my father's heritage: a very nice stainless sab. how do i sharpen it?

Hello,

unfortunately, my dad went upstairs lastyear.

he had been a great asset our profession: graduated of lausanne, he was notorious for some (re)openings (le boeuf sur le toit, and many others, working with very great chefs I won't name in the 80's.

he left me a case with deglons and more interesting a very nice stainlass sab in near mint condition. Chef, 300mm

i never used it because i felt like my japanese blades would do better.

now, i see this blade as a nice asset for when soft steel is needed (cutting harder food) and i want to make it a dream, also because it was my dad's! i see thinking about where i come from when cooking as a nice asset too to know where i aim.

i just wonder how i should sharpen it, to maximize edge retention. i was thinking 50/50, for a total of 45° edge (22 each side)
i am looking to grind the guard too to make it weight less because i'm more used to that kind of geometry.
i would like to mark it somehow too to make it unique.

all advices welcome,

here are some pics, i paste polished it, and grinded lightly the handle to erase the wear marks here and there.





pics just dont do it justice, too bad i can't take a photo well. it shines!

I think 45 degrees inclusive, would be about right for a stainless sab. I've sharpened a couple of vintage stainless sabs before, left the edge quite toothy, just a light strop after a 1000 grit stone, and had good results.

It looks like a terrific knife.

Have a look at psfred's post, nr. 15:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...p-german-steel?p=213555&highlight=#post213555

I don't think you can completely get rid of the burr with a J1000. I use a 3k.
The French do have a slight asymmetry, some 60/40, you may ignore, or not. Left face is essentially flat, just the lowest part is convexed. The right face is convexed on the entire width.
Please verify if the traditional flat section is still there. It goes from the heel to at least one third of the length. It is used for mincing herbs by holding the blade with both hands. Rock-choppers hate it. On used knives it has often gone away due to frequent steeling. If that were the case, you often see an inverse belly in the middle. Please verify if the entire edge touches the board. Don't hesitate when some of the fingerguard has to be abraded.
I would start by creating a relief bevel @ 10 degree and go on til you raised a burr. So you're sure to have abraded all fatigued steel. Make the fingerguard flush with relief bevel. Than, try a primary edge @ 17 degree, and see if it holds.

Just wanted to say, c'est vaiement un beau couteau.

wow i wasn't expecting so much attention and so much help with that knife

first, thanks everybody

i noticed the 60/40 bevel when i laid the knife flat to check it was straight, according to that i went 70/30, but with a micro bevel on the 70 side to help with edge retention.
i grinded the spine too to make it smooth (it was very square)

the hard part was to grind the guard, i made it assymetrical as you''l notince in incoming pics because i felt it would help to have a "sharpening guide" integrated to the blade. with a 800 king stone, removing that much material took time but the total control of the grind was a good thing.

i have yet to polish it better to remove all small scratches on the blade and it'l be finished. (6000 grit like marks) but it shaves hair effortlessly on all the 30cm of the blade now. i finished 6000 and newspaper stopping, as always i have a wooden piece to remove burr between the passes.

more important, i have to put it to use!

pics incoming with a better camera.

!!! you can click on photos to get the hi rez imge, but it weights heavy !!!

Nice work!

Looks good! I have a couple of hand tools that belonged to my grandfather. Whenever I use them, there is always something more meaningful about those moments. I'm sure you will feel the same as you use your father's knife.

i agree, this knife is gonna be full of sens and dishes with a special flavor

thanks very much to all, the advices you gave me were very useful.

i've yet to see if my angles are correct, see if it cuts straight.

3200+++ said:

i've yet to see if my angles are correct, see if it cuts straight.

Click to expand...

Get used to it before drawing conclusions,

i will sir. thanks a lot, your advice was very useful. I had some toughts but you confirmed and this made me comfident when i had to remove material (you cant go back when you do that)

it was the first time i did something like that, and i'm happy with the results so far. thanks again!

You're most welcome, sir. That reticence is in general a good thing and makes you think twice before making irrevocable changes.