5 Knife Sharpening Tips For Beginners, by Work Sharp Tools on YouTube. 4 min 39 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 39 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Pick a simple kitchen knife, such as a plain chef's knife, for your first session. Leave serrated, heavily damaged or expensive blades until you have some practice.
Soak a water stone for about 10 minutes or oil a oil stone before you start. Set it on a damp towel so it does not slide.
Find your angle and keep it steady. Use an angle guide or a coin under the spine as a reference, and lock your wrist so the blade stays at that angle.
Place the edge on the coarse stone and push or sweep the blade along it while keeping the angle. Work one side until you feel a burr along the whole edge.
Flip the knife and sharpen the other side the same way until a burr forms there too. The two bevels meeting form the apex.
Move to the medium or fine stone and repeat light passes on each side. This refines the edge and removes the coarse scratches.
Test the edge by slicing a sheet of paper or a ripe tomato. If it drags, do a few more light passes on the fine stone.
Rinse and dry the knife and stone. Hone the edge lightly with a honing rod and strop it on leather or cardboard to finish.
Tips and common mistakes
Consistency beats a perfect angle: a steady 20 degrees works better than a wobbly 15.
Do not let knives get very dull; a few light passes every few weeks is easier than a full reshape.
Keep the stone wet or oiled during use and clean it after, or it will clog and cut slowly.
Sharpen away from your body and keep fingers behind the edge; a slipping blade is the main risk.
Questions
Do I need lots of stones to start?
No. A coarse stone for shaping and a medium to fine stone for refining cover most beginner sharpening.
How do I know I have sharpened enough on one side?
Feel for a slight burr along the opposite side of the edge. When it runs the full length, that side is done.
How often should I sharpen?
Hone often and sharpen when the knife stops cutting tomatoes cleanly. Do not wait until it is completely dull.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
