Ceramic Rod Q

[Allen R.]

I would get ben dales I have one I got at a swap meet and its ok but not that great, but the ceramic rod that came with my edge pro is great for touching up edges and it really brings the edge back really easily I would buy it over any other rod hands down.

 

[richard thurman]

You usually get what you pay for. Try rolling it across a flat surface.

Typically, Lansky rods are straighter, and have a finer, more consistent surface texture, or "grit".

I have been useing them for over 15 years now. I have a kershaw leek now. I cut up alot of cardboard boxes with it. it gets so dull I could not cut butter with it. I use my sharpner and I am once again shaveing my hair off of my arm. you go and get your $100.00 sharpners and I will stick to mine and keep my money to buy more knifes with.

 

[grizzled gizzard]

I wasn't scoffing your $.75 rods. If they work for you, that's great.

I would love to see decent rods for $.75 a piece.

Where should I look?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Sometimes, one does get lucky in finding inexpensive ceramics. To some extent, they're almost as variable as any stone or rock that might be used for the same purpose. I've purchased some in 'reputable' brands, like Lansky's 'Crock Stick', which were somewhat disappointing to me, while others in the same brand performed well. Not so much due to the straightness of the rods, but the individual character of the the ceramic itself, which can turn out very good, or very bad, just from some small variation in the manufacturing process (much like a small glitch in heat-treating a knife blade, which can effectively ruin it). Some just seem to be much better at really putting some 'bite' into an edge in short order, and among the six or eight V-crock-style sharpeners I've accumulated over 20+ years, there isn't much direct correlation between money spent, and results achieved with them.

I bought this set at a gun & knife show many years ago, back in the '90s, if I recall correctly. Don't have any memory of what I paid for it, but I'm sure it wasn't much. I found an image of an old print ad for the same set on the web recently, which puts it in perspective. At any rate, the rods in this set might be the best ceramics I've used, in terms of how quickly & easily they can put bite back into an edge. As a bonus, they're longer than most (great for bigger blades), stouter (3/8" diameter), and they also fit perfectly snug in my Sharpmaker's base, which gives me additional angle options over the stock 'Kwik-Sharp' base.

 

[richard thurman]

you see I bought one something like that. I set up a drill press and figgered out the angle that they where put at. then instead having them apart like that I made so they cross so all you have to do is pull your knife threw. no guessing on the right angle to hold your knife. I added 3 inches to the block so your hand is away from the knife you are sharpening. that was you cant cut your self.

 

[richard thurman]

I wasn't scoffing your $.75 rods. If they work for you, that's great.

I would love to see decent rods for $.75 a piece.

Where should I look?

unless you have a tax number and plan on spending $300.00 per order then you cant get them from my supplier.

 

[stitchawl]

From my experience both steel and ceramic remove material, the question is to what degree.. I request all my customers use a ceramic, the hard part is finding them on a store shelf.

All ceramics for knives will remove 'some' metal, though not very much if used correctly.
But only a 'Butcher's Steel' will remove metal. A 'Meat Packer's Steel' will not.
The Butcher's Steel is basically a round file with the teeth running the long way up and down the rod.
A Meat Packer's Steel has a completely smooth surface, and does a far better job of reforming the edge rather than tearing off the burr of a turned edge. This is the same advantage of using Borosilicate glass rods for daily maintenance of kitchen knives.
There is nothing 'new' about Borosilicate glass. It is cheaper and easier to produce than ordinary window glass, and you already have it in your home kitchen. You know it as "Pyrex," the glass used for casserole dishes, pie plates, meatloaf pans, etc. It's also the glass used for most chemical laboratory test tubes and such, and so if you have a chemical supply shop in your area, you can buy a borosilicate glass rod for just a couple of bucks. Most chemical supply houses will make what you want to order. Just ask for a 12"-15" x 1/2" Pyrex rod. Probably won't cost more than $10. You can also buy them already made with a really pretty wooden handle for about $75 from knife sharpening shops. Or just use the rim of one of your baking dishes. The long edge of a meatloaf pan works great!

When used in this fashion, 'steeling' is safe enough for the clumsiest cook.

(This image comes from Steve Bottorff's wonderful book called 'Sharpening Made Easy.')


Stitchawl

 

[grizzled gizzard]

OWE's post certainly has many good points.



richard thurman

unless you have a tax number and plan on spending $300.00 per order then you cant get them from my supplier.

I do own my business, and $300 is really nothing to that account.

I make a sharpening block that has 20 different sets of holes that also cross at all the bottoms. Every even degree, within .01 of the degree, from 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

I advocate using the bottom to finding exactly what angle you need to use, not for sharpening there. That would be a waste of 9 1/2" of ceramic.

I can only offer the best I can find. Cost is rarely much of a determining factor for me. They better work right, or I better be able to quickly and positively exchange them.

I stick with reputable American suppliers every time.

Before you ask, no, I don't care where they get them. It matters who I buy them from.

 

[richard thurman]

I buy them from a company that is here in the USA. where they are made at I have no clue. now some one here said smokey moutain knives had them and I went to there site and I could not find them for nothing.

 

[stitchawl]

I wonder how many people can hold their hand perfectly vertical? Absolute 90°
Especially when shifting from side to side to side...
I'd think that if it were easy, they wouldn't sell so many T-squares, Plumb Bobs, and framing levels.


Stitchawl

 

[richard thurman]

I have been doing it for years now. I dont seam to have any problem doing it.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I wonder how many people can hold their hand perfectly vertical? Absolute 90°
Especially when shifting from side to side to side...
I'd think that if it were easy, they wouldn't sell so many T-squares, Plumb Bobs, and framing levels.


Stitchawl

If it were actually measured with scientific precision on each pass, I'm certain the answer would be 'none'. And I'd also bet there aren't many people who could hold it within 2° - 3° on either side of vertical. Good thing is, it really doesn't need to be perfect, for the sake of what's essentially a 'freehand' edge on the Sharpmaker or other similar device. That's where the 'feel' aspect is important, so long as one can feel when the edge bevel is flush to the hone. That is what makes the difference. If you've ever tried to hold something like a flashlight or laser pen steady in your hand, it's virtually impossible to keep the spot of light from jumping & wobbling around as seen on the wall or ceiling. And that's just when holding still; expecting to duplicate it on the tens/hundreds of consecutive strokes on a sharpening device is in the realm of fantasy.

( It would be a real eye-opener, to affix a laser pen to the spine of a knife blade, with the 'dot' projected onto a line drawn parallel to the blade on the ceiling above, and see how much it jumps around to either side, during multiple passes on the sharpener. That would be among the best of 'reality checks' I could think of, if one actually starts believing their hand is that steady. If done with an open mind, it might serve as good practice. )

If you think about it, the 'precision' is only important when initially positioning the edge against the hone. If there is some movement away from 'perfect' during the stroke, so long as the movement rotates the shoulders of the edge bevel into the hone, as opposed to rotating the edge's apex into the hone, then you can still produce a very clean, sharp apex. A little 'convexing' of the bevels above the edge is not a big deal, and I even view it as beneficial.

 

[stitchawl]

If it were actually measured with scientific precision on each pass, I'm certain the answer would be 'none'. And I'd also bet there aren't many people who could hold it within 2° - 3° on either side of vertical.

That was the point I was trying to make, although I have a feeling few realized it and thought it a question instead.

It would be a real eye-opener, to affix a laser pen to the spine of a knife blade, with the 'dot' projected onto a line drawn parallel to the blade on the ceiling above, and see how much it jumps around to either side, during multiple passes on the sharpener. That would be among the best of 'reality checks' I could think of, if one actually starts believing their hand is that steady. If done with an open mind, it might serve as good practice.

Very good practice. I'd like to see the results measured on free-hand edges. We know what we'd like to have, we know what we 'try' to have, but what do we actually finish up with? Obviously, with EdgePro, WE, and other guided systems, we can be pretty sure, within a degree or two, of our results, but what about free-hand on stones, belts, and wheels.

A little 'convexing' of the bevels above the edge is not a big deal, and I even view it as beneficial.

Actually, I intentionally take the corners off the shoulders of my kitchen knives. I find they perform much better that way.

Stitchawl

 

[grizzled gizzard]

I think you would be surprised how easily you are able to hold a knife vertically. If the instructions told them to move their eyeball laterally instead of trying to do it with your head still people would do better. As it is, it's a parallax issue of about 1/2* in my experience.

Look at how many people get good results with the Sharpmaker. They all have to be able to hold the knife vertically to get good results, IMHO.

 

[stitchawl]

I think you would be surprised how easily you are able to hold a knife vertically.

Judging only by the numbers of T-Squares, framing squares and bubble levels sold in every home center all over the world, yes... I'd be very surprised.

Look at how many people get good results with the Sharpmaker. They all have to be able to hold the knife vertically to get good results, IMHO.

My post didn't ask if people got good results. The post referred to the ability to hold a perfect 90° angle. Of course we get good results from the Sharpmaker. That's why we use it (and why I use mine every week to touch up my kitchen knives.) But no, we don't have to hold it vertically to get good results. We just have to hold it the same way each time to get good results. That's why clamped systems are so popular, and free-handing is a skill that needs practice to master.


Stitchawl