Adam's striking knife response

Reflections on good versus great kitchen knives...

Jonathan Kaplan (OR)

>I use "ordinary" stainless steal kitchen knives (Henkles, mostly, but some Global); I know that I could get a sharper edge w/ one of the high-carbon or laminated knives, but it would mean having to wash the dry the knife immediately after use, and I'm just not willing to do that...

When I'm working in the kitchen, I'll often rinse my good knives and put them back on the cutting board w/o drying them, or move back and forth between different knives for different tasks, etc. So the ability to not worry about rust is important to me -- I've one rather old high-carbon chef's knife (it was my grandfather's) and while it takes and keeps a wicked sharp edge, I don't use it for much because it is a pain to take care of. Stainless I can leave wet for half an hour w/o worry, then was, dry, steel the blade and drop it back into the knife block w/o worrying about it.

Ah, well, sloppy habits and all that...

jk

Re: Reflections on good versus great kitchen knive *LINK*

Joel

>I do a lot of cooking. IMHO the most important thing about sharpening kitchen knives is technique. I highly recommend the video that that Korin (the url )below sells. It really made a difference in my technique. Korin is where all the chefs in NYC get their knives and the stuff is amazing. They also sell everything you need to open a Japanese resturant.


Korin

Re: Ellis!

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I cannot gaurantee I can make it to the chat, nor can I guarantee I can turn on the archive feature even if I do make it, since I will probably be using a computer and network connection that I've never seen before, much less flown. I think this event should be as worthy of preservation for posterity as any WC chat. If you can get someone to turn on the recording function, I will will be more than happy to edit the results into something both coherent and "G" rated (�he said with an evil snicker).

Since I have met both of these knuckle draggers face to face, and they were both armed with veritable arsenals of incredibly sharp weaponry at the times, all I can say is it probably a good thing that the internet can bring them together, yet keep them at keyboards' length, and not within "striking" distance of each other :^)

But WAIT!! ;-)

Dan Donaldson

>

I'll be there

Ellis Walentine

>I can also tell you how to turn on moderation. I may have already given you your password. Anyhow, I'll get back to you next week about it.

It will be a night to remember, I'm sure.

Best,

Ellis

Re: Adam's striking knife response

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>Seems I inadvertantly started a small storm. Why should today be any different :-)

Anyway, I forgot to mention that I have the top one of these tools in the image. It has a flat back. Actually a slight correction, it has a concave back much like a Japanese chisel.

Unfortunately I missed the chat. The timing is all wrong for Eastern Australia and probably for all our possesions for that matter. So I missed the content that forms the context to this thread.

Anyway; Do I use this like a pen? No. I use it like a regular knife at the dinner table. That is, the right index finger sits on the top of the handle. The back of the knife rides against the rule or guiding edge in use.

The only problem I have found is the knife can be too sharp!!! How, I hear you ask. I actually cut a steel shaving from a rule. It was nice and curly too !!!!!!!!!!

Not missed - Chat is to be 0230Z 22 Feb 05

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>

Re: I'll be there

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>You already told me how to do it, and have turned on Moderator functions for me. I have the involved instructions saved for future reference. The problem is this is the first time I felt like I might need them since I got the "tool set", and I'll be away from the computer I'm friendly with. All you need to do is save the chat log, I'll find them later and edit them into coherency.

I was waiting

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>for Professor Duffield to respond to Ellis' straight line. Sir W, once you figure out how to turn on moderation, will you let me know? I've got a relative whose switch seems to be stuck on "off," and it'd be nice to be able to turn it back on.

But I suppose you were talking about a role in the chat room instead...dang.

Re: I was waiting

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Oh! So he was talking about that kind of moderation. Nope, never been there, never done that, and if I had, I sure don't remember.

0230Z 22 Feb 05 is 1530 Feb 6

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>Sorry, prime shift for me but thanks anyway.

Uh!! I meant 23 1530 Feb 05

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>

Right! I forgot it moved across midnight!

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>

Re: Adam's striking knife response

paul womack

>How, I hear you ask. I actually cut a steel shaving from a rule. It was nice and curly too

This is quite a common experience, with many kinds of knives. I use a micro (and I mean tiny) bevel on the "flat" side to prevent this. The bevel is waaay too small to introduce any kind of marking error, but is enough to protect the guide.

BugBear

Re: ideas never die...

paul womack

>I don't know when the striking knife "secret" was lost, but this 1935 catalogue lists 3 variations in 1935. I have an army surplus striking knife that is dated quite late (IIRC). I'll check tonight.

Rose Antiques Buck & Hickman Catalogue, 1935

The point about a saw "finding" the knife line is backed up (and nicely illustrated) on Jeff Gorman's site

Finally, the bring the square to the knife trick works just as well with a pencil, even a blunt pencil. I've even used it (perversely) with a mondo thick carpenter's pencil. The essence of the technique remains; it's much easier to place you marking implement right where it needs to be that to judge where your rule/square needs to be. THe trick, if anything, is even more helpful with a thick pencil, since other wise you need to guess how big the offset needs to be from the edge of the rule to the actualy mark made.

Kudos to Adam for bringing these ideas to a wider audience.

BugBear

Try a ceramic

Jim Reed @Tallahassee

>kitchen knife. They take a good edge and do not react with acidic foods.

Re: Try a ceramic

Joel

>They chip and don't get as sharp as a top class knive (but the main problem is chipping)

Thanks, Joel

Ted Owen, Pittsburgh

>Looks like a great site.

And...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>The tip can break off if accidentally dropped to the floor. DAMHIKT

Re: ideas never die...

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Yes, I've done it with pencils, too, pretty cool technique.

Pam, who owes it all to Kingshott videos and Jeff Gorman's web site, to say nothing of all the cogniscenti here

Re: Striking knives in England

paul womack

>I haven't checked all my references, since my books are currently boxed up.

However, every old catalogue I looked in lists striking knives. Preston lists 3 grades; chisel ended, "normal", and with scale handles (at 3 times the price). I suspect the prevalance of the non-handled variety is therefore due to price, not preferance. The same catalogues also list pricking and marking awls, as well as marking knives.

When was the marking knife "secret" lost? I don't know; I seem to remember them being listed in an Axminster Power Tools catalogue in the 80's, but I can'd get at that catalogue at the moment.

However, the shortest knife in the picture was made by W.H. Clay and is stamped 1974. For the British Army - not exactly re-enactors!

BugBear