I watched several YouTubes on sharpening knives, YouTube - knife sharpening. I'm definitely no expert but... I taught myself and most of my kitchen knives are considerably sharper than they used to be and I think with more practice I'll improve. I used some sort of a stone to sharpen my knives. The stone is aprx. 3" x 8". That being said, I've got an apple corer/slicer I use weekly that's pretty dull. This isn't a cheapmadeinChinaboughtatChinaMart use 50x then toss and be a good consumer and buy a new apple corer/slicer. It's older... possibly 50 years at least and has good weight to it and I'd like to sharpen it. I have a photo of it that I could add if....I knew how. It looks similar to this, http://www.towsure.com/home/images/products/a256.jpg. I bought a hand sharpener of some sort that is about the length of a pencil only instead of being round, it's triangular in configuration. Although small enough to get between the "spokes", I don't believe it's coarse enough. Any guidance appreciated.
For coring, you don't need a razor. You should be able to find a file that will do at your local hardware.
Keep practicing. Use old knives and those which are inexpensive to practice with at first. You will get into a nice habit soon enough if you stick with it. Once you get the hang of it and can maintain the proper angle while sharpening, you may want to graduate to better sharpening stones (whetstones), and possibly try to sharpen larger tools as well. YouTube - blade sharpening - Axe and knife
ghrit> files I have not really ever used. I'm totally unfamiliar with them. Sounds good to me though. What I've been trying to use didn't work. My corer/slider is still duller than dull so I'll pick up a file next weekend. Thank you. Broker> the angle is tough. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it really was from watching the videos but it was. Sharpening my axe is next up. I'm getting there.
OK, then. Take your corer/slicer to the hardware store with you and ask the oldest guy in the place to show you some files. (The kids will get this funny look on their faces and go find the oldest guy anyway.) Very likely, you'll want a knife edge file (has nothing to do with knives, it's a shape) and either a half round ring or regular half round file. You'll use the knife file on both sides of the radial edges and the OUTSIDE edge of the center hole. The half round might be necessary for the inside of the outer ring if you are hacking large apples. Pick sizes that will fit in the spaces. Like as not, you won't need the half round since the outer ring won't see a lot of use. Or, fake it with a round edge or even a chain saw chain file. NB: You do not want a taper on the inside of the center ring, or it will tend to compress the core as you push the tool thru the apple and like as not make the job harder than it needs to be. The outer ring won't matter nearly so much which side the taper is on. Don't drag the files back across the work. Doing so will push the cutting edges down instead of leaving they lips up where they can cut. Push, only, and full strokes. AND get a handle, the tang of a file in the wrist is painful. Yes, I KNOW that. Files come in an unbelievable spread of sizes and shapes. Here are some descriptions that ignore size. File (tool) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia All that is for your antique. Me? I'd just go buy an el cheapo new one. Less work, and short money.
File/Rasp... I've used rasps on wood. I'm not too good with them but I've used them before. Thank you, this solves my problem. I'll cut and paste what you told me and hand it to somebody along with the corer/slicer. I know it sounds strange but.... I've gone through a few of the madeinChinadesignedtobereplacedjunkproduct and they never last and they can't be sharpened even if the spokes don't break apart from the central corer first. I'm in a bedroom community and there's no retail within 15 miles except a feedmill, a gas station, a realtor, a PO, and a bar. I've got a hobby orchard that produces a decent quantity of apples and when the madeinChinajunkproduct breaks or goes dull, I'm stuck driving around buying another one. The other thing is the newer corers/slicers waste too much of the apple which I'm sure is by design too so folk buy more apples. The diameter of new ones is 1⅛-1½". My "gently used" 50¢ corer/slicer is just under 3/4".
I usually just chop my apples with a machete and eat the seeds, getting to the rest of the apple later if I have time.
"I usually just chop my apples with a machete and eat the seeds" I don't have a machete.... should I have machete envy? I know you're just funnin' me but.... you're not really eating any quantity of apple seeds ever are you? If you are.... don't chew them ok. ghrist> My corer/slicer is sharpened!!! Tomorrow I test it on about 50 Granny Smiths. I'm going to try to do a photo.
I eat the seeds from 1 apple every day, and I chew them, too. I also eat 1 apricot kernel (seed) every day. Does it cure cancer? Well, I don't have cancer -that's good enough for me. Everybody else has to do their own research. A World Without Cancer – The Story Of Vitamin B17 – G. Edward Griffin | DprogramFilms.net
Broccoli and Cauliflower actually contain cyanogenic compounds too. I don't think seeds from one apple and one apricot pit consumed daily would do any of us in. Our bodies detox small quantities of cyanide well enough. Chew on my friend.... chew on.
I don't know about the seeds you are eating being carcinogenic but I do know and can prove that dognuts uh, doughnuts can cause cancer. At least 98.55% of people that came up with any varity of cancer last year ate at least one doughnut in their life. Stats are wonderfull, huh? The proof is in the pudding. UH, made any apple jack, hard cider, more than willing to do quallity control on it.
The seeds he’s eating aren’t carcinogenic… they’re cyanogenic. Cyanogenic just means "capable of producing cyanide". So when someone states an edible plant or plant part contains cyanogenic glycosides.... what they're basically saying is that cyanide is able to be released…. not that it’s going to be released but… it could be, EXTOXNET - Cyanogenic glycosides. I prepped 38 apples the day before…. really only 37 since one rolled and hit the floor and was promptly eaten by one of our dogs. They’ll even eat green peppers that fall on the floor since if it’s on the counter and rolls off…. it’s fair game and they’re convinced all people food’s a dog treat even if it’s an onion. I’m happy to report my dogs are still alive… they didn’t “chew”. Just teasin’… it was only one apple he nabbed anyway and most things in moderation don’t hurt us and can be beneficial. I did prep my apples yesterday making do with my humble old apple corer/slicer that just happens to have perfectly sharpened spokes thanks to ghrit’s “cheat sheet” I took shopping with me. I’m going to need to do something about sharpening the center circle though and I’ve got photos to show why. Where’s the paperclip so I can add photos please? I can’t find it anywhere and it says below, "You may post attachments".
Open the reply box and scroll down. Click on "manage attachments" and follow the obvious. (But I thought you already found it and we are ignoring it. Or was it someone else? Now WHERE the aitch-ee-doubly hockey sticks is my coffee NOW?) Sharpening the center circle can be done with a flat file, put the bevel on the outside of the ring. If you bevel the inside (as you can do with a rat tail or chainsaw file) it will tend to compress the core and make pushing it thru a tad more difficult.
I'm clicking everywhere and looking for a place to open the reply box where I'm typing and I'm not seeing it and... I've looked for the "manage attachments" before and never did find it but I did find that paperclip that must do the same thing. I'm really sorry about this.
Right under the last post in a thread (and other places) on the left there's a place to click "post reply." If you are trying to use "quick reply" you'll have to go advanced to use attachments.
Oh my GOD... I feel so incompetent. It was right there in front of my face and the paperclip's back. XOXOXO to you ghrit!!! OK... here goes. The 1st photo shows what I tried to describe to you that I started out sharpening with. 2nd photo shows my old tried and true next to the cheapassWalMartjunk that goes dull or self destructs and the difference in the core diameter of older and newer models. The 3rd photo shows why I need another type of file to get in to sharpen the core and the corners to the core and the spokes. I got all the apples prepped but it would have saved time if I could've gotten clean core cuts. Can you please give me a cheat sheet on a file to buy for that area of the corer/slicer? I don't mind buying another file at all.... it'll come in useful sharpening other tools.
I misinterpreted that. Oopsie. I originally read that as "don't" try to sharpen the core or pushing it through will become more difficult. Back to the drawing board....
Good advice here ^ Most people don't understand how a file "cuts" these days. I've seen more tool box files that have been ruined from improper use. Only surpassed by misused screwdrivers
"Good advice here ^" Uh huh... I already took it (smile). See photos.... the spokes were already sharpened and now.... the cores are sharpened too.
