I have been sharpening my own knives and tools for 45 years, and have been doing it in the same way since I was in my teens and my dad and I read some article (in Popular Science, maybe?) which Just Worked. My dad was a bit more patient than I have ever been and his edges always shaved hairs, dry. My edges are still quite good though.
Anyway Ima procrastinating today and saw this HN item and hesitated, oh no, have I been doing something wrong all these years? So in the spirit of never stop learning I bit the bullet and read it.
I didn't have to read far though. First came the don't use oil bit and then next the relief and the burr, and nope! Hooray, whatever we read back in the day was the equivalent of this. Maybe it was the same people, I remember a folksy tone.
The sad thing is in all those years none of the people of my acquaintance, with the exception of my daughter, have ever had any interest in sharpening/maintaining their knives, and if they do anything (most don't), it's an electric sharpener. I've passed through some home kitchen horror shows, and now if I know I'm going to be cooking in somebody else's kitchen, I bring my own knives, even internationally. Mandatory for AirBnBs. I remember reading up on packing a set of knives on a Thalys train and reading some worrying restrictions. But decided, well WTF to chefs do in France? I didn't get hassled, maybe I was lucky.
Anyway, even though I don't think I've ever converted anyone, I always encourage people to learn to sharpen/maintain their knives. I will usually haul a big DMT hone along with me on trips to home kitchens and do a quick repair job on the host's knives. Weirdly, quite a few people are very wary of sharp knives! Dull knives are what terrifies me...
I used to get by in a pinch with the bottom edge of a ceramic coffee cup but it’s nothing compared to having a properly flat and consistently abrasive stone on you. It struggles with anything longer than a steak knife but most times it’s a steak knife that needs licking up to an edge at the table of a well meaning but poorly equipped restaurant.
I keep meaning to impregnate the inside of my belt with diamond wax so that it too functions as a field strop, though it’s a bit harder to be subtle in taking one’s belt off in public.
So this is a late comment but I finally clicked the link because I am a DMT addict, and lordy that's a cool thing that looks like it will travel just fine.
Which do you find best for traveling? I travel with one of the big DMT fine hones but if I was resorting to something on my keychain maybe I want coarse? When I said I do a "quick repair" I meant I can't correct each knife with only a fine hone, but I can make them better. In that spirit maybe the optimal travel keychain hone size is coarse. Because I don't have all night, nobody else cares, and sharper is better than "prop knife", as another commenter mentioned.
Very cool about the ceramics, I had not thought of that but since we have many crafty ceramics we know their abrasive properties and once you are given the idea huh that's obvious. Thank you!
You got it in one, spot on. The coarse will put an edge on a blunt instrument but you won’t be able to strop it. The fine hone isn’t aggressive enough but will produce an edge you can strop to a razor. I carry both, with the coarse blue on my keychain.
Bringing a knife to an AirBNB or a sharpener is a must imo. I have yet to ever go to one where the knives aren’t essentially prop knives they’re so dull.
The downside of those is that they a) don’t actually create a very sharp edge, but instead create a “toothy” edge that can’t push cut, but can slice decently, and b) remove a lot of material, and thus shorten the life of the knife.
They are really good for a normal person to get a knife sharper than they could ever wish for. I've given one to all my kids as it's the only method for them to keep their knives sharp. It's a great tool for an everyday household kitchen.
They do have downsides and are not the right tool if you are intent on spending time honing your skill, that's not their place.
I had this exact same dilemma on the thalys then I remembered they don't actually inspect anything because it's a fucking train. Here in the US is impossible to get six feet without your stuff being rifled through though.
Anyway Ima procrastinating today and saw this HN item and hesitated, oh no, have I been doing something wrong all these years? So in the spirit of never stop learning I bit the bullet and read it.
I didn't have to read far though. First came the don't use oil bit and then next the relief and the burr, and nope! Hooray, whatever we read back in the day was the equivalent of this. Maybe it was the same people, I remember a folksy tone.
The sad thing is in all those years none of the people of my acquaintance, with the exception of my daughter, have ever had any interest in sharpening/maintaining their knives, and if they do anything (most don't), it's an electric sharpener. I've passed through some home kitchen horror shows, and now if I know I'm going to be cooking in somebody else's kitchen, I bring my own knives, even internationally. Mandatory for AirBnBs. I remember reading up on packing a set of knives on a Thalys train and reading some worrying restrictions. But decided, well WTF to chefs do in France? I didn't get hassled, maybe I was lucky.
Anyway, even though I don't think I've ever converted anyone, I always encourage people to learn to sharpen/maintain their knives. I will usually haul a big DMT hone along with me on trips to home kitchens and do a quick repair job on the host's knives. Weirdly, quite a few people are very wary of sharp knives! Dull knives are what terrifies me...