cjy@ihuxi.UUCP (06/15/83)
Normally I sharpen the whole knife drawer at once. I set up the stones in my workshop in the following way..... 1 Coarse stone - for removing severe knicks in the blade 2 Fine stone - for putting the initial ( or final ) edge on the knife 3 Arkansas hard stone - for putting the final razor sharp edge on knives capable of holding it. All stones are mounted in blocks of wood that are hollowed out to hold the stone and the blocks are clamped to my bench. I use oil to allow faster cutting ( automotive oil works very well ) so I wash the knives after sharpening. Starting with a stone of appropriate roughness ( gotta judge it ), you sharpen the knife until a "feather edge" appears on the opposite side. You then flip the knife over and sharpen away the feather edge away until it appears on the opposite side again ( with less magnitude ). Keep sharpening the knife until either the feather edge disappears or you need a finer stone to remove it. Test for sharpness by either slicing a sheet of paper or shaving some hairs from the back of your hand ( carefully!!!! ). To feel the "feather edge" move your thumb perpendicular to the edge of the knife. The feather edge will feel like a burr at the edge of the knife. The feather edge must appear along the whole edge of the knife before sharpening the other side. Feeling this edge becomes increasingly difficult as the knife gets sharper. With practice, one can sharpen about 10 to 12 knives per hour. Enjoy! Chuck Young at ihuxi!cjy