knife sharpening? [General]

2008 May 21
where's the best place to get your knives sharpened? I found a mobile guy who will drive to your place. Where do you take your knives?

2008 May 21
BrucetheChef cautioned me against using one of those guys at a class I took with him.

Personally, I took mine to CA Paradis, where they did it for free, and then I purchased a knife sharpener in order to maintain the blade. The one I have is not the rod (I have rod but don't consider myself proficient enough to use it) but one that gues it like this:

www.amazon.com

Cheers


2008 May 21
You'll find interesting info on this topic in a previous forum discussion entitled KNIVES it can be found at www.ottawafoodies.com

2008 May 21
I recommend learning how to do it yourself. It's extremely easy with the Lansky system shown here and available at MEC at a reasonable price.

tinyurl.com/yv6xzg

Knife sharpening is also extremely therapeutic. Like a form of active meditation.

It also allows you to become "more one" with your knives. You will learn to feel the right action against the sharpening hone, which gives the best edge. This will lead to all-round better knife handling skills IMO.

2008 May 22
Des If you want to take your knives to a knife sharpening place I would like to echo medicinejar's suggestion of going to CA Paradis since they are a reputable company. If you would like to try sharpening your knives at home your best bet is to get a knife sharpener. You can also get sharpening stones but I believe you have to hold the knife at a low enough angle to effectively sharpen it. I "think" those sharpening rods are mostly used for touch ups.

2008 May 22
The kit I linked to above has all the stones, and the special thing about it is that it has a special jig to hold the knife in which keeps the blade at the exact right angle for the job. Actually, you have a choice of 4 different angles.

2008 May 22
The following link may prove useful to those unfamiliar with sharpening their own knives: www.cornerhardware.com

2008 May 31
Zym: I have the Gatco version of that sharpening kit. Still need to practice a bit more, but it does a nice job. Alls I do is put tape over the blade before I go at them, since I like to keep the blades pretty ;)