How to sharpen a knife with a whetstone

Video: Beginner’s Guide to Whetstone Sharpening

Content

Part 2 of 3: Preparing to sharpen
Part 3 of 3: Sharpening the Knife
Warnings
What do you need

1 Examine the knives. Get out the knives you would like to sharpen. See how dull the blades are to select a sharpening stone with the desired grain size. To check the knife, cut a tomato or apple with it. Evaluate the resistance you get when using the knife. The greater the resistance, the dumber the knife.

You should also take into account the frequency of use of the knives. If you use them on a daily basis, they are likely to be dumber than occasional use.

2 Choose a suitable type of grindstone. You will have to choose between a natural or synthetic sharpening stone that can be used for wet sharpening (using water), oil sharpening or dry sharpening.There are also diamond sharpening stones, which are metal bars covered with a layer of very small artificial diamonds. Wet sharpening stones are the softest and can sharpen knives quickly. Unfortunately, these stones wear out faster than others. Oil sharpening stones are among the cheapest and are made from harder materials.

Working with a sharpening stone for sharpening with oil is quite dirty and after it you have to clean up after yourself, however, a whetstone of this type itself serves for a long time.
Diamond sharpening stones are among the most expensive, but they also last the longest.

3 Select the grit size of the whetstone. Sharpening stones are available in various grit sizes. In general, they are classified into coarse, medium and fine grained stones. If your knives are completely dull, you need to start sharpening with a coarse-grained stone and finish on a fine-grained stone. If the knives have been sharpened recently and are not too dull, try sharpening them on a medium grit stone. The grain markings for the grindstones that suit you can be numbered from 325 (coarse stones) to 1200 (fine stones).

You may be able to get a whetstone with different grain sizes on both sides.

Part 2 of 3: Preparing to sharpen

1 Follow the instructions that came with the whetstone you purchased. As there is a wide variety of whetstones, it is very important to read the instructions that came with the whetstone you purchased. The instructions will tell you whether to wet the stone with water or oil it while sharpening.
- Diamond whetstones are usually used dry or moistened with water.
2 Practice holding the knife at a 20-degree angle to a flat surface. To find a suitable angle, first hold the knife in front of you so that the cutting edge of the blade is pointing straight down. This will be a right angle (90 degree angle). Tilt the knife about halfway to the side so that it is already at a 45-degree angle to the surface. Again, tilt the knife halfway to the side so that the blunt edge is only slightly raised above the table. This will be an angle of approximately 20 degrees.
- If the blade of the knife is very large or thick, then it may require a slightly larger sharpening angle.
- When using a very coarse sharpening stone, you may want to use a smaller sharpening angle to avoid sharpening the knife blade too hard.
SPECIALIST'S ADVICE
Vanna tran

Experienced Cook Vanna Tran is a home cook. She started cooking at a very young age with her mother. Organizing events and dinners in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 5 years.
Vanna tran
Experienced chef
Take the knives to a knife sharpener to sharpen them in the best possible way. Veteran chef Vanna Tran says: “I take my knives to a specialist to sharpen every three months. Of course, you can do this with the help of a grindstone, but a specialist will cope with the task much better. "
3 Soak the wet sharpening stone for 45 minutes in water. If you used a stone for wet sharpening, put it in a sump and completely fill it with water. Let it sit in the water for at least 45 minutes before sharpening the knives.
- If the stone is too dry, it may scratch or burr the blade of the knife.
- Do not soak a whetstone intended for sharpening with oil in water, otherwise it may be damaged.
4 Place the whetstone on a damp cloth. Dampen a cloth with water and wring it out. Place a rag on your work surface and place a whetstone on top of it. The cloth will keep the stone from moving when you sharpen your knives. Do this with any type of sharpening stone (wet, oil or diamond).
- If you have a double-sided whetstone with different grain sizes, use the coarser side up. This will allow you to quickly sharpen your knives before flipping the stone to the other side for subsequent sharpening polishing.
- You probably want to take an old rag for work, since then you will not be able to wash it from the remaining crumbs after sharpening.
5 Lubricate the sharpening stone with oil. If you have a whetstone that requires oiling, you can spray it with oil or pour oil directly onto it. Rub the oil into the stone with your fingers. Make sure it is completely covered with oil.
- Use a special oil designated for sharpening. It can be both mineral oil and oil made without the use of petroleum products. The sharpening oil will contain special additives that protect the metal of the sharpened blades.
- Refrain from smearing the grindstone with cooking oils (vegetable or vegetable).

Part 3 of 3: Sharpening the Knife

1 Place the knife on the grindstone. With one hand, grasp the handle of the knife and place it against the sharpening stone at a 20-degree angle. The cutting edge of the blade should be facing away from you. Place the fingertips of your other hand against the flat part of the blade near the cutting edge.
- The fingertips on the blade will exert pressure on the blade and control the position of the blade while sharpening.
2 Run one side of the blade over the whetstone. Slowly slide the blade along the stone, gradually moving it in an arc. As a result, the entire cutting edge of the blade from base to tip must be cut over the stone, ensuring uniform sharpening. Continue sharpening the knife on one side until it becomes sharp.
- Remember to wet or oil the whetstone when it dries.
3 Flip the knife over to sharpen it as well. Turn the knife upside down and slide it over the sharpening stone from the base to the tip of the incisal edge. Repeat this step until the knife is sharp to the touch when touched with your fingertip.
- Take extra care when touching the cutting edge of any knife.
4 Continue sharpening on a finer grindstone. If your knife was very dull and you sharpened it first on a coarse grit stone, you probably want to polish it on a fine grit stone. Slide one side of the blade from the base to the tip of the cutting end over a fine-grained whetstone. Then turn the knife over to the other side and repeat the operation.
- Always sharpen your knives evenly to keep the blades balanced. For example, if you run one side of the blade over the sharpening stone six times to sharpen, the other side of the blade will also need to be slid over it six times.
5 Check the sharpness of the knife. Once you think the knife is completely sharpened, wash and dry it. Take a piece of paper and try to cut it with a knife. If the knife is sharp enough, it will easily cut the paper. Otherwise, you will have to sharpen it a little more.
6 Clean your knives and whetstone. When you are finished sharpening your knives, wash and dry the blades. You should also clean the whetstone itself according to the manufacturer's instructions. For example, if you have used an oil-based sharpening stone, it may need to be periodically cleaned with a stiff brush and soaked in oil. In the case of a wet sharpening stone, simply rinse off the worn-out debris, wrap it in a dry cloth and store it for later use.
- To prevent knives from dulling ahead of time, store them in a regular or magnetic knife holder, or in protective covers.