The knife sharpening handbook
A sharp knife starts with the right angle
Which angle, which grit and which stone: how to set up a whetstone, raise a burr, strop the edge, and what to change when the knife is still dull after sharpening.
How high do I hold the spine?
Open the full angle calculator →The process, step by step
Six steps from a dull edge to a stropped one. Each step has one signal that tells you it is done, and it is never a stroke count.
- ·Choose your stonesWater stone, diamond plate or oil stone, and which grits are worth buying first.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 1Find the anglePick the angle per side for your knife and turn it into a spine height you can see.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 2Set up the stoneSoak or splash, a flat face and a base that does not slide on the counter.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 3Raise a burrWork one side at a steady angle until a burr runs along the whole edge.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 4Coarse to fineMove up through the grits: each finer stone removes the scratches of the one before.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 5Strop the edgeSpine-first passes on leather clear the last of the burr and polish the apex.0 notes · 0 gear guides
- 6Hone and maintainKeep the edge with a rod or a strop, and keep stones clean, flat and dry.0 notes · 0 gear guides
Charts to keep by the stone
Angles by knife type and by brand, grits in microns, and what a strop adds after the last stone.