With over 50 years in
business, the staff at Northwestern Cutlery are truly experts in the art of
knife sharpening. Fine cutlery can be easily maintained with the proper use of
sharpening steels and stones but only for a period of time. In order to ensure a
lifetime of quality performance in your knife, professional sharpening is also
highly recommended.
Our aim is to restore or even improve upon the manufacturers
original edge. We use a series of belts, buffers and stones to recreate the
sharpness you expect from high end cutlery. We also use water cooled grindstones
for heavier work. This would include stock removal to repair damaged or out of
shape knives and for thinning out knives that become to thick over time.
We also sharpen scissors, chisels and garden
tools (prices vary). When sending us your knives please also fill-out and
enclose the Sharpening
Request Form or call us toll-free for more information:
1-888-248-4449.
When selecting products for use at home, you can follow a few helpful tips.
Sharpening Steels
Sharpening steels
are used to keep your knife sharp. They are not meant to sharpen dull knives.
Use your steel often enough to maintain the sharpness but you don't want to over
do it either. Excessive use of the steel will wear out a knife before it's time.
When you
feel the knife is not cutting like it should, give the knife a few light strokes
on the steel. If you are consistent with the angle that should be all it
needs. Consistency is the key here. Go slowly so you can better control
the knife. You can always use more strokes or apply more pressure but less is
better.
High quality
knives such as Mac, Misono & Shun come with very fine, highly polished
edges. In order to maintain this type of edge, you need a steel just as fine. Using
a regular cut steel that most manufacturers sell with their sets will keep the
knife sharp but you will never have that same sharpness as when the knife was
new. Therefore you will become disappointed with it.
Sharpening Stones
Eventually,
steeling the knife will cause the blade to become to thick to effectively
maintain an edge. When it does a stone is used to thin the knife out so a new
edge can be put on the knife.
Begin with an Oil
stone. Oil stones are harder and work faster removing stock. We use our oil
stones dry and only use the oil for cleaning. There are course water stones but
they are softer and wear much faster.
After the edge has
been thinned out you will notice that the course stone has left deep scratches
in the knife. The rest of the process is simply a matter of polishing out those
scratches until you reach your desired finish. Water stones are typically used
for the final stages. I like to use the Norton India Combination Stone to start
and then move to the Norton 1000 Water Stone. You can go as high as an 8000 grit
water stone.
If you would like more detail of the sharpening process, Norton has produced
an instructional DVD for Water Stones and one for Oil Stones.
