Knifemen, knifewomen, downvoters, upvoters, it's time to update you on the salvation of this kitchen knife. Mr. McKay, based knife sharpener, did the best he could do to restore the edge to something like symmetry. I expected a salty comment or two on the topic when I picked it up, however, he did not offer any, only a pitying silence as he gave me a meticulously handwritten receipt. Yet, his silence was full of kindness. Cost: $4.00 USD Many have asked, how did I achieve the ragged edge seen in my previous post? I wish I had a better answer for you, except that I used a shitty Coghlan's sharpener that was probably full of metal filings and dirt. That one is going in the trash. Any suggestions for buying a beginner's sharpener for $30.00 or $40.00 ? I don't know how to use a file or a stone.
The Work Sharp Benchstone Sharpener. You do not need oil or water, as it uses diamond plates, and will be good for a huge variety of knives. Work Sharp has a lot of tutorial videos on YouTube.
This kitchen knife is toast. It's not coming back to anything resembling a working knife. Mr. McKay should have tried re-profiling the knife instead of sharpening that wavy edge.
It would be better to practice hand sharpening with it before sending it to the recycling bin.
Replacing it would be cheapest, but the visible damage is not deep. It doesn’t have any severe chips and doesn’t appear badly bent. The frown at the heel is typical, usually seen on full bolstered knives. That needs to come down and then it needs to be reprofiled to establish a fresh, straight edge. After that, sharpened as usual.
I could have it back to working knife inside maybe fifteen minutes with a brick, a good slow belt sander, and paper wheels. With a brick alone, a good coarse stone, and some elbow grease, maybe an hour.
If this knife is toast, it’s because of a lack of knowledge, experience, equipment, or willingness to put in the work.
I didn't ask him to re-profile it, so that's not on him.
Right, I get that. I guess what I'm saying here is that he should have talked to you about how sharpening isn't the correct choice here and instead offered to re-profile it.
Regardless, after you use it for practice, put it in a shadowbox and stick it on a wall as a reminder of how to not treat knives! 🤪