Full height grind technique for 8" chef's knife

[MtnMan1964]

Thanks for the pic upload advice NC Biker.

 

[Mike Reilly]

I use a flat tool rest and my fingers or just free hand with no rest if working the distal taper on chef knives. When the steel heats up enough for my fingers to be uncomfortable I dunk it in a water jug next to the grinder. 2 inch is a good minimum heel height for an 8 inch chef knife for either european or gyuto style. I'd definitely use a narrow stock like 1/8 or less. I currently use 1/8 and find I want to even narrow down the tang. I'm far from expert, however, so take anything I say with a solid grain of salt.

 

[Jesenius]

. . . The other factor was cost - as I make mistakes in the learning process, it is less expensive to do so with 440C than ABEL, CPMS30V, CPM154, ELMAX, etc. Thanks again to everyone for their great suggestions.

If You need practice buy sheet of construction steel similar dimensions to knives You make, it is cheap. Cut shape of knife and do Your work. Do it several times. Every time write a notice what You made wrong and next time try to make it better. It needs time but it's cheap method to build Your skills.

 

[Ant_Topps]

I personally free hand all my knives. From 240mm Gyutos to 3 inch pairing knives.
I've tried the push stick way but I like to feel the temperature of the steel while grinding, so this works for me.
Haven't ground my fingers off yet

When working on your tips, switch out to a fresh belt as it will not generate as much heat as a worn one would and if you have variable speed, slow it down a bit. Then just take your time.

 

[TonyRV2]

I've been using a post type tool rest. No more finger into the belt and I can more easily follow the curve of the blade than I can when using flat rest.

Nice idea on the tool rest Chuck...I'm definitely going to have to try that out.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

When it comes to sharpening chef's blades and other large blades, there is always a probability of a slip and scratch. This can make bad words come from good people. I read that Rick never cursed in his life until he started sharpening kitchen knives.

Additionally, maintaining a constant angle by eye is never going to happen. I came across a Japanese knife site a while back and they had the most simple answer.

I have bought a couple of these over the years, and they work really good when sharpening large kitchen knives and Japaneses blades on waterstones. Translations don't always work well. The title should be "Clip On". Just slip it on the blade and sharpen away. The ceramic guide probably helps to flatten the stone, too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221498194521?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[Robert Erickson]

When it comes to sharpening chef's blades and other large blades, there is always a probability of a slip and scratch. This can make bad words come from good people. I read that Rick never cursed in his life until he started sharpening kitchen knives.

Additionally, maintaining a constant angle by eye is never going to happen. I came across a Japanese knife site a while back and they had the most simple answer.

I have bought a couple of these over the years, and they work really good when sharpening large kitchen knives and Japaneses blades on waterstones. Translations don't always work well. The title should be "Clip On". Just slip it on the blade and sharpen away. The ceramic guide probably helps to flatten the stone, too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221498194521?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Do you have a favorite Japanese waterstone?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

That would be like having a favorite child

I like the Norton synthetic stones. A minimum set of three or four is needed. A hard leather board mounted strop is also nice to have.

There is nothing wrong with the DMT duo-stones, either. Getting a set of two that will cover coarse, medium, fine, and extra-fine is a great set. The larger 3X10" size is best. The DMT diamond stone holder works great on other stones, too. It fits 10" and 8" stones.

I like to start on a 200-400 grit stone if the edge needs to be thinned down and restored. If the edge is OK, or after restoring it, I go to an 600/800, and then a 2000/4000. This is normally sufficient. If I really want a fish shaving edge, I finish on an 8000/12,000 King stone with a good slurry of nagura. On the very sharpest knives, I strop on the hard leather strop with 14,000 diamond paste.
The range is because there is a variety of stones and the rated number may be different from what we thing of as "grit size".

I have natural stones up to 14,000 that get an occasional use, but three or four stones will suffice for almost anyone sharpening kitchen knives. Whatever you get in stones, get a flattening block. The ceramic ones are fine, or a 100 grit DMT plate will also do the job. Make sure you wash and scrub the stone well after flattening.

TIPS:
The main thing is to pre-soak the stone in CLEAN water. In sharpening, keep the stone wet. Either toss water on it with your fingers, or make a drip tube that has a feed bottle. You can get fancy, but all you need is basically an IV bottle/bag that you regulate the drip rate with the tubing clamp. The end of the hose is positioned over the stone with a wire arm or some other method. A steady slow drip is all you need.

Store each stone in its own sealed plastic box. Use a bread loaf size plastic storage box with a tight lid. Wrap the stone in a shop towel. Write the stone maker, grit, and other info on the top. Mark the grit on the towel, too. Put any stone paperwork in the bin with the stone. When it is time to soak the stone, use the bin for that task. This way each grit never leaves its own tub except for the actual togi. If you like to keep the stones in their original boxes, place the whole box and papers in the plastic bin.

Sharpen with even pressure and methodical strokes.

Wash EVERYTHING between stones.

You can use a fancy "pond" (a water filled tray for the stones) if you have one, but the thing that is most important is that the stone be secure in a stone holder. I like the DMT stone holders. I find a simple eBay tray type pond that the stone holder fits on the lip works just fine. The simpler the wash up between stones, the better the results will be.

 

[Robert Erickson]

Thanks! I've got DMT Dia-sharps up to extra fine which work really well but I'm always looking to expand my horizons

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I made an edit to move a line that was out of place in the sharpening order.