You can’t always match blade angles with jigs, so if
you want an exact match, use the traditional sharpening technique with a
sharpening stone. Once you get the hang of it, the initial anxiety of using
this method quickly fades. Practice on a knife that you’re not
particularly fond of. You can buy individual stones for $5 to $20, or you can
get an inexpensive ($8) synthetic stone with a medium grit on one side and a
fine grit on the other that’ll handle most sharpening jobs. Our stone
sharpening device (Photos 1 and 2) had three
stones built in (coarse, medium and fine) and will handle any type of knife.
The coarse stone is only needed for serious edge restoration.
Keeping Your Sharpening Stones in Good Shape
After several sharpenings, your stone
will start to clog or get dished even if you’ve tried to use the whole
surface of the stone while sharpening. The best way to unclog your stone is to
put it into a bucket of soapy water and scrub it with a stiff nylon brush. To
resurface the stone to its original flatness, wet it down and scrub it on top
of a concrete block. After several passes, sight down the top and check it for
flatness.
Another method is to tape a silicon
carbide sanding belt to the underside of a thick piece of glass and push the
sanding belt back and forth across the stone until it’s flat. With either
method, it will take longer with synthetic stones than with natural
stones.
The condition of the knife’s edge will determine
what grit of stone you should use. If you have nicks or irregularities previous
other bad sharpening jobs, start with a coarse grit and move to medium and then
to fine grit. If your knife is just dull from use, you’ll only need the
fine stone.
Click image to enlarge.
1.
Push
the knife away from you at about a 15-degree angle or until the angle of the
cutting edge is aligned with the stone. Hold the blade firmly by locking your
wrist and moving only your arm. The motion should feel like you’re
cutting a thin slice off the top of the stone.
Click image to enlarge.
2.
Pull
the knife back toward you at the same angle immediately after the first pass
away from you. Again keep a light pressure on the knife and maintain the same
angle through the entire stroke from base to tip. Always use several drops of
oil during each sharpening. Repeat the push and pull strokes several times for
a sharp knife.
Ceramic Sharpening Rods Are Fast and
Accurate
This system is a great, 20-second method for sharpening
knives that are in relatively good shape. The ceramic-coated steel bars are tipped at a 20-degree angle so all you need to do is hold your blade steady at a 90-degree angle to the base of the
sharpener. Several passes on each rod to do both sides of the blade will renew
a keen edge. No lubricant is required for this sharpener, since most of the
residue from the blade falls to the work surface. Occasional cleaning with a
nylon brush and soapy water will keep the ceramic grit from clogging. This
model costs about $16 and folds flat for easy storage. See the Buyer’s
Guide.
Click image to enlarge.
Pull the knife down the ceramic
sharpening rods, holding the knife exactly perpendicular to the base. Use a
light, consistent pass with each side of the blade—once on the left rod
and then again on the right rod. No lubrication is necessary. Several passes
will give you a very sharp knife.
