Barmaley's Aggregated Questions Thread

Mr.Wizard said:
Those of you who store the stones in water: do you use something to keep mildew from growing?
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I only keep a 1000 grit King Stone in water alongside my shop sink. I refresh or change the water once a week or so while lifting weights or rowing down there. No issues.

I have some smaller pocket stones soaking in a covered receptacle there as well. That one requires fewer changes due to the lid just sitting on top of the small container.
 
I've never used my loupe for burr detection. But then I didn't purchase it for that specific purpose.
 
Good vid from HH. :thumbsup:

When I've used a grooved steel, I usually do so in the manner demo'd by HH during the refining portions shown, with a light, edge-leading technique as he demonstrated, holding the rod essentially horizontal while doing so. I haven't ordinarily used the grooved steel for heavy filing work, with heavier pressure; I generally go back to a stone for that (Fine India usually, for these types of knives). But it can be done with the steel as shown. And the light, edge-leading touch with the smooth steel is my favorite use of these, for periodic tuning up of edges.
 
That's pretty much how I use my steel. But, I also have a 2" thick cutting board and I can lay the steel across it on one corner and have enough hand clearance to glide the knife across it like a stone or strop. Since that is a familiar action, I've been playing around with it.
 
My brother-in-law was a butcher up in NY. He steels his kitchen knives faster than the eye can follow. When I steel, which is rare, I follow much the same methods as HH demonstrated in his video.
 
Blues said:
My brother-in-law was a butcher up in NY. He steels his kitchen knives faster than the eye can follow. When I steel, which is rare, I follow much the same methods as HH demonstrated in his video.
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We have a small Mexican market a few blocks from me that I haunt. I was passing the meat counter the other day and heard the butcher steel his knife. I stopped and eventually realized I was starring. First at the blurr of his boning knife on the steel and then the butchery. I sorta snapped out of it and he smiled and said hello.

:oops::D
 
Great video! I think posting short videos here could be much more informative than writing. They say: it is better once to see than hundred times to hear!

At the same time steels will not solve my problem. Majority of my knifes are at least RSH 57-60. I got VG10, Cromova etc. The softest is Henckel 5 Star set which is still factory sharpened at 15 degrees and suppose to be harder than standard Henckels.

One solution would be to get Chicago Cutlery and use steels ( as you said steels can keep them sharp). The main line of my plans is to use ceramic in some form that with few strokes I can SHARPEN the knives or I would say micro-sharpen so they are always sharp.
 
Forgive me if you explained it already, but what is your aversion to learning to sharpen? Just curious.
 
Barmaley said:
Great video! I think posting short videos here could be much more informative than writing. They say: it is better once to see than hundred times to hear!

At the same time steels will not solve my problem. Majority of my knifes are at least RSH 57-60. I got VG10, Cromova etc. The softest is Henckel 5 Star set which is still factory sharpened at 15 degrees and suppose to be harder than standard Henckels.

One solution would be to get Chicago Cutlery and use steels ( as you said steels can keep them sharp). The main line of my plans is to use ceramic in some form that with few strokes I can SHARPEN the knives or I would say micro-sharpen so they are always sharp.
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If it were me I'd use a hard strop or lapping film, and just avoid the issues that eventually arise from sharpening with a rod.

Harder steels generally hold their edge for a long time with regular kitchen use.
 
It is quartzite, you are correct, thank you!

I did not try is yet, since I remember then I first tried Arkansas stone without oil or anything first knife clogged the stone immediately. The stone which I got is not a designed as a sharpening stone, but the guy who gave me tole that he uses it with great success for sharpening. I got it many years ago and I don't have access to that guy so I can not ask him for directions. What would you do - try it with water of oil and what is benefit of each? Since it is a natural stone I think it should be oil based?
 
Eli Chaps said:
Forgive me if you explained it already, but what is your aversion to learning to sharpen? Just curious.
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Very good question! To learn sharpening was my first intention and there was a real need: I was not happy with sharpness of my kitchen knives. I spent hours reading forums, watching youtube and trying it myself. I believe that if I spent many hours I would be able to learn to become mediocre sharpening technician, unless I will devote more time to it than I really want to spent. Looking into sharpening was like opening a can of worms: the more I learn the more complicated it gets. I am mot planning to make sharpening my hobby, I just need a practical result. I was a simplest, easiest was to maintain my knives always sharp for cutting tomatoes and meats. I just know that if I need to soak stones every time I need to sharpen I would neglect it. I will just push harder on the knoves with each cut ;) . But if I have a simple system which will not require maintenance, keeping oils of water and pads and making mess, but instead of I can make few strokes and re-sharpen knives before each cooking I would be a very happy.

You guys are looking at the things from the heights of professionalism, I just want a sharp knife as utility without any excitement.
 
Your simplest solution, foolproof for someone not wanting to make it harder than it need be, is to continue using your Trizor followed by a few licks on a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Fast, easy, and pretty much impossible to screw up.
 
For now I realized that many things which I took for granted appears to me much more complicated. Soon I am getting my vegetable leather arriving (amazon is terrible those days) and I found that I can contaminate my strops with bad compound. Do I care about brand of compound or I may use any green one for fine stropping? I was told that it is possible to get a pound of green stuff for $5-6 on amazon of ebay? Can it be fake like VG10 chinese knives?
 
For VG10 and most other stainless kitchen knives, you might instead look for aluminum oxide polishing compounds. Simichrome & Flitz pastes are examples that work very well with stainless steels such as these. And for the strop itself, hard-backed linen, denim or canvas is a great match to these compounds. The fabric will hold the compound better, in higher density, so the strop works very aggressively in polishing & refining, as compared to a leather strop. The thinner fabric on a hard backing will also be less prone to compression under the blade, so the finished edges will be crisper.

I suggest the aluminum oxide over the 'green' compound (usually chromium oxide), because the green compound might struggle a little bit with VG10's carbides. Not that green can't work at all; but the AlOx compounds will refine & polish VG10 much more cleanly, and they also do very well with more typical stainless kitchen cutlery.
 
There a good green compounds and some that are just ok. I tried one of those cheaper compounds on Amazon, but mine is white (in that case finer than the green compound, but that might differ from company to company). But I am 100% sure that there are much better compounds. It works but is it the nonplusultra? I doubt that.
 
Blues, This is probably the best strategy I can get. I am not sure if Sharpmaker is an ideal option or I can get something better. Its rods look short. Triangle shape of rods looks suspicious to me: intuitively, it looks like a marketing trick than necessity (if I am wrong I would love to learn more about triangle shape benefits).
 
Barmaley said:
Blues, This is probably the best strategy I can get. I am not sure if Sharpmaker is an ideal option or I can get something better. Its rods look short. Triangle shape of rods looks suspicious to me: intuitively, it looks like a marketing trick than necessity (if I am wrong I would love to learn more about triangle shape benefits).
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It works. It has been been used for years and proven to work. What you wouldn't want to do with it is take a dull high carbide knife and try to establish a new (thinner) bevel and sharpen it from dull to razor sharp. (Though you'd be surprised what it can do if you are willing to put in the time and effort.)

However, if you use your Chef Pro to create the 15 degree bevel you mentioned in prior posts, the Sharpmaker will be a cinch to refine the edge and / or micro-bevel. It's win-win. And you'd be done in literally a few minutes.

Watch videos online of how it is used. I strongly recommend it for your intended usage and level of interest.

BTW, for your usage, you'd only need to use the flat sides of the hone, not the corners, as you'd already have your bevel set.

 
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