A Tale of Two Knives (sharpened using 2 methods on the WB) - video

[HeavyHanded]

Been wanting to put up something along these lines for a while, showing some variation in the typical Washboard progression. Several current threads running centering on kitchen knives (Thanks Mag and Sinnyc) so figured it was a good time to whip one up. Plus I've run out of knives and other tools to sharpen with the exception of a pick mattock that could use some attention.

Plenty of riveting commentary that is applicable to other sharpening methods as well as the WB.

Having a go at two Chicago cutlery kitchen knives - a utility hollow grind and a flat grind Chef's knife. Thanks for watching.

[video=youtube;6Y2EMOQRLiA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y2EMOQRLiA[/video]

HH

 

[awestib]

Awesome, thanks Martin !!

 

[HeavyHanded]

Awesome, thanks Martin !!

Thanks for watching! I recommend collecting the mud from a SiC or waterstone pretty often, can't remember if I've done a video showing how I specifically go about it. Simple, fast, and effective. Doesn't work when using an India stone, diamond plate, or Arkansas, they don't shed any abrasive to speak of, and the swarf by itself doesn't work well. Have also used it on cheaper aluminum oxide stones that aren't as durable as an India stone. Letting the oil soak into the paper for a few more minutes will make for a somewhat more aggressive strop, especially if you've collected a bunch of grit. On a waterstone, letting the paper dry before using will make for a real nice stropping surface, will work when the paper is wet as long as it isn't soaked.

 

[sinnyc]

Thanks for the video, Martin. After I sort out the issue I had last night with the knife I worked on my Shaptons I'm going to use the Washboard for the next knife.

Your comments about these inexpensive kitchen knives being soft sort of lit a bulb over my head. I think you're right and that might have been part of my problem last night. Since I've been primarily practicing on my lower end pocket knives with metals like AUS8 and 8CR13MoV, I was using those metals as my frame of reference. In other words, I was expecting similar force applied with similar duration to yield similar results on metals that are clearly not as hard. I think I was probably raising burrs quickly and then rolling them right over, causing a mess at the apex. I was not using a loupe but I will tonight and I'm also going to use a lighter touch throughout the process.

- Tim

 

[HeavyHanded]

Thanks for the video, Martin. After I sort out the issue I had last night with the knife I worked on my Shaptons I'm going to use the Washboard for the next knife.

Your comments about these inexpensive kitchen knives being soft sort of lit a bulb over my head. I think you're right and that might have been part of my problem last night. Since I've been primarily practicing on my lower end pocket knives with metals like AUS8 and 8CR13MoV, I was using those metals as my frame of reference. In other words, I was expecting similar force applied with similar duration to yield similar results on metals that are clearly not as hard. I think I was probably raising burrs quickly and then rolling them right over, causing a mess at the apex. I was not using a loupe but I will tonight and I'm also going to use a lighter touch throughout the process.

- Tim

Have to take a few swipes and then a very close look. Definitely good to proceed with restraint when working unknown kitchen cutlery, the softer stuff will whip up a massive burr very quickly. The last owner of my house left behind a set of knives in very poor shape. I went to work on them casually, but soon discovered they were made from some tough (relatively) steel, probably 440c or Aus 8, made in Japan with a nice HT. Had to work them like most of my other knives - they cut like a dream and hold an edge a loong time. I usually only recondition them when I make a fresh batch of WB compound, probably once a month/ three weeks - part of my QC is to touch up the set. Very satisfying to cut a circle out of freehanging newspaper with a 10" Chef's knife.

That steel is in sharp contrast to my mother in laws vintage carbon Sabatiers - they worked so fast on a SiC stone it was like they were aluminum - I had to do a double take when I stopped to inspect after three passes or so. I actually sharpened the utility knife from that set using only black compound and paper on a WB with a few drops of oil - and it was completely butterknife dull, finished toothy and shaving arm hair. Her Calphalon chef's knife was a super steel by comparison, using some sort of "German" stainless, though it too was quite modest by pocket knife standards. A grooved and smooth steel is likely all they'd ever need, though they'd need it often. She keeps them loose in a drawer, I made nice paper and masking tape scabbards for the set and swore her to the use of a cutting board...

Kitchen cutlery steel is all over the map, and good luck trying to find info on any of the commonly sold cutlery (consider the cheap sets runs around 8 bucks a knife averaged out), especially if its a few years old. The new stuff seldom comes with a detailed description, sets that are out of production are a total mystery AFAIK. I'd love to stumble across a site that has steel and RC info for a wide range of these pieces, but that would take the fun of discovery out of the process

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Martin, Tim,

Down here people uses 1$ kitchen knife. A Vic Paring @ 3$ is rarity

Will download the video later

 

[HeavyHanded]

Martin, Tim,

Down here people uses 1$ kitchen knife. A Vic Paring @ 3$ is rarity

Will download the video later

Its probably the same item, we get dinged for everything in the States (and it probably costs less for shipping).

I did the experiment with the silicon carbide stone on the Washboard several months ago and realized that it worked way better than the same technique using the donor stone for a base, so was very confident going into the video I'd get a good outcome.

Was quiet at work tonight so thought I'd give it a try with a handful of SiC stones to see what sort of results I could expect from a random stone on tougher steel. Some tree-topping of leg hair was possible from all of them, including the older Norton econo stone. The genuine Crystalon did a bit better, and the Ace stone from the video did the best - under magnification it appears to have the fewest impurities in its structure. The Crystalon makes a somewhat finer edge off the stone, but the Ace made a better one/two combination of fine stone/claimed mud for stropping. Edge was tree-topping with authority. Using the same method but my older practice of wrapping the paper around same stone, I'm able to get a nice edge. As mentioned in the video its a fast, easy way to improve off a very basic stone, but not really able to recondition a worn edge or refine very much. Throwing the WB in the mix takes it to an entirely different level of usefulness and outcome. Once again I'm struck by how different the grit claimed from a stone is from the graded lapidary powders.