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As part of an ongoing search for the ideal filleting knife for whiting, gar etc., I haven't been able to find a smaller flexible bladed knife with a rounded tip. So I have resorted to trolling the second hand shops and picked up a few of the old bone handled butter knives that are doing the job nicely. The ones I have are made of quality steel from Sheffield in England they sharpen up really well.

With a bit of garden hose over the handle for extra grip, they set me back about $2 each.image.jpg

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They have always been the best knives for filleting by far. Even when I did a fish filleting course in the Port many moons ago, the instructor had one & when you used his knife, filleting was much quicker & cleaner. No need to spend the big bucks for fancy knives!!!!. They are also excellent for cutting thin steaks from a lump of meat.   

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I have used a bench grinder to shape somewhat, then simply a knife sharpener (average type) to get & keep the blade super sharp. Just wipe & wash the knife to remove any residue from the above processes & thats it. Nice & simple.

 

My Dad, Bless his soul, sharpened knives using a hand turning type grinder which he made himself. No fancy gear then. Did the job very well when dissecting chickens & other poultry & the like. Mum was always getting him to sharpen the carving/slicing knives by this method.  

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if you shape a knife on a grinder you have to take a fair bit off the knife later on the stone as excess heat will make the metal brittle,you don't really need to shape them imo because they are the right shape for 99% of the filleting you will do.I use an Accusharp to get the general angle on the edge right then 5 mins on the wet stone and a touch up with the steel.

                                       cheers b

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I use a combination of an Accusharp sharpener and a small Ezy-Lap steel. I have heard good things about the block diamond sharpeners. Been on a few charters where the skippers swear by them for keeping an edge on knives when filleting.

 

What are these "block diamond" sharpeners? Is it a generic name for a type of sharpener or a product name. I just googled and it seems there are lots of different types/brands.

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I use a Lansky 5 stone sharpener on pretty well all my knives: kitchen, filleting, hunting & bait. http://lansky.com/index.php/products/dlx-5-stone-system/

 

The stones are graded from extra coarse (for working your initial edge shape) thu to extra-fine (which you can just about shave with)

 

Enables you to 'set' and maintain a sharpening angle thu the whole exercise which makes things easier.

 

Can be a little tricky on small/narrow blades but otherwise a great tool.

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Recon i ordered it from the US back when the AU$ was high. I know Adelaide Gun Shop stock them locally.

 

Quick search found a good price on Ebay. Nearly sold 1000 of them, speaks pretty well.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lansky-Deluxe-Knife-Sharpening-System-Knife-Sharpener-5-Hones-Boxed-New-Genuine-/260990125586?hash=item3cc4394612:g:5YIAAOSw-dBTv7Io

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G'day

I have used all sorts of methods to sharpen knives and woodworking machines and tools

A couple of years ago retired pro fisho and forum member Jaffa posted about the furi system, how quick, easy and effective it is

The only issue I had was getting all my knives to the initial angle, this was taking to long even with the course stage so I cut a small wedge and used a stone to do this step,  Once done the speed, ease and result is very hard to beat

It takes about 5 secs to revive the edge in normal use

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Furi-Tech-Edge-2-complete-set-of-3-Diamond-Fingers-Knife-Sharpeners-/322056744628?hash=item4afc13eeb4:g:j0kAAOSw5IJWe4Pf

Cheers

Rod

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Hey ppl, as Rod says I use a Furi / 3 stage sharpener & it is without a doubt the easiest way to sharpen a knife I have come across in my lifetime. I have any number of different oil-stones floating around out in my shed & they haven`t seen daylight in over 15 years. I too used an Accusharp to initially get the angle close to what I wanted before using the Furi system. Any " v " type sharpener with an angle of 15 to 20 degrees will get you started. The one I used & still have is one I carried in my back-pack when hiking/camping but now resides in my boat & it is drawn towards the operator with the blade upside down on its back, has a protective finger guard on it & it removes a fair amount of metal with each pass /stroke depending on the pressure applied. The " v " shaped sharpener blades are tungsten carbide. Will post up a piccie. Once you get the angle good to go the Furi system is fool-proof, & the fastest way to get & maintain a razor sharp edge, I usually sharpen around 10 knives in under 10 minutes depending on how blunt the other half has made `em. When checking to see how sharp they are I usually test by shaving the back of my hand/arm, won`t shave my hand clean just like a razor it ain`t sharp enough. Cannot recommend this system highly enough. The old bone-handled knives made in Sheffield/England have some of the best stainless steel ever made in them & it`s easy to get a razor`s edge on `em, they hold their edge well also. Not keen on electric sharpeners as they tend to remove a lot of metal each time they are used.

 

Cheers.

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This is what I used to set the initial blade angle when first attempting to get an edge on my bone handled kitchen knives,along with my Dremel with a small course sanding drum . It is drawn towards the operator with the knife lying flat / horizontally, it is quicker than the Furi system for this process as it removes more metal per stroke. So first of all I just started with the Dremel to get a tapered/bevelled edge,compared it with another knife to get some sort of idea of the required angle, then used the hand-drawn 20 degree angle sharpener to get the angle closer to what it needs to be. Once a decent bevelled edge is achieved then use the FURI & you`ll wonder why you ever used other methods. This type of sharpener is available from camping stores & army disposal stores for between $10 & $20 last time I looked, I still carry it for quick repairs of badly dulled/chipped blades.

 

Cheers ppl.

Photo0500.jpg

Photo0495.jpg

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G'day

I have used all sorts of methods to sharpen knives and woodworking machines and tools

A couple of years ago retired pro fisho and forum member Jaffa posted about the furi system, how quick, easy and effective it is

The only issue I had was getting all my knives to the initial angle, this was taking to long even with the course stage so I cut a small wedge and used a stone to do this step,  Once done the speed, ease and result is very hard to beat

It takes about 5 secs to revive the edge in normal use

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Furi-Tech-Edge-2-complete-set-of-3-Diamond-Fingers-Knife-Sharpeners-/322056744628?hash=item4afc13eeb4:g:j0kAAOSw5IJWe4Pf

Cheers

Rod

 

 I have the lansky 5 stone thingo which is good for getting an edge back after hard use and misuse. I like that you can get the sharper angle onto filleting knives. That ebay thingy looks like it doesn't matter what angle of the edge is, it will maintain it. Am I correct before I pull the trigger and buy a set.

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G'day

I have used all sorts of methods to sharpen knives and woodworking machines and tools

A couple of years ago retired pro fisho and forum member Jaffa posted about the furi system, how quick, easy and effective it is

The only issue I had was getting all my knives to the initial angle, this was taking to long even with the course stage so I cut a small wedge and used a stone to do this step,  Once done the speed, ease and result is very hard to beat

It takes about 5 secs to revive the edge in normal use

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Furi-Tech-Edge-2-complete-set-of-3-Diamond-Fingers-Knife-Sharpeners-/322056744628?hash=item4afc13eeb4:g:j0kAAOSw5IJWe4Pf

Cheers

Rod

 

 I have the lansky 5 stone thingo which is good for getting an edge back after hard use and misuse. I like that you can get the sharper angle onto filleting knives. That ebay thingy looks like it doesn't matter what angle of the edge is, it will maintain it. Am I correct before I pull the trigger and buy a set.

 

 

G'day

No, as I and Jaffa stated above, you need the correct angle to start with, which from memory is 20 deg.  They provide a course set of fingers in the set of 3 but our knives were a fair way off and I could see the angle starting to approach the edge but only after many strokes

We have a lot of knives so I made a 20 deg wedge to use on a stone, Jaffa used a tungsten sharpener.  I've got one of those somewhere I must check the angle

I just did a quick bit of research and it appears the Lansky set has a 20 deg option

 

Cheers

Rod 

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This is what I used to set the initial blade angle when first attempting to get an edge on my bone handled kitchen knives,along with my Dremel with a small course sanding drum . It is drawn towards the operator with the knife lying flat / horizontally, it is quicker than the Furi system for this process as it removes more metal per stroke. So first of all I just started with the Dremel to get a tapered/bevelled edge,compared it with another knife to get some sort of idea of the required angle, then used the hand-drawn 20 degree angle sharpener to get the angle closer to what it needs to be. Once a decent bevelled edge is achieved then use the FURI & you`ll wonder why you ever used other methods. This type of sharpener is available from camping stores & army disposal stores for between $10 & $20 last time I looked, I still carry it for quick repairs of badly dulled/chipped blades.

 

Cheers ppl.

Hey jaffa, at under $10 these work pretty good as well.

Knife Sharpner.jpg

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Hey ppl, a while back I posted similar to what I`ve posted up on this site on FishinSA, a number of people bought the Furi system on my recommendation including Rod, not one of those dozen or so people have said to me that they don`t agree that it is the easiest, most fool-proof system for keeping knives razor sharp that they have ever used or seen. Anyone can use the Furi system, all you have to do is be able to pull your knife thru the fingers horizontally. There is no guessing of angles as with most other sharpening systems, the fingers hold the blade constantly at the correct angle, all you have to do is pull the blade thru the fingers whilst keeping it as upright as possible. Literally anyone that isn`t blind can get a razors edge on a knife using this system. I have tried all manner of sharpeners & once you own this one you`ll wonder how the hell you ever put up with the others. I cannot recommend them any more highly than I already have.

 

Cheers 

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G'day

Hey Knackers, my post above is contradictory

The set of 3 furi fingers does include the coarse one to achieve the correct angle if your knives are not 20 deg

It's just that I found it a bit slow as my knives were a steeper angle

No complaints though

Sorry for any confusion

Cheers
Rod

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G'day

Hey Knackers, my post above is contradictory

The set of 3 furi fingers does include the coarse one to achieve the correct angle if your knives are not 20 deg

It's just that I found it a bit slow as my knives were a steeper angle

No complaints though

Sorry for any confusion

Cheers

Rod

 

No worries. I do my good filleting knives at 17 deg on the lansky. Just doing a bit of reading on the web, FWIW it seems that any of these pull through designs "scrape" the knife sharp. Apparently it is not good for knives in the long run. I have a few pull through sharpeners with the ceramic wheels and reckon on cheaper knives they are great. I usually lose or wreck the filleting/bait knives in the boat way before I would ever wear them out sharpening. I might get a set of the FURI for these knives and keep using the lansky with a good steel for the expensive knives. I have noted that if I use the lansky the knives, no matter which one or their cost/quality, hold an edge way longer.

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 FWIW it seems that any of these pull through designs "scrape" the knife sharp. 

 

 

 

Some do, I have a pull through on the boat with 3 stages, tungsten (the scraping one) ceramic (I spose this scrapes to?) and diamond

It's not bad but nothing like the furi which never scrapes

Think of it more as 2 diamond stones that have the correct angle

Mind you, as Jaffa advised previously, you end up just using the stainless fingers for the majority of the time, which works like a steel but in a precise way not the random angles of hand held use, this process re-aligns the microsopic filiments of the edge

 

I know you don't think so now but I seriously doubt you'll bother with the Lansky again, once you use it to get your intial angle, the furi is good for your best knives, all the precision you need in a fraction of the time LOL sounds like a sales pitch

Enough from me I'm starting to rave on  ;)

Cheers

Rod

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Nice explanation Rod. Absolutely correct,  the final stage fingers are like a sharpening steel & do re-align the edge. No guessing of angles like with an ordinary steel though. Have been using this system for close to 2 decades now & you`d never know from looking at my knives that they are not brand new/good as the day they were made. Definitely no degradation from "scraping". I have several brands of filleting knives as well as my bone - handled knives, (Marttini, Kershaw, F. Dick & sons from Germany,Scanpan,Buck, Mundial, Furi). Some I bought, some I inherited, all different blade lengths/shapes to suit different applications,horses for courses so to speak. All are sharpened on the Furi sharpening system & all of `em are razor sharp, & it`s so easy to keep `em that way. As Rod said, I too found the Furi system a little slow when starting from scratch with a bone handled butter knife so that is why I resorted to the method I described previously using my Dremel & the tungsten carbide "v" block pocket sharpener to put the edge on the bone handled knives. I have also shaped some of my bone-handled knives with a point & done away with the rounded end. This was done on a linishing belt not with a grinder, as was pointed out by Brenton, if you use a grinder the steel may become red hot, making it brittle & prone to rusting, effectively it is no longer "stainless" .

 

Cheers ppl.

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