Knife sharpener

I have an extremely heavy all-metal one which is quite old, but isn't used often. By the time I've dug it out of the drawer, and more importantly, worked out how to get it back in, it's quicker to use a conventional steel.

I've never got on with any "mechanical" sharpener. I've used a medium-fine grit carborundum stone (shaped like a scythe sharpener) for many years and never failed to get a good edge. The only problem with it is that it is brittle. I dropped it once and it broke in half, but I stuck it back together with epoxy resin.

A range of stones such as at

Recently I replaced it with a new similar looking one, but now the knife sharpener is a completely manual operation by a V shamed piece of ceramic in the slot.

Kindly tell me how you stop domestic staff using a newly sharpened carving knife to slice food downwards onto a ceramic plate?

I've got/had every type there is. Now using a diamond encrusted 'steel'... ...

Throw the ceramic plate in the bin and get a wood or polythene cutting board

World peace? Just ask. Your problem? Sorry mate.

P.S. I prefer slicing downwards to the obvious alternative.

Being somewhat maladroit when it comes to maintaining an accurate angle when trying to hone a blade, I bought one of these:

We have several! I think it must be a presentation issue.

Jeff Layman snipped-for-privacy@invalid.invalid wrote

I have used a Wilkinson Sword carving knife and its sort of scabbard charpener for what must be something like 50 years now and it has worked very well indeed. Unfortunately it has just recently stopped working and I haven't got around to dissembling it to see why yet

And they haven't mades them for years.

I am currently using a steel which works fine but isnt as convenient. I normally use it before each roast leg of lamb or when cutting up massive great blocks of steak into individual stakes.

I love the Wilkinsword scabbard thing that comes with their carving knife

Unfortunately they haven't made it for years

Sorry this is the device I was referring to

Your link doesn't work for me but if the sharpener is one where the two grooved rollers turn, then I have found this design to be the best of an admittedly bad bunch of pull-through sharpeners.

The action is not very aggressive and it is more of honing (where burrs are removed and the cutting edge straightened) than sharpening by forming a new edge by removing metal. However it does do a bit of the latter too.

I have never heard of a roller coming adrift, as you describe. Presumably that's poor construction.

As an alternative, I find a diamond-studded sharpening file works very well but you have to maintain a reasonably steady angle.

Try this ten