I don't have the patience for that.
If there is one problem with owners and their dull knives, this is it.
One of the reasons this topic bothers me is that some townie is always demanding a "secret" like I can sell him a bag of magic beans. In almost all cases when they hear the phrase, "Read this history book and give it a few years" their eyes glaze over. They want something they can 'rub on a knife now.'
All of the truly rewarding pursuits in life come with a cost of time and effort and some pain. Like, cabinet making, weight lifting and yes, knife sharpening.
For a knife to cut the best, the edge has to be perfectly formed, devoid of flaws and chips, and polished. And what baffles me is that some of the sportsmen who claim to love cutlery will grind up a knife like kindling because their time is
so valuable. Heavens, you can't miss Oprah.
I once took flak in a forum for admitting that it took me over three hours to properly re-profile and polish a poorly treated Japanese knife. One "expert" scoffed that with his grinding wheel he could do it in minutes. Well, I'll bet I could get all of the bird droppings off his Corvette with sandpaper, although I'd advise against it.
An edge takes patience, even more than it requires water and stone. Even a polisher with decades of skill requires on the average of
ten to fourteen days to repair and polish a katana. So if I take a few hours it means virtually nothing.
Besides, aren't we supposed to love cutlery and our craft?