Helping friends with their kitchen knives

I have a couple of friends who like good knives but can’t sharpen them to save their lives. Some it is hand tremmers others it is a lack of dexterity. Every so often they will bring them over and while we talk and have a beverage or they help me with something I need help with or just suck at, I will sharpen their knives. Even their cheap kitchen knives their wives abuse. It is more about hanging out while sharpening for them.
 
Tjstampa said:
I have a couple of friends who like good knives but can’t sharpen them to save their lives. Some it is hand tremmers others it is a lack of dexterity. Every so often they will bring them over and while we talk and have a beverage or they help me with something I need help with or just suck at, I will sharpen their knives. Even their cheap kitchen knives their wives abuse. It is more about hanging out while sharpening for them.
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I need people like you! 🤣
 
I have sharpened knives for a number of people who went on to cut themselves. Almost a standard thing.
Now, if I do sharpen for people, I kill two birds with one stone (pun intended).
I get the knives pretty sharp on a medium coarse stone or sandpaper. Then, when it comes time to take the scratches out of the edge, I have a couple boards with thick leather glued onto them. One is charged with valve grinding compound and one with diamond paste. Valve grinding compound sinks into the leather and ends up less aggressive than you would think. Finishing the edge with these puts a small radius on the edge, of course.

I tell folks that I won't get their knives what I call sharp, but I'll get them sharper .
Finishing the edge like above will make the edge much more durable and also prevent cuts.
If the person seems fairly responsible, I'll finish with a small secondary edge on the radius.
 
A set of 'wedding gift knives' that my wife's sister received years ago, wood handle, no name but are in a block, the large 'chef' knife if you insert it spine down, exposes about 3/4" of the blade out the bottom, ask me how I know :confused:
The steel, as I had imagined, is quite soft making removing the burr an ordeal at best. I was able to get them sharp-er but I warned them that they probably won't stay that way very long. They had the set for about 35 years and never had them sharpened during that time, so they were quite quite dull.

They are not knife people, while her husband hunts and understands how to sharpen, he just never tried to sharpen those longer bladed kitchen knives.

BUT, it's family and so I helped them as best I could but also recommended that they ditch the set and buy something a bit better, about anything would be better...
G2
 
Many of those sets are terrible. I helped my daughter's friend with her set and paused while I waited for an inexpensive x/course from DMT so that I didn't put so much wear on my course plate. I'm surprised the public hasn't tired of this new junk. It's also amazing how so many folks never sharpen their knives.
 
I don't try to sharpen other peoples kitchen knives. Most are not very good quality and I am not sure they would appreciate the gesture. If I knew they would appreciate it then I would do it.
 
Whether people appreciate something, whether it’s pulling their sedan out of a snowbank with your work truck, catching their dog that got loose, or opening a door for a pretty girl, is mostly a crap shoot.

I try to look beyond their appreciation or lack thereof, and ask myself, “Is it the right thing to do?” The a$$ end of a car sticking into the road is a hazard to navigation. A loose dog running around chasing other peoples livestock is going to get shot. A girl who gets offended by my opening a door is a good reminder that beauty is only a fortunate convergence of chromosomes.

Yeah, I sharpen peoples’ crappy knives. I tell them, Getting it sharp is up to me, how long it stays sharp is up to you.”

They are how they are, and they do what they do. Nothing I can do or say will put a scratch on that. But once in a while, a friend I sharpened for will say, “Hey man, you gotta see my new (better) knife! Will you sharpen it for me?”

That always gives me a grin.

Parker
 
The problem with things like this is having the ability to let go... it's really tempting to want to explain things in great detail in order to convey a good understanding to the person you're doing the favor for.

It's like when you go to tinker with a friend's computer. I find that I always end up chewing the person's ear off about how things work, what's wrong and what they're probably doing wrong, and what they should do. And I know that in their head they're thinking "Oh my gawd, I literally don't care; I just want it to do the things I want."

I think it's the same with sharpening someone else's knives. Literally all they're thinking is "I just want it sharp so it cuts things good". The temptation is always to give them a lecture and try to teach them stuff. They literally don't care though. It's a knife. It cuts things. It's either sharp or dull. Sharp good. Dull bad.

🤷‍♂️
 
I would sharpen our Pastor's wife's knives and show her how to use the steel I gave them. Then one day he asked me to sharpen his filet knife. He'd tried himself and never got the results he wanted. So I showed him how to use the tools he had properly. Now he can get his own filet knife sharp and enjoy a sharp knife. I hope he is touching up her knives now also. Every once in a while I'll tell many of them to just drop them off. I've given alot of kitchen knives away to a few members. Every once in a while I get the shoe box full to touch up. For me, it is relaxing and enjoyable to sharpen them. You'd think in time everyone would want a sharp knife but they just seem to make due with what they have.
 
Very good of you to help out like that, I'm sure they appreciate it a great deal ! When I stopped in to collect her block of knives I asked if she had one she favoured the most and it was her paring knife she used all the time and boy that was flat out dull, the edge was nonexistent so much that it looked like the spine of the knife. I brought along my WorkSharp guided field sharpener so I wouldn't leave her knife-less and she said that after she agreed to have me sharpen her knives it struck her that she'd be without a knife so she was very glad that I brought along something to sharpen her favourite one so she would have a knife on hand. When I took the sharpener out of my jacket, I showed her husband it and suggested it might be a handy thing to have and he said 'oh yeah, I have one like that' hmmm lol ok
Not every one will see the need to sharpen knives like us folks on a knife forum, it's in our DNA and courses through our veins.
G2
 
In deciding whether or not to sharpen someone else's knives I ask myself- am I truly helping someone, or am I just doing someone else's "chores" because they're too lazy to do it, or lean how to do it themselves?

Here is a basic list of people I will sharpen knives for-

Women I want to sleep with (or continue sleeping with).
Adult female family members who I know have no interest in learning to sharpen.
Adult female friends who I know have no interest in learning how to sharpen.
The elderly.
The disabled.

Of course their are limits. I'll sharpen a few knives for someone to fulfill basic knife needs, but I'm not going to sharpen every knife they've ever owned. Sharpening takes time, especially on heavily used/abused knives, I don't own any power sharpening equipment, and I have other things to do with my time.

Here are the people I will NEVER sharpen knives for-

Young, able bodied people, family or otherwise.
Adult, able-bodied men, family or otherwise.

I will however take the time to teach anyone to sharpen their own knives if they really want to learn. I'll even lend them some of my old, used sharpening hones. But if an able-bodied male or young person isn't willing to learn when I'm willing to teach them, screw em, as far as I'm concerned they don't deserve sharp knives.

I look upon an able-bodied young person, or able bodied adult male handing me their knives and asking me to sharpen them the same way I would look upon them handing me a bucket and towel and asking me to wash their car for them, or handing me a new oil filter and asking me to change the oil in their car. Nope, I won't do their chores for them (I will teach them how to change their own oil).

But that's me.
 
killgar said:
...Here are the people I will NEVER sharpen knives for-

Young, able bodied people, family or otherwise.
Adult, able-bodied men, family or otherwise...
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I have found that if able-bodied folks understand the sacred trust to return all favors in spades, sharpening can be an outstanding barter tool. Most folks don't know how easy it is, so you can often get good value in return.

If someone doesn't know how to sharpen, I'll bet they know how to braze pipe, or do some other task that I have never learned to perform. Maybe I need an airport pickup, or I need to borrow something. Favors between right-thinking persons are like paper currency. Not as convenient, but easily negotiable.
 
Khromo said:
I have found that if able-bodied folks understand the sacred trust to return all favors in spades, sharpening can be an outstanding barter tool. Most folks don't know how easy it is, so you can often get good value in return.

If someone doesn't know how to sharpen, I'll bet they know how to braze pipe, or do some other task that I have never learned to perform. Maybe I need an airport pickup, or I need to borrow something. Favors between right-thinking persons are like paper currency. Not as convenient, but easily negotiable.
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I stopped trading favors long ago. Trying to keep track of who owed who what favors, or how many favors, or who did the other the last favor, just became a hassle. So I started a new personal policy- if I do something for someone, I do it with no expectation whatsoever of receiving anything in return. And I'm good with that.

I had a friend/coworker, and anytime I did something for her she would say "Ok, now I owe you something". And I HATED that. I hated that if I did something nice for her that she automatically felt obligated to pay me back, which is not why I did it. It made me not want to do things for her. Finally, after the last time she said it I told her "No. Friends don't owe friends".

And that's my philosophy when it comes to family and friends. If I do something for them, I do it solely because they are family or a friend, not because I hope to ever get something in return. The thought of ever getting anything in return never occurs to me. The idea of owing a friend or family member, or them owing me, isn't my idea of friends and family.

As far as bartering skills, frankly, I can't think of anything anyone would do in exchange for knife sharpening that I can't do for myself, or that I couldn't easily learn to do for myself off the internet. I come from a family where we were expected to be self-reliant and not depend on others.

I don't want anyone feeling obligated to me, and I don't want to be obligated to anyone. If I need to get picked up at the airport, I can always use Uber or take a cab. ;)

But again, that's me :).
 
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In the same situation I sharpened them on my belt sander then a few passes on my coarse diamond stone.

Done in 5 minutes.

They were happy with the results.

I figure 2 things could have happened. Either they don’t know any better and will be happy.

Or they don’t like the results and won’t ask again. Either way it’s a win.
 
Honestly, I wouldn't waste my stones on crap steel. Stones wear out too. Is it really worth it?
 
I'd just direct them to some cheap pull-through sharpeners for their crap knives
 
Long ago when I had a Loray and then a Lansky, I'd sharpen another worker's Buck 110. He'd tried and got nowhere. So, I kept a good edge on it because I enjoyed that and we got along well together at work. Then one day I decided to put a garden in. He said, let me help you with that and came over with his Dad's new garden tiller. He tilled me up a huge garden and was glad to do it, just as I was always glad to help him. Helping comes from the heart and is freely given. So, when someone has been helping you in whatever way and you hear they can't sharpen knives for whatever reason, I am glad to be able to help them with something. Especially something I enjoy doing. If you turn this into a law of obligation, it takes the joy out of it.
 
There are a hand full of friends that I will sharpen knives for them. They do know how to properly use and care for their knives. I will often sharpen other's knives if I have to use them.

My son scored big points with his in laws by sharpening their knives and keeping them sharp.
 
killgar said:
In deciding whether or not to sharpen someone else's knives I ask myself- am I truly helping someone, or am I just doing someone else's "chores" because they're too lazy to do it, or lean how to do it themselves?

Here is a basic list of people I will sharpen knives for-

Women I want to sleep with (or continue sleeping with).
Adult female family members who I know have no interest in learning to sharpen.
Adult female friends who I know have no interest in learning how to sharpen.
The elderly.
The disabled.

Of course their are limits. I'll sharpen a few knives for someone to fulfill basic knife needs, but I'm not going to sharpen every knife they've ever owned. Sharpening takes time, especially on heavily used/abused knives, I don't own any power sharpening equipment, and I have other things to do with my time.

Here are the people I will NEVER sharpen knives for-

Young, able bodied people, family or otherwise.
Adult, able-bodied men, family or otherwise.

I will however take the time to teach anyone to sharpen their own knives if they really want to learn. I'll even lend them some of my old, used sharpening hones. But if an able-bodied male or young person isn't willing to learn when I'm willing to teach them, screw em, as far as I'm concerned they don't deserve sharp knives.

I look upon an able-bodied young person, or able bodied adult male handing me their knives and asking me to sharpen them the same way I would look upon them handing me a bucket and towel and asking me to wash their car for them, or handing me a new oil filter and asking me to change the oil in their car. Nope, I won't do their chores for them (I will teach them how to change their own oil).

But that's me.
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You left out people who are too busy and don't have the time to get everything done. When someone has needs that they don't have the time to tend to, it's a nice thing to do to step in and help them out once in a while, as long they don't become dependent on you. If something is worth doing then eventually you will find a way to make the time to do it. It's just that life is sometimes hectic.

It's nice in general to do a thing or two for someone even if they never asked, and it could be anything. Taking a few extra minutes to shovel snow in your neighbor's driveway after you get done with yours, or pulling their empty bins over and away from the curb, for example. It's just a simple thing to do and it doesn't require any thanks or acknowledgement from them. You can just do it. But I may be biased by my local culture. Here we all do simple things like holding the door for each other even though opening doors is a simple easy thing and it doesn't normally require somebody to do it for you. It's just a friendly gesture to a stranger and it shouldn't be a big deal, and 99.99% of the time it isn't. You just do it, give a friendly nod, and move on with your day.
 
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