Homestead · Blacksmithing & Blades · demo dispatch
Sharpen a kitchen knife
Sam Okonkwo · 20 minutes · beginner · free · 3 proofs · 0 saves · 0 reactions
Raise a burr on one side, raise it on the other, and take the burr off. If you cannot feel the burr, you are polishing, not sharpening.
knife · stone · edge · kitchen
Tools and materials
- A whetstone, 1000 grit is enough to start
- A kitchen knife you are allowed to change
- A towel so the stone does not slide
Steps
1. Set the angle
Lay the edge on the stone at about 15 degrees. The spine is roughly a nickel's thickness off the stone for a chef knife. Lock your wrists.
2. Raise a burr
Push or pull, same angle, until a burr flips up along the whole edge. Check with a light fingertip across the edge, not along it.
3. Flip and strop the burr off
Match the angle on the other side until the burr moves. Finish with a few light strokes per side. Wipe the blade.
Safety
A sharp knife is safer than a dull one, and it will still cut you without effort. Keep your fingers off the path of the edge. A stone on a dry counter slides into a hand. Towel first. Do not test the edge on your arm.
Common mistakes
- Changing the angle every stroke
- Stopping before the burr exists
A honing steel realigns an edge. It does not replace the stone once the edge is actually dull.
Proofs
I was polishing until I actually waited for the burr. Second side took longer. Edge is even.
Stone on a towel. Same angle both sides. The edge catches a fingernail now. It did not before.
Felt the burr the whole length before I flipped the knife. Tomato test after, not my thumb.
Questions
Rowan Hale: I can see a burr at the heel and nothing at the tip. Am I changing the angle without noticing?
Inez Vargas: Usually the tip lifts. Keep the stone under the tip and let the heel just ride. Stay on that side until the burr is continuous, then flip.
Accepted