Kitchen Utensil Sharpening

[junglechef]

Looking for a place to sharpen these Chicken shears. They need a good sharpen so maybe a place with a sharpening wheel would be best. Any suggestions?

Thanks, JC

[worgeordie]

I just use an angle grinder to sharpen my cutting tools,works good enough

for me,finish off with a wet stone ,just to take any burrs off,must wear eye

protection when doing this,unless you are Thai.!

regards Worgeordie

[junglechef]

Thanks for telling me what you'd do but does anyone else have a suggestion for what I am looking for

[Farma]

Over in Issan we have travelling knife/farm tool guys on motorbikes that will sharpen them. It's a case of calling them over when you see them. Easy to spot as they have a variety of tools and knives for sale from their 3 wheel motorbikes. They can also be found at the local once a week non tourist markets at times.

[luther]

The sewing shops near the corner of Chiang Moi and the American Street sharpen sewing scissors. Possibly they could do it.

[MrBrad]

Buy new shears. That's the advice I was given a couple weeks ago when I took my grass shears to the local side-of-the-road knife salesman. Nope. They cannot be sharpened. You need to buy new.

[FolkGuitar]

Scissors and shears require a very different sharpening technique (and often tools) than ordinary kitchen knives. Shears are cut in a similar fashion to chisels, but at a MUCH lower angle, usually about 80° in relation to the flat surfaces. It's difficult to find a sharpening jig for them, other than for hair cutting and sewing scissors, those being a straight edge, and most professional sharpeners will not even try to sharpen them without a jig. Knives are MUCH easier to sharpen. Poultry shears have a heavy curve to them, exacerbating the problem. I'm sure you can find a local sharpener who will 'try' to get them honed, but that you will be satisfied with the results is doubtful.

As a chef, you already know how to sharpen a knife. If the shears are just about unusable right now, and you are willing to experiment, take some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wrap it around a piece of 1" PVC pipe. Clamp the shears in a vise and go to work on the edge. Keep in mind that only one plane is beveled on each arm. The other side is completely flat. Do all you honing on the beveled edge, and when you can feel a slight 'burr' being raised over onto the flat plane, stop. Then take a flat, hard block and wrap the sandpaper around that, and give the flat plane just 2-3 strokes DOWN over the burr to remove it. Repeat all of this with 1,000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You 'should' have a better working edge... 'should' being the operative word.

If you want to try this with sewing scissors, change the grit size of the paper to 1,000 and 2,000.

EDIT: I'm with MrBrad on this one. If you want/need really sharp shears, buy new ones.

Edited July 16, 2015 by FolkGuitar

[MrBrad]

Buy new shears. That's the advice I was given a couple weeks ago when I took my grass shears to the local side-of-the-road knife salesman. Nope. They cannot be sharpened. You need to buy new.

Scissors and shears require a very different sharpening technique (and often tools) than ordinary kitchen knives. Shears are cut in a similar fashion to chisels, but at a MUCH lower angle, usually about 80° in relation to the flat surfaces. It's difficult to find a sharpening jig for them, other than for hair cutting and sewing scissors, those being a straight edge, and most professional sharpeners will not even try to sharpen them without a jig. Knives are MUCH easier to sharpen. Poultry shears have a heavy curve to them, exacerbating the problem. I'm sure you can find a local sharpener who will 'try' to get them honed, but that you will be satisfied with the results is doubtful.

As a chef, you already know how to sharpen a knife. If the shears are just about unusable right now, and you are willing to experiment, take some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wrap it around a piece of 1" PVC pipe. Clamp the shears in a vise and go to work on the edge. Keep in mind that only one plane is beveled on each arm. The other side is completely flat. Do all you honing on the beveled edge, and when you can feel a slight 'burr' being raised over onto the flat plane, stop. Then take a flat, hard block and wrap the sandpaper around that, and give the flat plane just 2-3 strokes DOWN over the burr to remove it. Repeat all of this with 1,000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You 'should' have a better working edge... 'should' being the operative word.

If you want to try this with sewing scissors, change the grit size of the paper to 1,000 and 2,000.

EDIT: I'm with MrBrad on this one. If you want/need really sharp shears, buy new ones.

Oh my God. I was writing with tongue in cheek on my post, thinking that the knife vendor was handing me a line when he told me the grass shears couldn't be sharpened. I thought, "You're crazy! Of course the blades can be sharpened. There's no need to be wasteful by throwing an otherwise good tool away, and going out to spend money on another."

I still think the shears can be sharpened, though. Lacking the proper equipment to do it myself, I just need to find the right guy to do it. But I learned something today; thanks FolkGuitar.

[FolkGuitar]

Buy new shears. That's the advice I was given a couple weeks ago when I took my grass shears to the local side-of-the-road knife salesman. Nope. They cannot be sharpened. You need to buy new.

Scissors and shears require a very different sharpening technique (and often tools) than ordinary kitchen knives. Shears are cut in a similar fashion to chisels, but at a MUCH lower angle, usually about 80° in relation to the flat surfaces. It's difficult to find a sharpening jig for them, other than for hair cutting and sewing scissors, those being a straight edge, and most professional sharpeners will not even try to sharpen them without a jig. Knives are MUCH easier to sharpen. Poultry shears have a heavy curve to them, exacerbating the problem. I'm sure you can find a local sharpener who will 'try' to get them honed, but that you will be satisfied with the results is doubtful.

As a chef, you already know how to sharpen a knife. If the shears are just about unusable right now, and you are willing to experiment, take some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and wrap it around a piece of 1" PVC pipe. Clamp the shears in a vise and go to work on the edge. Keep in mind that only one plane is beveled on each arm. The other side is completely flat. Do all you honing on the beveled edge, and when you can feel a slight 'burr' being raised over onto the flat plane, stop. Then take a flat, hard block and wrap the sandpaper around that, and give the flat plane just 2-3 strokes DOWN over the burr to remove it. Repeat all of this with 1,000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. You 'should' have a better working edge... 'should' being the operative word.

If you want to try this with sewing scissors, change the grit size of the paper to 1,000 and 2,000.

EDIT: I'm with MrBrad on this one. If you want/need really sharp shears, buy new ones.

Oh my God. I was writing with tongue in cheek on my post, thinking that the knife vendor was handing me a line when he told me the grass shears couldn't be sharpened. I thought, "You're crazy! Of course the blades can be sharpened. There's no need to be wasteful by throwing an otherwise good tool away, and going out to spend money on another."

I still think the shears can be sharpened, though. Lacking the proper equipment to do it myself, I just need to find the right guy to do it. But I learned something today; thanks FolkGuitar.

Of course they 'can' be sharpened. Almost anything 'can' be sharpened. Straight scissors are a pain in the butt to sharpen properly unless one has a scissor jig for their sharpening equipment, but it's not the end of the world . But 'curved' scissors and shears... Wow! They ARE the end of the world! LOL!

I can put a shaving edge on a pocket comb. I can even sharpen ceramic knives. But I'd charge an arm and a leg to sharpen curved poultry shears, MUCH more than a new pair would cost! Plus... I wouldn't guarantee the results. Curved shears are a real pain without the tools made for them.

[ilostmypassword]

Inside Rimping Nawarat, Meyer has an outlet. There's a 50% off sale on good quality poultry shears. I paid 695 baht.

Edited July 16, 2015 by ilostmypassword

[junglechef]

The sewing shops near the corner of Chiang Moi and the American Street sharpen sewing scissors. Possibly they could do it.

That's a new one to me, what's the American Street?

[Sparkles]

Buy new shears. That's the advice I was given a couple weeks ago when I took my grass shears to the local side-of-the-road knife salesman. Nope. They cannot be sharpened. You need to buy new.

Of course they can be sharpened . You take advice from a side of the road salesman

All the people who trim hedges,grass and shrubs for a living, 7 days a week, would hardly be buying new ones ? They most likely sharpen there own but we get ours sharpened by a guy behind a fruit stall down the soi where the Dog and Bone Bar is in Hang Dong ( towards the end of the shops on your right) Sorry don't have a name or a phone no.He charges 30 baht and does a good job.

There would be other people around too just ask a local gardener but not some one trying to sell you a new pair.

[FolkGuitar]

Buy new shears. That's the advice I was given a couple weeks ago when I took my grass shears to the local side-of-the-road knife salesman. Nope. They cannot be sharpened. You need to buy new.

Of course they can be sharpened . You take advice from a side of the road salesman

All the people who trim hedges,grass and shrubs for a living, 7 days a week, would hardly be buying new ones ? They most likely sharpen there own but we get ours sharpened by a guy behind a fruit stall down the soi where the Dog and Bone Bar is in Hang Dong ( towards the end of the shops on your right) Sorry don't have a name or a phone no.He charges 30 baht and does a good job.

There would be other people around too just ask a local gardener but not some one trying to sell you a new pair.

It's a good thought, and it might work. But the people who cut shrubs and trim hedges usually use straight-bladed cutters or curved sickles. They generally sharpen these with a smooth-cut mill file, which works very well on the 1095 carbon steel that's usually used for these sorts of tools. When used on the 420A or 440C stainless steel most often found in kitchen utensils the resulting edge is much too 'toothy.' Instead of a 1,000-grit edge, the file leaves something closer to an 80-grit finish. However, if the poultry shears are already too far gone, and you don't want to try to bring them back yourself with the method I suggested, it's certainly worth giving these folks a try.

[eyecatcher]

Over in Issan we have travelling knife/farm tool guys on motorbikes that will sharpen them. It's a case of calling them over when you see them. Easy to spot as they have a variety of tools and knives for sale from their 3 wheel motorbikes. They can also be found at the local once a week non tourist markets at times.

We are in Chiang Mai Farma, so if you spot him can you send him across.

And if ever you need a load of bamboo moving we will send you an elephant because thats how they do it here.,,

[RxDan]

You can go to PIAK BOWIE KNIVES They will sharpen knives and utensils too

[junglechef]

Thanks

https://foursquare.com/v/piak-bowie-knife-shophandmade-custombuilt/516e7126498e78486a440060

[narkeddiver]

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer;) (sorry - couldn't resist)

[luther]

The sewing shops near the corner of Chiang Moi and the American Street sharpen sewing scissors. Possibly they could do it.

That's a new one to me, what's the American Street?

If you walk from Kasem store past Chiang Moi toward Thaphai Road, you hit that one block stretch where traffic is reversed and you drive on the right instead of the left. Many Thais call it "American Street."