Sharp Knives Matter -by Hammer Down

SHARP KNIVES MATTER -By Hammer Down

Did you ever wonder why they say a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife? It’s because a dull knife needs more force to cut. What that means is that it is a lot easier for the knife to hurt you because you are pushing harder. Anyone that has ever cut themselves, and most of us have, knows that a clean slice from a sharp knife heals faster and cleaner than a ragged cut from a dull knife. So lets go through the knife sharpening 101. Hammer Down’s quick version of how to Sharpen a Knife.

First, lets look at how a cutting edge works. If we look at the edge of a knife, under a microscope long ways, a dull edge looks like the letter “U”. We want the edge to look like the letter “V”. The way to do that, is to shave off metal at an angle on either side of the U to make the U a V.

The first thing we need is a sharpening tool. There are many different opinions on what is best. I will tell you what I use. There are two main options: a sharpening stone, or a diamond hone. Take my advice, spend a little money. For between $30-50 you can get a diamond sharpener that will last you forever. Old school stones are great too, but they do wear out. I use both. There are three different grits for degrees of roughness that you can use. Course, medium, and fine. In the name of simplicity we are just going to talk about medium. I use mostly DMT brand diamond hones. I have hones that I have used for 20 years A LOT and they still work just like brand new. For $35 investment, I think 25 years is a pretty good deal. Whatever you decide to sharpen, the idea is the same. I am not going to go into degrees or angles or any of the high tech stuff, because for homestead purposes you need a good general edge on any tool you use. Whether it is a pocket knife or butcher knife, the technique is all the same. Take your knife, lay the blade on the sharpening stone FLAT. Get a nickel, lift the back of the blade and put the nickel under it. That is the angle you want. That will get you a good sharp edge but not so fine that is it frail and easily dulled. Start at the base of the blade and simultaneously lightly drag it toward you so that the whole edge makes contact with your stone. Do that twice. Then flip it over and do the other side twice. Always keep it even on both sides. You want to feel like you are shaving a thin layer off your stone.

Now, you kneed to know that for a diamond sharpening tool, DMT, Smith’s, don’t require any lubricant and are easy to maintain. Spit on it, wipe with a paper towel and you are good to go. You use them dry. A stone however, is different. A stone requires lubrication. I use spit. I know that some women can spit farther then men. I know that some women find spit to be gross. If you don’t like to spit or you are extremely inaccurate, you might be better off with a light oil. Any kind of light oil will work. I use 3 in 1. I have seen people use vege oil and WD40, but 3 in 1 seems to be the best. Keep the stone lubricated when you use it and don’t be shy about the oil, because it carries away the steel filings that you are taking off the edge of the knife. Diamond hones are self cleaning in that regard.

So let’s say, you have sharpened your knife on a medium diamond hone and you think you want it a little sharper than that. You have to step up to a fine grit hone. In DMT, they are color coded. Medium is red. Fine is green. If you go to that fine hone, give it a few licks. You will feel the difference. It will feel sharper. But keep in mind, the sharper the edge, the easier it dulls.

This is a skill that requires lots of practice. I enjoy hand sharpening my tools. It’s like Man Yoga, for me. If you don’t care to sharpen your own, they sell electric sharpeners for about $100. Plug it into the wall, run your knife it through, and boom, you’re done. But, if you prefer old school techniques like me, this is a basic idea of how to do it. Like I said, there are many ways and opinions, but this is the a basic idea.

It’s not hard to keep your knife sharp. It’s safer and easier to work with, and might impress your boyfriend. That’s just what I think.

pic #1: examples of grit color code

pic #2: proper angle