How Does One Sharpen A Mandoline [split from Home Cooking] ?

[Niki in Dayton]

Off-topic, but how does one sharpen a mandoline? We have a Bron and I wasn't aware that it could be sharpened, but it does seem to be duller than it used to be. TIA!

[jcisn]

The Beringer mandoline blade is easy to sharpen.
It's held in place by two Phillips-head screws.
Loosen both and the blade will slide out of the holder.
The angled side of the blade has been ground to a concave
shape which makes sharpening from that side a bit of a challenge.
It can be done but I wouldn't recommend it to those with
problems handling manually adjusted vectors.
But all is not lost... The other side is flat, sorta-kinda.
Making for easy sharpening.
A bit of sandpaper will do, two-twenty grit or finer.
Or a whetstone.
One takes off a bit more steel over a broader area
to get the job done But Hey! The blade will be just as
or maybe sharper than it was when you bought it
Watch your finger chula!

[J.Dish]

In Reno we have a guy who sharpens knives for a few restaurants, as well as scissors at salons. Maybe you have a similar service in your town?

Be weary though, if homeboy doesn't know what he's doing then you could have an awfully small or warped blade.

I'm a fan of the Benriner myself... Beringer *lol*

[BiscuitBoy]

wow, from scuba's picture, it looks like bron was smart....can't comment on the quality of the steel vs a knife, and the final result, but I'd try sharpening that rascal

[scubadoo97]

I have a Bron and you can remove the blade which is quite a large piece. Just removed the screws holding it on and it comes off as one large piece. The blade is a continuation of the blade plate. See this picture http://www.fantes.com/images/1707bron...

I think the last time I sharpened it, I used my EdgePro. It's a single beveled edge so keep that in mind and only sharpen the side with the bevel. You could also use hand stones to sharpen as well.

[Niki in Dayton]

Thanks! I really appreciate all the advice, but now I'm thinking I should perhaps leave the sharpening to a pro :-)

[scubadoo97]

Or just buy a new blade.

[Niki in Dayton]

Thanks again - didn't even realize that was an option, but I'll look on-line for a replacement blade.

[cowboyardee]

I'm not familiar with Bron mandolins. I'm assuming since most of them seem pretty expensive and well built that the blades should be removable and replaceable.

If you can remove the blade, you should be able to sharpen it with stones, as mateo pointed out. Frankly, I don't know for sure how the blades are set in those things (or, importantly, whether they are convex ground). An experienced sharpener should be able to figure that out just by looking at them. I wouldn't have high hopes of a great result unless you already have a little bit of sharpening experience under your belt, so if you're inexperienced and have stones or wet/dry sandpaper you may as well try before throwing the blade out, but have an order for a replacement blade lined up first.

The magic marker trick might prove useful, especially if you can't remove the blade to find the exact edge angle - color the bevel with a sharpie before sharpening, and then after the first few strokes with an abrasive, check to see if the marker is evenly worn away. This will tell you if you are sharpening at the correct angle.

If the edge is convex, you could sharpen it with wet-to-dry paper on leather or on a mouse pad. Again, I wouldn't recommend unless you have a bit of experience. If you're not sure, just buy a replacement blade.

Also, on the off chance you can't remove the blade, you can probably still sharpen it with metal or wooden tines or dowels wrapped tightly with wet to dry sandpaper. Carefully.

[Niki in Dayton]

Thanks, all, appreciate the advice!

[mateo21]

I've used a Bron before, but I haven't tried sharpening the blade before... if you could get the blade out of the housing -- or get some rather small stones and be able to tilt the blade above the surface of the mandoline you could sharpen it. I'm pretty sure the "blade" here is the middle flat stainless piece, right? If that removes you should be able to touch it up without an issue... unless you don't have access to stones!

Another reason I always recommend the Benriner mandolines over all others -- simple and the blade removal and sharpening is straightforward and easy to do in 3-5 mins. Benriner + cut resistance glove = happy mandoline experience.

[ferret]

I believe the blades are meant to be replaced rather than sharpened.