since y’all were bitchin about the last one

(any annoyed responses I give are sarcastic and I’m not actually frustrated)

  • starik@lemmy.zip
    67·
    6 hours ago

    The Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone Kit - Double Sided Whetstone Knife Sharpener 1000/6000 Grit, Professional Honing Sharpening Stone Set With Slip-Resistant Bamboo Base and Angle Guide is too large in relation to the knife.

  • Carnelian@lemmy.world
    20·
    5 hours ago

    So the main issue with double sided whetstones is that as you use any whetstones they “dish”, so if you use both sides it ends up being way harder to keep them flat. The “combo” stones tend to be lower quality in general as well

    You’re usually better off getting a normal stone, then sharpening using only one side of it. A decent 1000 grit alone is good for sharpening undamaged kitchen knives. Don’t need a strop or a super high grit stone or anything you can just do stropping passes right on the same stone. But overall it’s not really that serious, people who know what they’re doing can sharpen knives with like a rock from the woods

    • Miles O'Brien@startrek.websiteEnglish
      1·
      2 hours ago

      You need another stone that has gaps slotted into it to slide against the cupped stone. That helps keep things flat. Not perfect but good enough for my knife making hobby.

    • ScrollerBall@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      Why would it be harder to keep them flat? Regardless of one-sided or two sided, you should be giving your stone a few passes with a flattener before sharpening.

    • BillyClark@piefed.socialEnglish
      3·
      5 hours ago

      The thing about the advice you’re giving is that it’s for pretty advanced users. But by the time you’re that advanced, you should probably know all of that stuff, anyways.

      At a certain point, you might even get to the point where you feel it’s better to have your knives professionally sharpened rather than doing it yourself.

      But when you start out, I think you should buy cheap knives and a cheap knife sharpener. The knives get dull quickly, but it’s super fast to sharpen them, so you don’t have to let them get dull. And you don’t really care if you wear down your knives by sharpening them too much because they’re cheap.

      When you need to move on to a better system, you’ll know it.

      • village604@adultswim.fanEnglish
        2·
        1 hour ago

        You really shouldn’t need to sharpen your kitchen knives on a regular basis. If they become dull, using a honing rod to straighten the edge back out is all you need.

        I’ve used my cheap victorinox chefs knife almost daily for 8 years and it’s never touched a sharpener, but will still slice through a tomato with no pressure.

      • Carnelian@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 hours ago

        It’s really not anything advanced, you can learn whetstone sharpening with like a ten minute youtube video. Might take more research to feel confident getting started if you have lots of trepidation about it

        But from there you’ll never want to bother with the time commitment and cost of having your knives professionally sharpened. Just makes no sense when you can simply take out your stone as needed

        I would strongly advise against the pull through sharpeners you’re talking about, in all cases. A cheap knife doesn’t actually have any problem retaining a sharp edge. My inexpensive stainless steel chef’s knife that I abuse every day lasts months without issues.

        The problem you’re experiencing is that pull through “sharpeners” do not actually sharpen the blade at all. They just create and leave you with a huge burr.

        Whetstones also create a burr, but you deburr the blade with stropping passes and reveal the stable geometry you have created underneath. On pull throughs, they’re relying on you not to know any better and to simply try cutting your food with the burr. This works in the extreme short term, because the burr is “sharp” at first…. until literally the first time you use it, when it proceeds to crumble off or roll over onto itself. After which point you can once again “save time” by pulling it through the device again and again

        • BillyClark@piefed.socialEnglish
          1·
          1 hour ago

          I am concerned that people will read your comment, and end up using dangerous dull knives.

          I don’t really want to get into an argument, but most people will put off doing anything even mildly complicated to the point that they never do it. If you never sharpen your knives, then you will end up with dull knives, which is the worst possible outcome.

          Pull through sharpeners do actually sharpen the blade. I don’t know where you got your information from. You certainly don’t have to sharpen a knife every time, but even if you did, it would be something quick and simple that anybody could do.

          There are also different levels of pull through sharpeners, some that make multiple passes for different types of blade care. But any sharpener, even the most basic pull through, is better than a dull blade.

          A person who uses a pull through sharpener will generally know when they need to start looking into more advanced methods. I do not think it is safe to warn beginners off of using the tools that they are most likely to actually use.

          • Carnelian@lemmy.world
            1·
            46 minutes ago

            Most people are in fact not infants who can’t understand any “mildly complicated” concepts, nor is that audience reading this exchange

    • benignintervention@piefed.socialEnglish
      4·
      3 hours ago

      Watch videos and read some articles about it. There are different edge angles for different use cases, but you’ll generally aim for 20-25°. For things like razors and kitchen knives you’ll want a straight grind/edge and for more heavy use knives a slightly beveled edge is okay. Low grit is for large corrections like burrs and blunt spots. Those kinds of corrections will take a lot of time and you’ll want to look for uniformity before moving to higher grits for a sharper edge and eventually polish. Highly recommend starting with an angle tool and going slowly with a knife you don’t really care about. Work on keeping your angle and pressure consistent and don’t press down very hard. If you apply too much pressure you’ll damage both the edge and stone, especially for softer (higher grit) stones. Check your work regularly to make sure the edge is consistent, you’ll see it pretty clearly under a light. It takes practice. I’ve been freehand sharpening for about 20 years and I still mess up sometimes.

      My biggest tip is regular maintenance! I clean and do a few passes on 3000 grit with my kitchen knife every time I use it and it’s been my sharpest knife for 10 years. And clean your stone! Residual steel will build up, making the stone less effective and also risking damage to the edge.

    • Chozo@fedia.io
      3·
      4 hours ago

      Check out Kneeves Knives on YouTube, he has a ton of videos about sharpening with various different sharpening systems.

      If you’re just getting started with sharpening, I’d recommend picking up a fixed angle system. It’s very hard to screw up, and helps you keep a consistent angle (which I’d say is probably the biggest challenge with freehand sharpening).

    • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
      1·
      3 hours ago

      Whetstones are fine but keeping the blade at the right angle for so long takes practice and it’s not worth the results. Get a knife sharpener and let it hold the knife for you while sharpening. I picked up an electric sharpener and never looked back. It’s loud but quick, exactly what I would expect from an angle grinder on rails.

    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 hours ago

      I watch outdoors55. https://youtu.be/uwlWVmUEsH8

      Despite the name there’s really no outdoor content. It’s him in his garage sharpening knives and reviewing stones and systems.

      I will say that despite how he shows it is easy, I’ve never achieved the skill to do it effectively. I 3d printed a guide to hold the angle and can now sharpen my kitchen knives

    • AnAverageSnoot@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      You are going to find all the info you want on YouTube, but one thing most people don’t mention is that make sure the ergonomics of your working station are good. The worst part about sharpening knives is the shoulder and back pain from bending over on a kitchen counter. See if you can use a table and chair to sharpen instead. To avoid making a mess, put your Whetstone on a large baking tray.