the stone is getting all my attention.
Or at least that's what I'm shooting for.
Every person sharpening who wasn't in the moment doesn't sharpen anymore and are called lefty, pinky or 2-fingered Jack.
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
