Wanting to try a Carbon Kitchen Knife

[Legion]

@cotedupy Any UK stones recommended as a finisher would be much appreciated. I thought of going down the Jnat rd but thought I’d try something else.

I have an Idwall I keep near the kitchen that I really like for finishing knives or touch ups.

Though my favourite at the moment is a little chunk of mystery novaculite that was picked up by @cotedupy near Penrhyn(?) in Wales. I've never seen a stone that looks quite like it once lapped, and it has the magical ability to improve just about every knife edge I put on it. It's remarkable.

 

[Bowmaker]

I have an Idwall I keep near the kitchen that I really like for finishing knives or touch ups.

Though my favourite at the moment is a little chunk of mystery novaculite that was picked up by @cotedupy near Penrhyn(?) in Wales. I've never seen a stone that looks quite like it once lapped, and it has the magical ability to improve just about every knife edge I put on it. It's remarkable.

I also have an Idwall that I really like for knifes. It's not a slow stone, to coarse to finish a razor.

 

[Legion]

I also have an Idwall that I really like for knifes. It's not a slow stone, to coarse to finish a razor.

I actually can't remember if I ever tried my kitchen knife one on a razor, now I think about it. I tried it with knives first, really liked it, so it just stayed with all the knife gear.

 

[Gamma]

My Chicago Cutlery chefs knife and pairing knife are fantastic,

I have 3 CC knives, one is an 8" Chef Knife - no bolster/guard, it's excellent.
Sharpens easy. Holds edges very well. I have nicer knives in the kitchen but I use that one a lot.

And contrary to what the KFF wizards have to say, when sharpening it the burr comes up easy and removes easy and the work is quick and the edge is fine.

Some stainless is miserable on the stones, sure. Some Carbon Steel is pretty sketchy also.

@ebonysw45

I've had more than a couple softer/coarser Charns and Idwals that served well in the kitchen also.
The kitchen is where slate stones do well enough for me, Dragon's Tongue for example.
BBW....Coticules...all good

If I need to do any heavy lifting, I might grab a Binsui or an Amakusa; but more often than not I'll grab a 200-600x synth.

A lotta Jnats do very well when sharpening general purpose double bevel kitchen knives.
The speed thing is irrelevant. Sometimes slower is better. Depends on factors not seen right here right now.
I use a Binsui often in the kitchen. Not for everything but it sees action often enough with both western and Japanese knives too.
If all I had was that Binsui I'd be ok I think.

 

[ebonysw45]

Thanks for the recommendations. I will keep my eyes open for a larger specimen.

 

[cotedupy]

I have an Idwall I keep near the kitchen that I really like for finishing knives or touch ups.

Though my favourite at the moment is a little chunk of mystery novaculite that was picked up by @cotedupy near Penrhyn(?) in Wales. I've never seen a stone that looks quite like it once lapped, and it has the magical ability to improve just about every knife edge I put on it. It's remarkable.

Ah yeah, fair point. Certain Idwals and Charnleys could probably be included.

Glad you like the stone! That's a Penrhiw Hone, basically a type of Idwal from a quarry SW of Snowdon. (Penrhyn in slate quarry north of Snowdon.)

 

[Legion]

Ah yeah, fair point. Certain Idwals and Charnleys could probably be included.

Glad you like the stone! That's a Penrhiw Hone, basically a type of Idwal from a quarry SW of Snowdon. (Penrhyn in slate quarry north of Snowdon.)

My mistake, I can't keep track of all that Welsh.

Dude, go back with a wheel barrow and try to find all the ones that look like the one you sent to me. It was a bit of a pest to get clear of bad inclusions, but it works so well it is well worth it.

Tried it with all sorts of knives and it is a winner.

 

[cotedupy]

Dude, go back with a wheel barrow and try to find all the ones that look like the one you sent to me. It was a bit of a pest to get clear of bad inclusions, but it works so well it is well worth it.

Tried it with all sorts of knives and it is a winner.

Yeah I've been really impressed with them, I wasn't just saying it cos it was such a ballache to try to find the quarry. It's a first rate whetstone, right up there with the best Grecians I've had, maybe even better.

(Also - probably wouldn't have bothered sending it if I wasn't fairly confident you'd like. And I know you have good taste!)

 

[Legion]

Yeah I've been really impressed with them, I wasn't just saying it cos it was such a ballache to try to find the quarry. It's a first rate whetstone, right up there with the best Grecians I've had, maybe even better.

(Also - probably wouldn't have bothered sending it if I wasn't fairly confident you'd like. And I know you have good taste!)

I appreciate your efforts, and after so much lapping I would have been very cross if it was a dud.

I liked it so much I carved it a little wooden stand.

 

[Gamma]

"I don't think anyone could reasonably argue with this statement."

Disagreeing based on personal experience over more decades than I care to count is absolutely reasonable.

What I've experienced is something else, and my experiences are certainly not unique.

I have owned, used and sharpened SS that would burr easily, deburr easily, and get very sharp just as easily as carbon steel.
There has been some difficulty with some SS but it wasn't burr related.

 

[Empire straights]

I have an Idwall I keep near the kitchen that I really like for finishing knives or touch ups.

Though my favourite at the moment is a little chunk of mystery novaculite that was picked up by @cotedupy near Penrhyn(?) in Wales. I've never seen a stone that looks quite like it once lapped, and it has the magical ability to improve just about every knife edge I put on it. It's remarkable.

Can I have a picture, please good sir?

 

[Empire straights]

I also have an Idwall that I really like for knifes. It's not a slow stone, to coarse to finish a razor.

I got one of those cream and green swirly ones like @cotedupy (thought I'd bought it from him at first) that's coarse(about 1k-3k I'd guess but I only use naturals so I'm not a great judge) and it leave an insanely toothy edge on knobs that are very very aggressive by still fine enough to do quarter butchering with, without using pressure at all. Very good stones. I'll never sell mine and I'll haunt my kids if they do.

 

[Legion]

Can I have a picture, please good sir?

This is the Idwal in question. Maybe a Grecian? Not sure.

 

[JPO]

I'm looking for suggestions on a carbon kitchen knife. Nothing fancy just something half decent to try it out. Second hand would be ok too.

After my experience with straight razors, I've lost my fear of carbon steel. I'd like to see if I'm able to put a better edge on a high carbon knife. I also suspect that these knives will respond better to my natural knife finishers. The trouble is that everything in the shops seems to be stainless these days. Western style is prefered but I'm happy to try a Japanese style if someone can explain how to hone the asymmetrical edge.

I would also like to try a carbon kitchen knife at some stage. However, after getting to know the cheap stainless steel i do have well, i do find it works really well on most natural stones.
If i just avoid the temptation to create a big burr i usually don't have any issues removing it on stainless steel, or carbon steel.
I have never understood the need to create a big burr. By the time you have removed it, after flipping it several times you have introduced too much edge fatigue. If you overworked the steel it really does not matter if you have the best steel in the world.
Different synthetic stones also creates different burr's. So, having stones that work well with a certain type of steel is also important.

It is easier for me to sharpen my knifes frequently then it is to teach my family members how to threat a knife. The carbon steel knifes i have also have a tendency to chip easier. That is really not something i like to deal with. It is much easier to fix a rolled edge then to take out chips.

 

[cotedupy]

This is the Idwal in question. Maybe a Grecian? Not sure.

View attachment 1716474

Mmm... yep, I'd say that does look very Grecian-like to me. Doesn't surprise me at all that's a good knife stone.

I appreciate your efforts, and after so much lapping I would have been very cross if it was a dud.

I liked it so much I carved it a little wooden stand.

View attachment 1715576

Well that's feckin AWESOME isn't it!

Superb stuff.