On 7/23/14, 1:32 AM, gregz wrote:


I'll have to try the soda. I mostly use three knifes. A Magna Wonder Knife,
a small cheap knife, and a small steak Gunsu, in the kitchen. Most of the
other stash is junk, except for a really thin high carbon steel knife of my
grandparents. That's so easy to sharpen on the rods. The rods work well on
the serrated Magna.

Greg

Online, I see that the Japanese system is to soak water stones in water
and baking soda before use. I see it's an old trick of Army cooks to
boil a clogged sharpening stone in water with baking soda.

I was able to get my Cub Scout knife sharp enough to hurt myself, but
most of my injuries were blisters from whittling.

At 11, I bought a leather-handled Schrade, similar to a K-bar, with a
sheath, for $1.57 new. I sharpened it with a device that looked like a
big, wide yo-yo: a 2" round stone with a 3" wheel on either side.

At 15, I woke up on an overnight hike, and everything was fog. Not even
paper would burn, and birch bark wouldn't get wet kindling going. We
had nothing to eat raw. With that cheap knife, I whittled through the
wet wood on a pine log and made such a big pile of dry shavings that I
could get wet wood to burn. We gorged on oatmeal.

At 25 I bought a Case Sodbuster Jr. Everyone but me admired it. It
wouldn't take a sharp edge, and the blade didn't lock for safety.

At 28, I bought a folding Gerber that weighed about 9 ounces. It was
very sturdy. After I put a very sharp edge on it, I couldn't think of a
use. One evening, I came in from the field and heard there would be an
inspection in the morning. I was a mess and the barber shop was closed.
I used that knife to cut my hair and dry shave my neck, and I passed.
Later, I used it for butchering.

A sharp knife that will keep its edge helps in butchering. Even the
best blade will get gummed up and need washing, and it's dangerous to
make a lot of cuts with a long, sharp blade while laboring on a carcass.
I found a $10 knife that works better. It looks like brass knuckles
with a sort of curved box-cutter blade. Because the blade is short,
it's safer. Because the tip is close to the hand, it's easy to control.
There's also a slitting blade, like the protected blade of a letter
opener. It's a breeze!

At 38, I bought a Gerber pocket knife with an orange handle of miracle
nonslip plastic. It was also noncleanable plastic. What good is an
orange handle after it turns black? So I bought a couple of $3 pocket
knifes, one yellow and the other orange. The bolsters aren't as strong,
but the handles stayed bright. The steel takes and holds a slightly
sharper edge than the Gerber. (Steel is a relatively cheap part of
knife manufacture, so cheap knives can have good steel.)

So many seemingly harmless uses will dull a "razor" edge that now I use
EMT shears when possible, such as opening shipping cartons.

At 44, I spent $50 (sale price) for a Chicago Cutlery chef's knife. It
took such a sharp edge that I made a scabbard on the underside of a
shelf, to protect my fingers as well as the edge. Using it is a treat,
but it stays there most of the time because the cheap Sears knife my
grandparents owned is usually more practical. It will take a fairly
impressive edge but won't keep it. I cut only on a board, but dings
soon appear. I've never figured it out. I've never bitten down on
metal or seen a glint in my food, and they're easy to remove by
sharpening. I don't bother to sharpen it until I have trouble with
things like tomatoes.

There's an expensive-looking fileting knife in a spring-loaded scabbard
with a built-in sharpener. The steel won't hold an edge, and passing it
a dozen times through the sharpener makes no difference. I don't often
need that knife, and sharpening it with a clamp and stone is quick.

I use a swivel peeler a lot. It helps to sharpen it with a fingernail
board from the top and a ceramic rod to clean up the burr on the bottom.
It peels easily, but I have to avoid my fingers!

My paring knifes usually serve well if a little dull. Sharpening
doesn't take long.