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what a shame

A customer came into the store today and noticed my knife. He asked if he could look at it and loved how sharp it was. He then pulled out his pocket knife and let me look at it. The second he handed it to me he said "it's dull, I know, but I have never been able to sharpen a knife."
He saw my stone on the desk and asked me if I could put an edge on it for him.
I'm nothing special, never said I was, but how can someone who carries a knife not learn to use a sharpening tool?
I put an edge on it and gave it back. Showing him everything I did to make it sharp.
I never got a gun, when I was young, without knowing how to care for it. The same rang true for my knives. My father taught me how to sharpen that great tool so it would work for me as long as I had it.
It's a shame that this little guy was being used without proper care. I hope this guy learns how to tend that knife so it will give him years of service.

Tags: knife, learning, sharpening

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Comment by Steven Matthew on December 30, 2012 at 17:59: And a good, very good opinion!

In Memoriam Comment by Robert Burris on December 30, 2012 at 17:53: Years ago I saw a problem developing with people being able to sharpen their knives. There was alot of knife users that had only been taught the bare basics on sharpening knives. The majority of knife users got by at that time because most of the knives being bought were carbon steel. At some point in time the knife industry decided to make stainless steel knives with a very high RC value, that were alot harder to sharpen than the old carbon steel knives. The knife users with just a limited skills in sharpening knives, soon got to the point where they almost couldn't sharpen anything. They lost their confidence in the little they knew about putting a good edge on a knife. This is how I saw things evolve. Miss Jan, I sharpen alot of knives for people, just like Donnie, and I ask them about their knives and this is what I have come up with. If a knife is so hard a man can't sharpen it, I doubt, he'll buy another. This is just my opinion.

Comment by Jan Carter on December 28, 2012 at 8:48: I think some folks carry it because it means something to them and like this guy, wishes they knew how to sharpen it. We have plenty of friends that bring knives to Donnie on a regular bases and ask him to put an edge on it. He probably does 5 or 6 fixed blades a month and countless numbers of folders standing on the porch at the bait store while having his coffee in the morning. Knowing how to freehand sharpen a knife seems to be an art we are losing and you are so right...it is a shame

Comment by Steven Matthew on December 28, 2012 at 6:57: Lol!!!! A dull knife is like a stupid friend! Lol

Featured Comment by Craig Henry on December 28, 2012 at 2:10: There's probably a lot of people that stop carrying a knife because they never learned how to sharpen it. I've seen tons of people over the years get frustrated trying to sharpen a knife. The most common mistake that I've seen, is people lay the blade down too far and never get an edge for free hand sharpening. You can always tell, because the sides of the blades are scratched. People are amazed how far off the stone the spine of the blade is for a 20 degree edge. When I was a knife dealer we sold tons of Lansky sharpeners when we showed them how easy it is for an average person to get a razor edge!

Comment by Ron Cooper on December 28, 2012 at 2:09: Yep! That truly is a shame. Hopefully your sharpening lesson will stick with him. I mean, sheesh! Why would anyone even bother to carry a knife if it wasn't sharp? I have a friend who does just that, though. He carries an extremely dull pocket knife and even goes so far as to refuse to let me or anyone sharpen it for him. Trust me when I tell you. I have offered many times. Each time he adamantly says, "nope, i don't want it sharpened, i might cut myself." I just don't get it! For me it's like the old saying: "Having a dull knife is like having a stupid friend."