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Article: Basic Knife Sharpening

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tangma27

Wow this is so helpful! Thanks you so much ChefSteps!

Karen_Taylor_Quinn_36329

What, no story?

Richard_103932

thanks, i've had a stone for a while, but only had a bit of knowledge around sharpening and honing. This will help a lot! I'm looking forward to sharpening my knifes!

One question, I bought some guides that attach to the knife to keep a constant (these: http://www.kitchenwaresuperstore.com.au/global-sharpening-guide-rails-1.html) What do you think of these? I find them a little cumbersome, and I thought that I might not learn to keep a consistent angle myself if I use them.

tangma27

Part 2 to be released in the near future.

Mike_Immerman_119342

Those guides may help you get an idea of an appropriate angle until you get more comfortable . I would suggest using painters tape on your knife to protect it from scratches from the guide.

Benjamin_Garman_157665

I have always seen stone oil/mineral oil of some sort everywhere ive worked but have yet to see even a mention of it. Does water work the same/better?

Benjamin_184684

When fixing a broken tip, I suspect is only possible on high carbon steel, not stainless steel, yes? I only have cheap crappy knives so I'm guessing I'l have to work harder or my results will be way less dramatic, no?

Greg_Kraushaar_60903

It depends on the type of stone you use. For traditional hard WESTERN stones made from silicon carbide or quartz (arkansas stones), you use a light grade oil like neatsfoot as a lubricant. For traditional soft EASTERN stones - traditionally a fine shale, but more often artificial these days, you use water. Oil will clog the pores in the stone and make it useless. I have used both and much prefer the Eastern style. Norton make a very nice artificial set that are colour coded.

The eastern style dish much more readily and need work to bring them back to a flat surface more often. Basically have four stones A, B, C, D and rub them A-B, B-C, C-D, D-A. The grit doesn't matter for flattening the stones.

Richard_103932

Thanks Mike, good tip! They are already scratched from it. I sharpened a knife recently and I didn't use the guide. I found that it was easier without them and I was still able to shave my arm a little once finished :-)

Joshua_Birch_180857

Does a burr form at each successive grit of stone?

Graeme_Pang_196966

may be slightly off topic but i'm curious as to what knife that is in the picture? it looks fantastic!

Ajith_Antony_203492

The video says to use a wet towel, and the kit includes a stone holder. What's up with that?

TC_197040

I know I am going into heretic country here but have you tried any of the electric sharpeners? Especially the Ken Onion endorsed model?

D_Anthony_Williams_211870

Not necessarily better, just different. When I was in school we all got the same German Mercer knife kit and they taught us on oil stones. I hated them simply because they were messy and bulky so I opted to find a more efficient, cleaner way to sharpen. This lead me to Japanese whetstones and I haven't looked back since. Happy sharpening!

orange_224187

Hi my carbon steel knife's tip is broken...not much but a little. Can i repair it like this or special treatment to the carbon steel? Thx Chefs!

Jason_98627

Yes you can using a250 grit stone

Jason_98627

Either will work

Jason_98627

You'd be better off using a grinder to fix a top on stainless ... Honestly better off ridding yourself of stainless knives all together... Very hard to sharper

Eli_Kisi_226628

I am still confused. I have followed the instructions but it seems like my knife is just scratched up (around the bevel) but not much sharper. What am I doing wrong? How many passes do you expect to make until the knife is sharper?

My knife wasn't very dull before but I just wanted to make it sharper, it's stainless steel.

Ed_274081

What do you think about using one of the multi-stage knife sharpeners? There are dozens on Amazon both manual and electric something like this one. They guarantee the blade angle and are easy to use and low cost for novices.

jimplante

I concur with Jason, below. Use a grinder on a large broken tip. Keep the blade cool by dipping in water as you grind, i.e., don't let it heat up. For a tip loss like the one depicted here, I'd clamp the knife in a vise and use a file. This gives better control and doesn't heat the blade. Use the file to rough-shape the edge when you've finished reshaping the tip. Then go to the stones, starting with 220 silicon carbide. Once that's finished, use the stones shown.

I disagree about stainless knives. Get a knife with the right hardness and temper. The carbon steel is just fine. It sharpens easily and holds its edge. But acidic foods will erode that molecule-thick edge that you can put on it with a 8000-grit stone. By all means, wash carbon steel immediately after using it. Stainless is more forgiving; it holds its edge longer, and can be washed up after you're finished all the prep.

I've sharpened Buck Folding Hunters to a razor edge in about three minutes using paper wheels on a grinder. (220 grit silicon carbide wheel followed by a white rouge stropping wheel). They stay sharp indefinitely. But they aren't worth a damn in a kitchen.

methomas2001

Maybe putting too much pressure by the bevel and not enough through the rest of the knife? What grit number are you starting with? This takes practice even if you watch their video, you have to get a "feel" for doing it right. I didn't really end up with a properly sharp knife until my fourth or fifth try, and even now I'm improving each time. I guess make sure your angle is correct, that you are passing the knife across the stone as shown in the video, and that you are applying even pressure throughout. I found their tip about using a scale to get a feel for how much pressure to apply very useful

nicholsonfermin

Which would work better, diamond whetstones or normal water stones?

Eli_Kisi_226628

Thanks! I thought I was applying even pressure but I will try the scale. I started with 1000 grit and moved to 3000.

nickiron_241260

can i use 240 grid to fix my broken tip???or only with 220 grid fixed??

Joe_182469

So what do you guys use as a cleaning stone mentioned here?

Also, how do th ChefSteps guys flatten their stones? Rub against each other? ( mMmmmm )

Dick_Green_107808

IMHO, most home chefs (and some commercial chefs) will have a hard time getting superior results with this traditional sharpening method. It takes a great deal of practice to consistently hit the correct sharpening angle and hold it. I'm not saying it can't be done, it's just very hard. After trying many methods, including the worthless sharpening machines and kitchen accessory sharpeners, I found two sharpening systems that work very well: The Wicked Edge and Edge Pro. I have no affiliation with these companies (they're competitors). Both systems provide a way to accurately set the sharpening angle and hold it all the way from re-profiling with coarse stones to find honing. Edge Pro uses water stones, with fancy stones available, while Wicked Edge defaults to diamond stones with high-end water stones available. Diamond stones are perfectly adequate and are easier to use, but purists might prefer the water stones, especially for the really expensive Japaneses knives. Both companies offer stropping accessories and compounds for knife buffs (pun intended.) Personally, I prefer the Wicked Edge system. If you're going to spend some serious money on knives, it's worth the expense to get a top-quality sharpening system.

gregory_massaro_217358

I've recently been getting into a Misono 'Chinese' Clever - it can be a bit more challenging to sharpen - any tips?

Jim_Powers_418551

the tips of my knifes are bent a little. How do I straighten them without ruining the blade

Andrew_Z_493067

A few tips from a an obsessive knife sharpener:

Water stones are sexy but, for the rough sharpening up to 1000 grit, diamond stones do a great job and are extremely durable. Water stones eventually wear away and need to be lapped (flattened). Not so with diamond stones. I use an extra course grit (equivalent to a 220 grit) for rough work and an extra fine (1000-1200 grit) for the intermediate work. I do use a 5000 grit water stone for the final polish.
If you want to slice tomatoes, don't sharpen beyond 1000 grit. You edge will have micro-serrations that will pop through the skin much more easily than a knife sharpened to a finer grit. I keep a santoku sharpened this way for tomatoes but it functions well for just about anything. It may need to be sharpened a little more often but I enjoy the process.
Don't be too obsessed with the proper motion across the stone when you sharpen your knives. As long as you maintain a consistent angle to the stone, the blade will come out fine. The key to sharpening well is to get a good bur along the entire edge of the blade. If you can feel a bur along most of the blade but there is an area without a bur, focus on that area. There is no reason to wear away more metal where you already have a bur. As you go to finer grits, the bur will be more subtle. At 5000, it is very subtle indeed.
I have both stainless and carbon steel blades. The carbon steel knives get much sharper than the stainless knives with a lot less effort. I don't oil them as recommended but I've never had a problem. They aren't as pretty as the stainless knives but they have their own charm.
Forget about a sharpening steel; get a strop! A strop is a piece of leather or suede, usually attached to block of wood. It can be used with or without honing compound to put the final finish on the blade and also to hone the blade in between sharpening. You just run the blade backwards across the strop at the same angle you would use with your stones. It's much more effective than a sharpening steel plus it's easier.
If your knives are just a little dull, there is no need to go down the courser stones. Try stropping the blade first but, if that doesn't work, just sharpen with the fine grit stone. If you have a really dull knife or you don't like the bevel on a new knife, you may want to reshape it with the courser stones. But, if you stay on top of things, you really shouldn't need to use them.