What do you Global knife owners out there use to sharpen these knives? I
have the G-4, which is ground on both sides, and the GS-4 and G-11, which
are both right-handed, and only ground on the right.

Many thanks,
Juan

P.S. There were many great responses to my earlier post on sharpening
knives in general. Thanks for those, but here I'm referring specifically to
Global (or similar) knives...

"Juan Valdez" > wrote in message
. ..
> What do you Global knife owners out there use to sharpen these knives? I
> have the G-4, which is ground on both sides, and the GS-4 and G-11, which
> are both right-handed, and only ground on the right.
>
> Many thanks,
> Juan
>
> P.S. There were many great responses to my earlier post on sharpening
> knives in general. Thanks for those, but here I'm referring specifically
to
> Global (or similar) knives...
>

I have never used Global knives but I would bet dollars to donuts that they
are all ground on both sides. Every "one-sided" knife I have ever seen,
mostly Japanese ones, may be beveled on just one side but the edge is most
certainly ground on both sides. I do not see how you could get it sharp
otherwise. In other words, one side of the knive may be perfectly flat - the
left side for right-handed knives - but the final half millimeter or so is
honed just like any other knife. I do not see why you would need any special
tools to sharpen them - just a good whetstone and a steady hand.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

> I have never used Global knives but I would bet dollars to donuts that
they
> are all ground on both sides. Every "one-sided" knife I have ever seen,
> mostly Japanese ones, may be beveled on just one side but the edge is most
> certainly ground on both sides. I do not see how you could get it sharp
> otherwise. In other words, one side of the knive may be perfectly flat -
the
> left side for right-handed knives - but the final half millimeter or so is
> honed just like any other knife.

Well, actually I should be receiving the two right-handed knives today, so I
will take a look and let you know. (I see your point, though.)



> I do not see why you would need any special
> tools to sharpen them - just a good whetstone and a steady hand.

How does a whetstone differ (in sharpening method and capability, not shape)
from a ceramic "steel"?

Thanks,
Juan

"Juan Valdez" > wrote in message
m...
> > I have never used Global knives but I would bet dollars to donuts that
> they
> > are all ground on both sides. Every "one-sided" knife I have ever seen,
> > mostly Japanese ones, may be beveled on just one side but the edge is
most
> > certainly ground on both sides. I do not see how you could get it sharp
> > otherwise. In other words, one side of the knive may be perfectly flat -
> the
> > left side for right-handed knives - but the final half millimeter or so
is
> > honed just like any other knife.
>
> Well, actually I should be receiving the two right-handed knives today, so
I
> will take a look and let you know. (I see your point, though.)
>
>
>
> > I do not see why you would need any special
> > tools to sharpen them - just a good whetstone and a steady hand.
>
> How does a whetstone differ (in sharpening method and capability, not
shape)
> from a ceramic "steel"?
>
> Thanks,
> Juan
>

A whetstone is used to abrade metal from the edge of the knife. You wet the
whetstone with water or oil, depending on the type of stone, then hold the
knife at the proper angle - usually about 18 degrees for kitchen knives -
and push the edge along the stone, alternating sides every few strokes until
you have en edge. Note that a sharp edge if very thin and it can bend when
it hits bones, the cutting board, etc. THis is usually on a microscopic
level and cannot be seen. Obviously a bent edge will not cut as well. A
steel is designed to straighten the edge without actually removing any
metal, although a ceramic will remove a little metal while is straightens.
Most people recommend that you steel every time the knife is used - that is,
at the start of each cooking session - this takes only a few seconds. Then
you can limit the re-sharpening on the stone to every few months.

There are lots of sharpening resources on the web - try a google search or
ask in rec.food.equipment. Global knives have a very good reputation. If
these are the first high quality knives you have used I think you will be
very pleased. Note that they may cme with sharpening instructins, or try the
GLobal web site.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

> I have never used Global knives but I would bet dollars to donuts that
they
> are all ground on both sides. Every "one-sided" knife I have ever seen,
> mostly Japanese ones, may be beveled on just one side but the edge is most
> certainly ground on both sides. I do not see how you could get it sharp
> otherwise. In other words, one side of the knive may be perfectly flat -
the
> left side for right-handed knives - but the final half millimeter or so is
> honed just like any other knife.

You wagered dollars against my donuts? Pay up!

The RHS of the knife has a mild bevel for about a cm or so. The last 1.5 mm
has the final bevel which is at the greatest angle to the blade
(sorry...what's the word for the flat part?). On the LHS, I really can't
see any grind. If it's there, it's about the width of a hair.

Man, these suckers rock!

-Juan

"Juan Valdez" > wrote in message
...
> > I have never used Global knives but I would bet dollars to donuts that
> they
> > are all ground on both sides. Every "one-sided" knife I have ever seen,
> > mostly Japanese ones, may be beveled on just one side but the edge is
most
> > certainly ground on both sides. I do not see how you could get it sharp
> > otherwise. In other words, one side of the knive may be perfectly flat -
> the
> > left side for right-handed knives - but the final half millimeter or so
is
> > honed just like any other knife.
>
> You wagered dollars against my donuts? Pay up!
>
> The RHS of the knife has a mild bevel for about a cm or so. The last 1.5
mm
> has the final bevel which is at the greatest angle to the blade
> (sorry...what's the word for the flat part?). On the LHS, I really can't
> see any grind. If it's there, it's about the width of a hair.
>
> Man, these suckers rock!
>
> -Juan
>

Well, I bet it's there even if very thin! Enjoy your knives and may you
retain all your fingertips.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

An octopus has three hearts.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

> What do you Global knife owners out there use to sharpen these knives? I
> have the G-4, which is ground on both sides, and the GS-4 and G-11, which
> are both right-handed, and only ground on the right.

I don't own any Global knives, but I have lusted after them. As far as I
know, they use a harder steel than normal so an ordianary sharpening steel
may not be hard enough. A ceramic or diamond steel might be hard enough
though.

Waterstones are the way to go. A 1000/6000 grit stone should do for most
sharpening, and perhaps a coarser stone for when it gets really dull. These
will give a really good edge if used correctly, Its more like polishing than
sharpening the blade. The stones themselves are pretty soft, so its easy to
nick or scratch them. You should be able to find them in woodworking
catalogues or websites in any country.

To use a water stone, soak the stone in water for about ten to twenty
minutes, and then place it on a towel so that it stays on your worktop.
splash it with fresh water every few minutes while you are sharpening, so it
washes away the metal slivers that have been rubbed off and lubricates the
stone to make it easier to push the blade along. You will get a razor sharp
edge if you sharpen so the angle between the stone and the blade is small.
If you imagine the blade as having a "V" shaped cross section, the narrower
the "V", the sharper the edge, but it gets more prone to chipping then, so
there is a trade off between sharpness and strength.
The difference between using a stone and a steel isn't that much. try to use
a similar angle. The stone will be on the table, so hold the handle of the
knife in one hand and guide the blade with the other. As its usually going
to be a curved blade, make a curved sweep with the blade so that it comes in
contact with the whole edge.

I've never seen a single bevel knife, but I imagine that the whole
"unbeveled"
side is actually the bevel. If its perfectly flat, you can just put the
blade flat on the stone after sharpening the bevelled side, and take off
the burr. A 6000 grit stone will give
a near mirror finish. For the final sharpening you can use a small stone
called a Nagura. Rub this over the 6000 grit side a few times and the grit
from the Nagura will make it even finer for the last few passes.

John

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 10:00:43 -0700, "Juan Valdez"
> wrote:

>What do you Global knife owners out there use to sharpen these knives? I
>have the G-4, which is ground on both sides, and the GS-4 and G-11, which
>are both right-handed, and only ground on the right.
>
>Many thanks,
>Juan
>
>P.S. There were many great responses to my earlier post on sharpening
>knives in general. Thanks for those, but here I'm referring specifically to
>Global (or similar) knives...
>

FWIW, I use the same Japanese waterstones on my one Global knive that
I use on my various woodworking edged tools. It works just fine.
Something else might work as well or better, (ceramic, diamond, etc)
but since I have to have the waterstones for other tools, that's it
for me. If you have a single bevel knife, you may find that a
benchstone of some kind is easier to use since you should not use a
steel to reshape the edge. Someplace like woodworkerssupply.com will
carry double-faced waterstones with a choice of grits on opposing
faces. They also have a wide variety of other bench "stones". There
are some who swear by fine grit wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of 1/2"
thick float glass. I've used it to restore iron plane soles, so it
can work.

I am not really fond of my Global knife as it does not do anything any
better than the Japanese knives after which it is modeled and I do not
find the handle comfortable for prolonged use, but visitors seem to
love it and so it is always out when cooking for company. (It is also
a thin bladed sharp knife that I will let others use. My Japanese
knives are strictly for my use)

A mystic has built up around Global knives being sharpened to a more
acute angle than other knives, but it is untrue. Globals are
sharpened at the factory with a standard bevel of about 22 degrees,
followed by a coarse belt to round off the bevel transition, finally by
a fine belt to strop the cutting edge. You can definitely tell they
were belts or soft wheels because of the convex edge shape.

Global steel is harder than most kitchen knives, but not as hard as a
good custom knife. It is not difficult to sharpen with normal methods.

I sharpen Globals with a wet wheel, then hone and strop with paper
wheels. My wife and customers say they are as sharp as when new.

Steve
--
Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged
Tools by Steve Bottorff Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com
E-mail: steve AT sharpeningmadeeasy DOT com

I wish I could find a good person to shapen kives near me (central
Virginia).
I finally broke down and got a whetstone and some angle guides and it seemed
to make them sharper but now I am not so sure I did it right.

I have a few globals and they were razor sharp right after sharpening (a
week ago) and now they arnt. I was afaride my angle was too acute but the
guides are global too....

Any suggestions for self sharpening with a stone?

-N

"Steve B" > wrote in message
.com...
> A mystic has built up around Global knives being sharpened to a more
> acute angle than other knives, but it is untrue. Globals are
> sharpened at the factory with a standard bevel of about 22 degrees,
> followed by a coarse belt to round off the bevel transition, finally by
> a fine belt to strop the cutting edge. You can definitely tell they
> were belts or soft wheels because of the convex edge shape.
>
> Global steel is harder than most kitchen knives, but not as hard as a
> good custom knife. It is not difficult to sharpen with normal methods.
>
> I sharpen Globals with a wet wheel, then hone and strop with paper
> wheels. My wife and customers say they are as sharp as when new.
>
> Steve
> --
> Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged
> Tools by Steve Bottorff Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
> www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com
> E-mail: steve AT sharpeningmadeeasy DOT com
>