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There are many ways to sharpen a knife, but using a sharpening stone is the most cost-effective. This method has been used worldwide for hundreds of years to keep knives and swords sharp, including kitchen knives. In life, a sharpening stone can keep a knife blade sharp and even bring it back to life.
The word "sharpen" in "sharpening stone" does not relate to moisture or wetness. It comes from an old English term "hwettan," which means "to sharpen or make sharp." Interestingly, most sharpening stones actually need some moisture to work best. This means water or oil. However, most stones you find in stores or online, especially those for kitchen use, are water stones.
In some cases, there is no real difference. The choice of lubricant, whether water or oil, is up to the user. Both methods can do the same thing: they help grind away the stone's surface to make sharpening easier. However, in other cases, one type must be used with a specific stone. For example, natural sharpening stones mainly use water. If you use oil on them, they become useless.
Manufacturers will clearly explain whether your sharpening stone should be used with water, oil, or both.
The main difference between oil stones and water stones is that water stones are gentler. This means the old grit wears away faster than on oil stones. As a result, you can sharpen more steadily on freshly exposed stone.
Water stones are also easier to handle and clean compared to oil stones, giving them an advantage. Additionally, water stones come in more varieties of grit.
Oil stones, especially those made of Arkansas stone, are traditional sharpening stones, many of which are mined in the U.S., particularly in Arkansas.
You will see various types of stones with a range of grit numbers. The lower the number, the coarser the grit. Coarser grits remove more material with each pass.
For home knife sharpening, a grit range between 1000 and 8000 is generally sufficient. However, some stones can have grits as coarse as 120 and as fine as 30000. With this in mind, experts adhere to common standards for grit numbers.
There are many small inventions and accessories to help you use sharpening stones, but two are the best.
The first is your sharpening stone holder. You should buy it with the stone. You cannot place the stone directly on a table or counter. If you do, your fingers might get cut by accident.
The second is the small item on the right side of the stone. It looks like a chip clip, but it is actually an angle guide. Some clips onto the top edge of the knife, while others may need to be tied to the stone. Either way, the angle guide will help you set the sharpening angle and use the stone better.
Are you ready to start sharpening your knife? Hold on. You need more than just a sharpening stone and a knife. In addition to these obvious tools, you should also have a sharpening stone holder, a container for water, and a spoon.
There are a few important details about these items.
The water container is for the sharpening stone and needs to have some specific features. It should be deep enough so that the stone can be fully soaked in water. The stone requires a lot of water, so simply dipping it lightly will not be enough to make it work effectively.
You can use a roasting pan, but a plastic tub or kitchen sink also works well.
The spoon is used to scoop more water onto the stone while you sharpen the knife. This helps remove metal shavings.
As mentioned, the sharpening stone needs to be fully soaked before use. This is not a quick process.
Before you use the stone, let it sit in water for 10 to 20 minutes. There’s an easy way to check if it’s soaking well:
Place the stone in water, and you will see it bubble like an aquarium aerator. This is not an exaggeration; the stone is absorbing water and pushing out air from its tiny pores. Over time, the bubbles will decrease. When there are few or no bubbles, the stone is ready to use.
Before you start sharpening, you must secure the wet stone in place. This not only saves you from potential criticism from your partner but also prevents scratches on your countertop or dining table, and protects your fingers from cuts.
In most cases, you will have a holder for the stone. If you don't, don’t worry; a towel or a cloth can serve as a makeshift stone holder.
Regardless of the method, ensure that the stone does not move before you truly begin sharpening.
Great! You’re almost ready to start!
Before you begin removing valuable material to sharpen the knife, you need to identify the correct sharpening angle. Some blades require a less common angle for sharpening. If that’s the case, detailed instructions should be provided. Additionally, check the manufacturer's website, as these important specifications are often available there. However, in most situations, an angle of 20 to 25 degrees is optimal. You don’t even need a protractor to establish this angle.
Think of it this way: the vertical edge of the stone is 90 degrees. Tilting the knife down to the halfway point gives you about 45 degrees. Tilt the knife down again to approximately 22.5 degrees, which is an ideal edge angle.
Alternatively, you can take the simpler route and use an angle guide, as mentioned earlier in this article.
Begin with a coarser grit, in this case, 1000. This grit removes more material, helping to restore your knife to a razor-sharp edge.
Keep the blade at an angle of 20-25 degrees for best results.
Finally, use a finer grit stone, such as 6000, to complete the sharpening process.
Note that after each session, there will be some new metal filings on the stone. These are the shavings produced during sharpening. If you leave the shavings on the stone while sharpening, it won’t harm your knife, but you can rinse them off with some additional water if you prefer.
As with the coarser grit, it's generally advisable to make about 10 passes on each side of the blade.
After sharpening the blade, rinse it under water and dry it with a towel. Once the knife is clean, make sure to thoroughly wash the container you used to catch the water and shavings. If you used a baking tray, it’s essential to clean it properly to prevent any tiny metal filings from being ingested later.
For the stone itself, double-check that it’s securely fixed to its holder and then let it air dry overnight to allow any moisture to evaporate. Once it is completely dry, you can store it away.
This is a straightforward guide on how to sharpen a knife using a whetstone.
