The $1 Sponge Trick That Will Transform Your Dull Bread Knife

[@Burrfection]

My Knife Store burrfectionstore.com/

[@bicivelo]

I like how he laughed after he did the test cut. He was genuinely surprised how well it worked. Well done. I will try this technique. 😊

[@Frustratedfool]

I remember once, I was trying to clean a blade by wrapping a sponge around it just as you did. Because my fingers were slightly above the sharp edge of the blade and due to a slight curling of my fingers, it caused the knife to cut through the sponge and then into three of my fingers. Never extend your fingers beyond the cutting edge because you may just have the same fate.

[@Burrfection]

this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@HenerGrc303]

@@Burrfection jesus christ dude

[@JamesonWilde]

​@@Burrfectionwhat the hell man

[@zacharykelly7434]

You realize he's a grown man who works with knives daily right? You deserved his response

[@kindredanastasia]

@@BurrfectionI'm going to try this hack on the cheap scissors in the knife set at my friend's house

[@muchasgracias6976]

OMG. Paused this video to check my bread knife and yes, it has so many burrs! This is the best bread knife sharpening hack ever. Thank you!

[@matthirn7858]

Thank you for this helpful tutorial. Most of us live with a dull bread knife until we just buy a new one. This will extend the useful life of my knife. Great to see your content. You always bring your joy and passion.

[@madthumbs1564]

You can also run a bread knife hard against a steel (honing rod) or spine of another knife to straighten and remove the bent tips like you would a straight edge knife. Not sure I like a method (sponge) that may produce a more acute angle than the metal can handle.

[@gunterbecker8528]

Thank you for your time today with the information provided by you its just excellent

[@-esox-3714]

Great one. I got a decent bread knife for 2 years now and this comes at the perfect time, as cutting noticeably get´s harder.

[@brianwhite4595]

Simpy, quick, cheap and easy. That's why he's the best on here. He's the first one I've ever seen shapen a bread knife. Great video as always.

[@kevintran3158]

Good to see another video. I've never seen an easy bread sharpening video until now.

[@Burrfection]

Thanks 👍

[@tailstalker]

For a very good reason. This was snake oil.

[@panganaranga]

@@tailstalkerAh, yeah, and nah. It works, but itˋs not real sharpening. Will still help 90% of the people to maintain their breadknive, even if you have to do it often. Really sharpened it would stay sharp for way longer. This method will dull and eventually destroy the knive ultimately in the long run. But to make a cheap breadknive workable again, itˋs okay.

[@tailstalker]

@@panganaranga This crap Burrfection posted was silly. You can remove a bit of metal or maybe clean up some burrs, but cutting a piece of paper with the space between the teeth was embarrassing. That's not how bread knives work. I've got to deal with people constantly asking me if serrated knives can be sharpened. It's a daily occurrence. The reality is that *no*, short of putting them back on the machine they were originally cut on, they can't be sharpened. This misinformation is letting dishonest sharpeners steal from people.

[@panganaranga]

@@tailstalker Sorry, but you dont need the machine that did the grinding on a serrated knive to really sharpen it. You will not sharpen it on a flat stone, at least not both sides. But of course you can sharpen a serrated knive. Get a file in more ore less the diameter of the serrations and t+do them one by one. Remove the burr. Whatˋs the point?

[@redcvm]

Just started baking sourdough, and this great trick to sharpen my bread knife is superb !!! Now I just need that cutting board .👍

[@cyclops214]

Wow, I thought I would have to throw out my bread knife but after watching this video I know I can save it now. Thank you so much.

[@kieffermorgan]

Nice! I got one of these in culinary school and its the only knife I’ve never sharpened

[@mybrkly]

When you tested the knife and said, "it will cut," I thought of Doug Marcaida, ala "Forged in FIre."😂

[@joshuamckown3145]

"But will it keeeeeell?"

[@Zandertunz]

I'm VERY eager to try this with my favorite bread knives! Thanks for the tip!

[@Burrfection]

Let me know how it works out! burrfectionstore.com/

[@IzuShiTei]

been sharpening knife for years, this feels so weird yet make so much sense

[@cornelbebie7400]

Smart, effective and easy. What's there not to like ? The serrated knives have always been a kind of PITA in my knife sharpening life. I don't like serrated blades on pocket knives but I was gifted a bread knife recently which I definitely love and intend to keep as sharp as possible. Thanks for the tip !

[@tallanvor]

Weeeeell, I usually sharpen my bread knives (or basically any serrated ones) with soft cloth polishing wheels and polishing compound on both sides away from the heel. Works like a charm, is fairly quick and preserves the grooves as well. And they really get a new bite out of it.

[@Burrfection]

Nice work

[@Lawman212]

Very helpful. I've been using a chef's steel. It's pretty helpful because it peens the tips of the serrations. It makes the points pointier. Great to see a new video from you.

[@WARLOK813]

A sharpening video? Yesss! Thank you

[@Burrfection]

You bet!

[@tanvach]

This is awesome! I have Victorinox serrated paring knife which has stayed sharp but I’ve been dreading to sharpen in the coming months.

[@meleader]

This whole video kept me thinking "Get on with it!"

[@Burrfection]

and this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@kentbrookover6262]

This is changing my life.

[@ohasis8331]

Bread knives have been the bane of my existence till just now.

[@rafalsjourney]

He's alive! Good to see a new video.

[@James-ke5sx]

Very interesting. I have seen some of your videos before which are excellent by the way. I have a kitchen butcher knife that's about 30 years old and it's only been maintained on a honing Steel and it's still a razor sharp. But I have about 250 other types of knives mostly for Bushcraft. I have an odd sharpener that I'm sure you've never heard of. It's called The Block sharpener. I first picked it up in 1982 made in the USA, and it's still being produced by the son of the original inventor. Basically it's two criss-crossed honing steels similar to a pull through sharpener and it does serrated blades as well. It's been around for about 60 years. I have a few Japanese Silky Saws which are the best on the market. They wouldn't do well in the kitchen but they are excellent for cutting wood. Cheers from Canada.

[@saberraider]

just what i needed! ive been trying and polishing my technique, but needed this to finally get it right! thanks a bunch!

[@Burrfection]

Glad I could help!

[@dchall8]

I have that same Mercer knife, and I love it. Cutting a melon or a squash like that is best done with a saw blade. You wouldn't use a knife to prune a tree.

[@brianlam3563]

This worked amazingly well. Thanks for this

[@Burrfection]

Glad it worked for you!

[@hoongfu]

This is exactly what I needed! Thanks for the video. Been looking for a good one for years.

[@Burrfection]

Great to hear!

[@EnriqueScott-se3vp]

Thank you for the tutorial I really enjoyed it I use a diamond Steel but I'm going to try this from now on

[@Qwety]

Could you sharpen a normal chefs knife like this too? I know a whetstone would be better but for quick and easy this seems pretty good

[@d5kenn]

New Burrfection video dropped 10min ago? I'm so here for it.

[@davesmith5656]

I definitely want to see this! ... Watched. That's a good trick, for sharpening serrations. And it answers a few questions about what to do with a scratched blade! My previous tries with serrated knives - or scalloped bread knives - has been to lay the flat side on a stone and whet away bent serrations. Your way, with sandpaper and a soft backing, probably sands away bent edges on both sides, maybe even touching some of the concave edges. Nice. It is possible to get a mirror polish on a blade by laying it flat and rubbing briskly on leather (but matte finish looks nicer). Fine serrations, e.g. "steak knives" look like battlements on a wall, and I don't see how it's possible to sharpen those, Too fine for the finest diamond file. And when dull, they get rolled / deformed tops that no longer have even a squared off edge to them. A saw has teeth far enough apart that you can use a file. If I want to keep the knife, I grind it to a straight edge and sharpen from there (slices much more cleanly).

[@Burrfection]

yup. i didn''t lay the knife flat in this video, but i'll release one for those perfectionists.

[@PaulHeffernan-k5e]

Cutting board looks great! Put me down for one! 😁

[@chaitanyashervegar8234]

Very rare video as I had never seen to sharpen bread knife . Thanks for showing.

[@g4m4de]

Thank you! Very useful! I also like the fact that you didn't touch those thingies to the left of that sandpaper haha

[@deejyfed]

Excellent video - I have been trying to work this one out for a while... I had thought files - they were hiding just off to the side!

[@newunderthesun7353]

I was a professional meat cutter for about five years. Our knives were picked up at the end of the day and sharpened ones were dropped off.. We sharpened the blades throughout the day with a sharpening rod. Since leaving that job, and cooking professionally as a sous chef, I have been using, of all things Miracle Blade knives. Shocking how durable they are and how little they need to be maintained.

[@gtrzero2157]

Glad to see you're back. curious about the knives behind you. Cheers

[@Burrfection]

Coming soon!

[@aaronwhite1786]

Your videos have me really wanting to try out one of those rubber cutting boards. They seem like the perfect mix of wood feel with the durability and ease of use of plastic. I grabbed a Boos board recently, and I guess I got a lemon, because the ends of the planks have little gaps in between them that no amount of oiling after running some water on the board to rehydrate it seems to cure. But damn if having that thick wood to cut on doesn't feel a million times better than the small plastic boards I grew up using.

[@Burrfection]

I hear you. I like the heft of a properly made wood board as well. The black one in this video is not rubber and will post when i know it is ready for sale. Bummer on the gaps in your board though.

[@aaronwhite1786]

Looking forward to it!

[@johnkean6852]

Something to do at the weekend thx for the hack

[@pseudoplatanus6855]

Splendid! Essential video. Could we expect a video on sharpening another challenging type of Bird's Beak Knife?

[@Burrfection]

Will make it happen

[@MegaDriver007]

I have Wusthof double serrated bread knife, so I'm not sure this method is going to make my knife sharper than I have ever had it. It was scary sharp out of the box! I have been dreading the day when it needs to be sharpened. That beeing said, You taught me how to sharpen chef knives so I trust your methods. My only concern is if this will work for double serrated knives.

[@trebledog]

I’d like. To hear your thoughts of ceramic knives: good, bad, how to sharpen, etc.

[@Burrfection]

they are the biggest pain to sharpen but will post a video on this topic

[@Grizzles7]

Yay good to see you again!

[@Burrfection]

Yay, thank you!

[@GOxHAM]

Interesting method. Definitely less paint staking than sharpening each individual serration, which I've had mixed results with. Going to try this method next time on a serrated paring knife.

[@liamkelly5850]

I’ve been practicing this sharpening technique since I was a teenager.

[@Burrfection]

You should be great at sharpening

[@Iisakki3000]

Lmao

[@phillipp1399]

A real jackof all trades!

[@OWK000]

I may have to try this. I have some nice german steak knife serrated knives and since I use a round steel a lot on my big knife, so I tried steeling the serrated blades and was pleasantly surprised. You just have to go light and feel for an edge.

[@samuelchan699]

wow... and I was almost going to buy a new bread knife because I could never sharpen it. I will have to try this out, after a visit to the hardware store

[@Burrfection]

Let me know how it turns out

[@shadyeskimo]

I use a sharpens best for my cheap bread knife. Great Vid!

[@1.thomasalmeida]

This is such a cool hack! Thank you for sharing 🎉

[@Burrfection]

Of course!!

[@paulsmith9341]

Would this work for electric knives?

[@GodyArtDesign]

if u use sandpaper for knife. try use Zirkonium sandpaper for metall (most time its blue or maybe green). This is the beste for knife sharping and metall. othersandpaper is most for wood. and will broke very fast.

[@YarnellCrew]

If your friend decides to make and sell the cutting boards can you ask if they have any plans to make a cutting board with a lip. I cut a lot of stuff with juices and a lip really helps to keep it from running off the board.

[@Burrfection]

That's a great idea!

[@sunshineflyer]

I have an old ginsu (sp?) with the tiny serrations. First year on my own knife, last of a set. But it is my favourite for baguette-type bread and overripe tomatoes. I will try this!

[@jfu5222]

I remember the TV commercials for Ginsu knives, also I have a friend who named their kitten Ginsu!

[@Burrfection]

this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@sunshineflyer]

@@Burrfection - I was drooling over your store. I have a collection of knives that are adequate, kind of the correct knife for every purpose except maybe a chef’s knife with the bowed blade that you can do that “wobble-wobble-wobble” cutting technique Jacques Pépin uses on herbs and whatnot. I have 2 favourite small knives - one my mom’s old 7 in utility knife that young me stupidly tried to sharpen with the grinder on the back of the can-opener, and then when I inherited it put in the dishwasher, that I would love to restore, and a bird’s beak knife for peeling that I don’t know how to sharpen. If you were to do a video on which of your knife ranges in the $100-$125 might be good for a normal kitchen, and videos showing you restoring a knife and sharpening odd-bladed knives that would be great!

[@chaitanyashervegar8234]

Very good nice to see you again 😊😊😊

[@Burrfection]

😊

[@chaitanyashervegar8234]

Sir as yu know I am also like to collect kitchens knife as I had collected more than 90 different knife

[@chaitanyashervegar8234]

Sir i live in Mumbai , India when come to Usa i will meet you

[@Burrfection]

one day

[@skippymctwist7]

Awesome, will try this tomorrow! Thank you :)

[@Burrfection]

Enjoy!

[@skippymctwist7]

Finally got around to try it today. Worked great! The knife is not razor sharp, but much better than before and cuts way smoother.

[@brucejohnson9495]

I do not have a sharpening stone or any sharpening devices. I was wondering, can I use the sponge and sandpaper technique to sharpen my Seido Damascus chef knife?

[@cvz8849]

Fantastic video! Thank you

[@Burrfection]

Glad you liked it!

[@johnshifflett1722]

Would this sharpening hack work on other knives? Pocket knives?

[@XSFlanger]

I've bought several knives from your store. For some reason I always struggle to sharpen VG10 well. Using Shapton 1000 and then king 6000

[@Burrfection]

those stones are ok but they are on the softer side. while i don't suggest buying new stones just for the sake of one knife, look at the Naniwa Pro 800, or Imanishi 1k. other than that, checking for burrs and removing them slowly will be the best thing to do before moving on to the King. this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@raresghilvacs4550]

I was about to get a file, but I'll give this a try

[@Burrfection]

unless the shaping of the cutting edge requires it, i would avoid files. very time consuming but it can be done. will have a video addressing how to sharpening bread knives with files.

[@checkwhatsleft4565]

This works for regular knife strops as well, I don't have a leather strop and I use 2000 grit sandpaper the same way to strop my knife.

[@Engrave.Danger]

Cardboard packaging like the inside of a cereal box works great as well with some stropping compound.

[@Burrfection]

that works too and this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@head85]

5:58 the method that gets it done

[@Burrfection]

this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@wolfgangley2598]

I prefer wet sanding with the whole sheet of sandpaper lying on the countertop. Never getting the blade into my hand. A drop of water keeps the waterproof sandpaper lubricated. I only sharpen one side of the cutting edge, holding the knife in a slight angle.

[@jeetts59]

I’ve always used a round fine file to hone each scallop.

[@Burrfection]

you can. that's more accurate but more time consuming

[@Mar-enfrance]

Does this work on other serrrated knives too? Thanks.

[@Burrfection]

to a degree, yes burrfectionstore.com/

[@michaelvarney4723]

Nice hack, thank you 😊

[@TdSharp]

I've seen many methods for serated knives. This is a first of its kind for me. Do you have a method for older bread knives where the teeth have worn down and need to be reground? I've only seen/done this with powered equipment.

[@Burrfection]

yup. got a video coming out to address that

[@TdSharp]

@@Burrfection looking forward to it

[@daniel.rosina]

Thank you!

[@Burrfection]

You bet!

[@dozierlester3971]

Another excellent video, Great info. Uline catalog pages for the test !!

[@Burrfection]

Yes!

[@b-radg916]

I’ve been using pages from telephone books for several years … thinner than newspapers and printer paper for sure, and they keep giving them to me!

[@dozierlester3971]

@@b-radg916 I haven't seen a phone book in years. Should be good test paper. Uline ships me multiple catalogs every year, and has some great products.

[@johnkean6852]

GENIUS thx so much

[@Burrfection]

Glad it helped

[@rorymaciver5756]

Thanks very helpful

[@markbechtle9299]

does this sponge and sandpaper system work with straight blades?

[@mencken8]

Well, it’s not $1, the sandpaper costs more than that. That being said, the bread knife cuts better, but I’m not sure that it’s not because the blade now has a much better polish on it, rather than the edge being made any sharper. Anyway, I’m satisfied that this does work, to a degree.

[@Burrfection]

it's a simple solution and for those who do not have time/energy to file each scallop, which is what i show in the following video burrfectionstore.com/

[@ekvinox]

Omg this is amazing

[@NickBR57]

Seems a long time since I saw a new video from you though I have been rewatching recently...

[@robohippy]

Well, that is one I had not thought of.... I did buy a Wustoff bread knife at a small local specialty shop, and it had a big burr on it. I had pondered how to sharpen it. Unfortunately mine has 2 small serrations in each gullet of the serrated edge. I might have to grind them off, which is some thing I have been considering anyway. I know there is a 6 or so inch long 600 grit diamond rod that tapers from 3/8 inch or so to about 1/8 inch diameter. It would be pretty slow to remove those teeth. Oh, the burr was not on the flat back side of the knife, but on the extra teeth side. One thing I have been pondering is how fine of a stone do you want to go to on the knives? I think for the average kitchen person, 1000 is all you need, and any finer would be a waste, depending on knife steel and bevel angle. I had a wood hand plane maker who wrote a couple of books on the subject that if you sharpened to 8000 grit, you could not push that knife through a potato. I don't buy that at all. I just picked up a pair of knives from Bernal in SF and will try that out on the ones they sent me. My girlfriend asked me why things tasted different when she cut them up with my knife, than they did when she cut them up with her knife. Mine is old carbon steel, and hers is stainless....

[@Burrfection]

this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@CM_Slayer]

Does this technique work for straight edge knives too?

[@Burrfection]

yes, but on softer knives.

[@CM_Slayer]

@@Burrfection like cheaper knives?

[@landwater4388]

Great info, thanks! Do you think this method would work on a Miyabi bread knife (with a Damascus pattern) without damaging the Damascus finish?

[@Burrfection]

Not this technique. Will have a video addressing that topic

[@edwilliams4793]

Real Damascus goes all the way through the blade.

[@patrickweckermann9121]

great tip to extend the life of what would normally be a knife not worth properly resharpening.

[@jimseviltwin1]

Reminds me of Senior Prom night…

[@Burrfection]

your date was a sponge?

[@kenroman777]

I almost got a sponge and new sandpaper and then I remembered I have a sharpmaker so I used that for about 30 seconds and new mercer sharpness.

[@snipergene]

Do you recommend this method for other serrated knives or just the bread knife? Thanks!

[@Burrfection]

this will work for most serrated knives.

[@OreoDave]

Came here to ask the same question, so thank you. 👍😁👍

[@Murvalous]

Is this doing the same thing as a honing steel?

[@Burrfection]

similar but it's taking off a bit more material than simply "aligning" like the honing rod burrfectionstore.com/

[@s7r49]

i have a nice diamond file that happens to the exact size of the scallops. maybe ill try a combination of both methods.

[@Burrfection]

this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@bobermord0r733]

Hello there (c) Can I apply this technique to the Wusthof super slicer? Because it has different tooth profile

[@Burrfection]

It should. I have used that knife and I know what you are talking about. I will have a detailed video for knives with more complicated patterns, but this is easy enough to use on just about every bread knife

[@bobermord0r733]

@@Burrfection Thank you so much! Because I started to think that the only way to get it sharp again is to buy the new one )))

[@J0lker]

Would you also do it with a premium damascus finish etc? something like a miyabi serrated bread knife?

[@Burrfection]

Coming soon

[@teqai]

Why wouldn't you use this technique on normal knives as well? Looks like hitting the perfect sharpening angle is not an issue like this.

[@Rikity]

Just the sandpaper? I remember a knife sharpening shop years ago charged an extra $4 for a serrated knife. I thought they got in there with a round file and sharpened every tooth

[@Burrfection]

did they hand sharpen on put on an electric sharpener?

[@gregmccormack5709]

It largely depends on how dull the knife is. This technique is great for general sharpening and touch ups. I have done diamond round files followed by stropping on soft backed leather with compounds on really dull serrations/scallops. It is more time consuming compared to standard sharpening'most likely why they charge the extra money. Cheers❤

[@jortpeters6419]

I do think that eventually you will remove the points of each teeth this way (although slower than with an electric sharpener). You can still have a sharp knife that cuts, but it will function more like a regular knife then. So yeah if you want a knife with points you would need to file each teeth by hand. That why most people don't really sharpen bread knives. Instead buy a cheap but decent one that can last for years and then you replace it.

[@fiveminutezen]

Northwest Cuttlery charges $3.00 for regular sharpening and they do something like this or if you want each tyne sharpened out with a file they charge $10.00. Right now the knife he's sharpening in the video is on Amazon for $16.15. If it gets to the point where there are no longer tynes it just makes sense to buy a new one. Of course Cutco knifes offer equal or better performance and they will sharpen them as often as you like for free and if the knife is damaged beyond repair they will replace it for free.

[@monkpato]

With Cutco knives you are paying for the sharpening, not paying for the knife, which is very cheap.

[@Dinolobe376]

Has this technique ever been tested on a regular knife ?

[@richardshade8999]

Can I do that with my large ham slicer, the same way?

[@Burrfection]

Yes and watch the recent upload

[@skeffmaestro]

what do you do for bread knives with special surfaces like damascus or textured surfaces?

[@Burrfection]

got a video coming out for that very question

[@russmiller3745]

After watching this video,I’ve got my self esteem back!

[@Arthurpiano9]

this could have been an april fools video because of all the innuendos you could potentially get out of this lmao

[@Burrfection]

Haha. Next year

[@iSharpen]

This is extraordinary! I'm going to try this and if I can replicate these results I'll make a video and will tag you in for credit. I'm a bit in shock to be honest.

[@Burrfection]

haha. have at it

[@iSharpen]

OH...MY...DOG!! It totally worked!! This is ground breaking for me. I actually used it on a customer's knife today and it went from dull and tearing to razor sharp and push cutting! You are THE man!!

[@brentm9848]

Does this work for normal knives?

[@Burrfection]

you tell me kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6uWhoJrZdp0lcUsi=A29lKkRD1qx6qWtl

[@joelsjkd1]

I use a worksharp guided field sharpener

[@Burrfection]

Use what works

[@mutstumbo]

Little question... Could you do the same technique with a piece of leather as a strop?

[@Burrfection]

yes but any twisting of the blade will ruin the leather, so just make sure you are aware. this will solve all of your knife problems burrfectionstore.com/

[@DutchClawz]

sounds good, no way im trying this on my damast breadknife though. Never should have dished out 400 on a bread cutter haha

[@Burrfection]

Will have a video for your expensive bread knife soon

[@chrisnormandeau6101]

Interesting. Is this basically thinning the blade out, or does it have an effect on the cutting edge?

[@Burrfection]

minimal thinning. more so, it's cleaning the edges