KEEP THAT KNIFE SHARP

Image Gallery The angle of the blade is very impoertant.

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Jerry Renninger lets us in on the little-known secrets that experts use to . . .KEEP THAT KNIFE SHARP!

A little practice makes for a perfect edge. A good knife is probably the most important tool you own...so treat this useful friend with loving care.

Hold the knife in your right hand and support the back edge of the blade with your left. Don't over do it, or you'll produce a " wire edge".

Though hardly a day passes without the need to use knives, most people know very little about the fine art of keeping these invaluable tools sharp. However, with the right materials and a bit of practice, you can-in a short time-literally earn a reputation for your cutlery's keen, precise, longlasting edges.

Your first-and most important-piece of knife-honin' equipment is a proper whetstone . . . and "proper" means a "sharpener" that is a direct product of the earth, not some factory-fused chunk of abrasive particles. The best of such tools-mined in the Ozarks from deposits of novaculite are called Arkansas oilstones, and they sell for anywhere from $1.00 to $40. For most nonprofessional purposes, the soft pearl-gray stones are best . . . and you should choose one that's at least an inch longer than the largest blade you want to sharpen. ( A good, all-purpose oilstone-measuring about 1" X 2" X 8"-will probably cost between $10 and $18. )

You may be able to find such a tool by visiting the biggest sporting goods, or hardware, or gourmet cooking stores in your area. If you don't have any luck with local outlets, both Buck Knives, Inc. (Dept. TMEN, Box 1267, El Cajon, California 92022) and Gerber Legendary Blades ( Dept. TMEN, 1420 S.W. 72nd Street, Portland, Oregon 99223) market fine oilstones . . . or you can go right to the source and write to Hiram A. Smith Whetstone. Inc. ( Dept. TMEN, 1500 Sleepy Valley Road, Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901) or A.G. Russell Company (Dept. TMEN, 1705 Highway 71 North, Springdale, Arkansas 72784). Russell, incidentally, also sells both custom-made and factory knives.

"ROCK" SOLID

Once you've acquired your stone, you'll need to anchor it to a work surface to keep the tool from skating around while in use. A C-clamp will serve this purpose, but you'll be better off if you fashion a permanent "nest" of nailed-down wood strips in which the whetstone can sit securely. (Special cast-aluminum troughs, which can be bolted directly to your workbench, are available commercially . . . but they tend to be expensive.)

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