Knife sharpening

M

MAIMOMEDIC

Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
12
There is a small knife sharpening store that does mostly large amounts of kitchen knives. They use a grinding machine to sharpen these knives. Is it a good idea to have him sharpen my EDC knives or should I do it myself and use a stone. Any advantages to using a machine
 
Depends on the machine. If it's an electric knife sharpener that you can buy in any department store, I'd say pass on the service. There are some guys on here that sharpen knives for a small fee. They do great work.
 
unless you know they will do good work, i dont like to trust anyone with my sharpening except the factory which made the knife.

if i screw up, i only have my self to blame.

if some shop screws up, are they going to replace your knife?
 
i use paper sharpening wheels to sharpen with. if that is what they use ask to see a blade they sharpened or have them sharpen their own in front of you. if it looks good and is sharp, let them do it.
 
This past week I sent Richard 4 blades that needed sharpening TLC. I'll post some pictures when they arrive. I cannot wait!
Check out the site, look at the K2 video, impressive!
 
I dont think they would be in business long if they couldnt sharpen well.If you can send it out,i also would highly recommend Richard.
 
I guess I'll be the only one who says get some stones (if you dont already have them) and have at it. I bet once you get the hang of it and get your first one hair poppin sharp, you'll look for things that need to be sharpened.
 
i use the paper wheels and i match up the angle. if a knife can benefit from a different edge or angle i'll let the owner know.
 
jonnyt16 said:
richard j, can you sharpen Emersons without changing their factory edge angles? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I sent him a CQC7 and a CQC8, both are hair splitting sharp and have the sweetest mirror edge you could hope for. The answer would be a resounding yes.
 
Greetings MAIMOMEDIC: A few things you may wish to consider. Many people who have their kitchen knives sharpened by others are primarily concerned with cooking ~ not knives. They want the knife returned to service quickly and at as low a reasonable cost as possible. They may be less discerning and more pleased by speed than quality. Many low to medium quality kitchen knives are constructed from softer steel. To the targeted buyer, a kitchen knife's stain resistance usually outweighs it's edge retention and carbide content. A shop familiar with the volume sharpening of soft kitchen cutlery, (not expensive chef's knives or Japanese knives) may not be fully aware of, or concerned with, the quite different requirements for putting a proper edge on a valued EDC knife, made of substantially different steel. If the primary reason you are considering having your EDC knives sharpened on a "grinding machine", at this shop, is the fact that they are conveniently located near you and they sharpen a large number of kitchen knives, perhaps you should look elsewhere. It would take less than five seconds for an unknowing or uncaring shop employee, using a "grinding machine", to really screw up your favorite Knife. On the other hand, they may do excellent work. If you are knowledgeable enough to evaluate their methods, equipment, experience, skill, and understanding, of which specific edge type is best for you, your knife and it's intended use, then let them do it. If not, you may be more pleased with the results obtained by either: Learning to do it yourself, sending it to one of the recommenced sharpeners on this forum or sending it back for factory resharpening. OldDude1
 
(These thing have all been said before, but I'll say them again.)

When I hear about "professionals" using grinding machines to sharpen knives, I tend to cringe. I've seen enough butchered kitchen knives that were professionally sharpened to be leery of so-called professionals. Most people who get their kitchen knives sharpened by these individuals don't really know what sharp is. They get an edge put back on their soft knives once a year and, not surprisingly, it cuts better than it did. The blades aren't actually sharp, they just aren't really dull anymore.

The only advantage to sharpening on a grinder is speed. Unfortunately, fast equipment also means the potential for fast screw-ups. There are few people who sharpen on power equipment that I would trust with one of my blades. RichardJ is one of those people. He has built an excellent reputation among people who really know what a sharp knife is. The others I trust tend to also be knifemakers themselves. For the record, I only use the grinder to rough-in my bevels. After that, it's off to the stones for refinement and fine-honing.

Asking for a demonstration sounds very acceptable to me. At least ask about the specifics of their setup: the techniques, abrasives, angles, and so on.

I still think the best course of action is to get some stones and learn to sharpen yourself. Sharpening knives is not difficult, it just takes practice. When you sharpen for yourself, you can make your knives as sharp as you want, as often as you want. (And Vick's right, you will end up sharpening everything in the house. :) )

Phillip
 
what kind of grinder is it? Is it a Tru-hone, one of those dedicated blade sharpeners goes from $900 to $16,000.
 
i agree with old dude1 & dobson, many 'knife sharpener guys are basically dealing with walmart type goods not true quality cutlery. if you are'nt going to do knives yourself go with one of our members.remember that a knife costing 80.00 or more should'nt be ran thru a buzzsaw grinder.
 
thanks guys for the recommentation. i have seen numerous knives that have been sharpened/ruined by some of the (local to the knife owner) sharpening shops. some do a decent job and others totally ruin a knife, some beyond repair. its these guys who give the guys who actually can sharpen on powered equipment a bad name. when i would have someone at a fundraiser ask about my sharpening ability, all i would do is hand them one of my knives and let them see what i can do.
 
Here is the verdict: I just got the blades today and got done reassembling them a few minutes ago. Thanks Richard!
imag0151b.jpg

imag0153i.jpg

imag0155u.jpg
 
Richard J has 2 of mine right now. Knifeknut1013 also did a Ritter Grip for me that came out amazing. He should charge a lot more for what he does, so get yourself some good karma and send more than he quotes. I would have sent him these 2 also, but want to see what these paper wheels can do.
 
Good advice posted above.

I have tested a sharpening service with an Opinel #6 and got it back with 1/8" removed from the edge in less than two minutes. That gent was using some set of wheels but did not examine the edge before sharpening (brand new knife all it needed was a burr removed) or notice that the steel was very thin at the cutting edge. I did the test because some others in the group were looking to have some kitchen knives sharpened. We all walked away and I sharpened their kitchen knives on the Spyderco Sharpmaker.

This happened while visiting a location that I had dealt with via mail order for purchases many times. I still buy from them on occasion if they are the source of a good sale.
 
thats why i always show the person what i can do before sharpening their knife. the way i sharpen with the wheels, i can watch the burr form so i can make sure i'm not taking off too much.
 
last week i had a member bring me a knife that fits right in with the first paragraph phillip posted above. it was a kershaw volt blem that the member uses at his work cutting fruit for drinks. the shop he took the knife to used a diamond sharpener and the edge was so obtuse on one side that i had to thin the edge down to get the knife sharp again. i ended up putting a convex edge on for him to try and he let me know today the knife is working out great. before i even sharpened his knife, i let him check out my knives and showed him what i can do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top