A dull tool is a dangerous tool daddy used to tell me. And, he
was right. Most times that I have cut myself while cleaning fish
or just plain using a knife, was because the knife had lost its
edge. I forced it.
With today's advanced sharpening devices, honing your fishing,
filet, or pocket knife can actually be fun. It is no longer a
tedious job. Some of the new sharpening implements on the market
are a combination of natural materials and synthetics. The new
blade metals are even more interesting and durable they hold
an edge for a few years and then can be discarded.
My favorite sharpening device is one that my son gave to me for
Christmas about fifteen years ago. It came in a wooden box with
the name Hoffritz on it. When you take the cover off, the tool
sits in the lower half of the box. Its a manufactured plastic
form 6 x 2. As you look at the top, you see a thin sheet of
metal with hundreds of eighth inch holes. The next layer is a
combination of man-made materials plus industrial diamond dust.
But, any good sharpening stone will give you almost the same
results.
Begin by wetting the top layer and proceed to use the basic
sharpening technique of stroking or pushing your blade away from
yourself. Think of cutting a slice off of the stone. This
technique is used for a knife that is badly in need of
sharpening. The blade should be held at about a 10 -15° angle.
Make two or three of these cuts. Then flip the blade over and do
the same thing coming toward yourself. Caution Here: These
strokes can be dangerous.
As a final, repeat the direction of honing, but this time
instead of using straight cuts, use light circular motions with
very little pressure. Now rinse the sharpening apparatus
We next come to the part of sharpening that separates the super
sharp blade from the sharp blade. |
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If you take your thumb and slide it up the side of the knife
blade toward the cutting edge, you'll feel a very, very minute
burr on one of the two sides. This burr is most often not
visible. The reason it is there is because when you made that
final stroke on either the right or left side of the blade, you
were pushing the metal over to the other side of the blade. If
you want a better explanation of this, get a very strong
magnifying glass and look at the blade under a very bright
light. You can then see this burr or turned over edge.
In most cases, the average person just leaves that edge the way
it is. But, for the real pro, this is when the steel or strop
comes into play. The steel, the rat tail file looking item, is
used. It has miniature teeth or grooves on it. You gently bring
the blade back toward yourself using alternate sides of the
blade. This procedure will do two things.
If it is done gently enough, that burr will be removed.
If done often, those minute grooves or hatchings will keep
your blade sharp for a long time.
As a very final, for the person that wants that razor edge,
strop that knife blade. Remember those pictures from the 1920s
showing a barber running the cutting edges of the razor across a
wide belt like leather strap? This technique removes the fine
burr from knife blades also. The key is to stroke away from the
edge of the blade. In fact, some go from stone to strop skipping
the steel step. They say that the strop gives a smoother finish
than the steel the coup de grβce.
A strop is easily made. I made mine by cutting a 10 long
section from a 1.5 wide belt. That was glued to a 1.5 x 3 x 15
piece of piece of wood. Imagine a paint stirrer. I then formed a
handle. Unbelievably, after 20 years, it still gives that final
touch
Now when you filet that fish, be super careful. You won't have
to force your razor sharp blade; it will cut almost on its own.
Good filleting and good eating. |
