any knife sharpening experts out there?

[ramonesfreak]

ive got a very nice Laguiole Gilles guilloché birch corkscrew knife with a very dull blade

can anyone suggest a good product and technique to use to sharpen it by hand or otherwise?

[onlycafe]

how about showing some pictures please?
first never use anything other than a sharpening stone. no grinders!
if this is a precious valuable mint condition screw, you would be best off just admiring it in its pristine form, maybe open a birthday bottle. if it is already pre- loved, just hone it on your stone with a little bit of oil. depending on the blade and your personal taste you will want to maintain a constant angle between the blade and stone of anywhere between twenty and thirty degrees. long even strokes across the stone, almost as if you were trying to slice off a very thin layer of stone. after many strokes alternating each side you should have a nice sharp edge.
you should be able to find a hard arkansas stone and some honing oil at a gun shop or army-navy store.
keep a band aid close.

[Hugh R]

Buck makes a three stone set up which is pretty nice. Use a light oil. Finish with a ceramic rod. Don't roll the blade, hone cutting into the blade only, not backwards.

[ramonesfreak]

its not collectible. 6 years old
this is the knife
http://www.couteaux-berthier.com/boutique_us/fiche_produit.cfm?type=22&ref=8642&code_lg=lg_us&pag=1&num=201

ok, so the technique i used as a kid is still the way to do it i guess. ill check out the buck kit

ive never used a rod however..not sure about that technique

[Dixie]

The knives on corkscrews are supposed to be dull. They're for cutting foil, not for woodworking...

[pwd72s]

For my pocket & hunting knives, I use an Arkansas oilstone that I purchased years ago. For the kitchen knifes, I use the steel that came with them.

Both work well.

Wow! I didn't know that Laguiole knives were so prized. My friend in France sent one as a gift...kind of the same size as the original Buck Folding hunter.

Hugh describes the proper oilstone technique...for pocket knives, I use a 20 degree angle...

[vash]

i let a pro do my sharpening. once a year. the steel just straigtens the edge for maintenence.

how sharp is that blade supposed to be? foil, and the occasional hunk of cheese? very nice corkscrew.

[ramonesfreak]

ok. good points. i hadnt thought about its intended purpose, i just assumed that like most knifes, it should be sharp

as it is now, it will slice cheese, or an apple, but it will not easily slice through the skin of a bell pepper. maybe i should just leave it alone for now

[RPKESQ]

This is not a knife where the primary role is that of a corkscrew. The primary role is that of a knife, the corkscrew is an additional secondary function on this knife. So the blade is supposed to be quite sharp. A 20 to 25 degree angle is correct for the purpose that this knife is designed for ( cutting food and soft food packaging).

Laguiole is very famous for their cutlery. It is of excellent design and manufacture.

[masraum]

These actually work really well. They help you maintain the same angle.

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/lansky/index.html

[126coupe]

I like this one, I think about $20.00 Its a WUSTHOF, Germany, no Made in China, what a shock

[svandamme]

i only sharpen my knives, on freshly powdered baby bottoms...

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

This is not a knife where the primary role is that of a corkscrew. The primary role is that of a knife, the corkscrew is an additional secondary function on this knife. So the blade is supposed to be quite sharp. A 20 to 25 degree angle is correct for the purpose that this knife is designed for ( cutting food and soft food packaging).

Laguiole is very famous for their cutlery. It is of excellent design and manufacture.

Now that I know...I'll still use my old Schrade as a hunting knife. Jean-Luc sent the Languoie after I'd sent him a Leatherman wave. Looks like I got the better end of the deal. Well, I did manage to find a '60 roadster for him.

(edit) ScoTT...too bad you live on the wrong coast...I'd be glad to teach you the proper use of an Arkansas oil stone...once you learn, other methods pale...

[vash]

hate to disagree, but nothing beats a pro with power tools.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by vash

hate to disagree, but nothing beats a pro with power tools.

There's the answer...are you one of these pros? Perhaps ScoTT should send his knife to you. If you're not one of these pros, perhaps you could suggest one?

[onlycafe]

my sister had a set of nice wusthof knives RUINED by a "pro with power tools".
please do not let anyone near your knives with a grinding wheel.

[Flatbutt1]

I use an Arkansas whetstone. But it is tough keeping the angle constant without a jig.

[Jays72T]

Depends on the knife but I'm w/ Vash, use a pro. I have my kitchen knives shrapened by an old pro at sharpening and they come back sharp enough to circumcise a gnat.....

Check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9XUL0KbBNM

[Hugh R]

No "Pros" with power tools. You'll get it sharp, but if you keep using them, you won't have any steel left on your knives. Hand sharpen with a honing stone. Now if you own a deli or something, and they're just tools that you use up. Well that's different.

[vash]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

There's the answer...are you one of these pros? Perhaps ScoTT should send his knife to you. If you're not one of these pros, perhaps you could suggest one?

nope not a pro here. all i am good for is aligning the cutting edge. a good knife shop removes material. they use a modified belt sander or something. then they use a polishing wheel. they charge a dollar an inch. i get all my hunting knives and kitchen tools done cheap, and once a year. i hardly pay a thing, because all my knives i bought from the pro shop get a free sharpening, once a year.

now if i get a japanese sushi blade, i am DIYing that sucker. i dont know many pro shops that do one side sharpening.