I got wet stone knife sharpeners as a gift and I have no idea how to use them. Youtube has a million different ways. Anyone have a great technique?

Lizzie Greene
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9 Comments

Sandra E. January 5, 2017
There are many ways to use wet sharpening stone for your knives. You can sharpen any kinds of knives .

The Sharpening Process

Appropriate blade honing is about edges. On the off chance that you hone the blade unevenly or utilize too wide of an edge, you'll likely wind up with a scratched, dull sharp edge. To hone your blade accurately, begin with the coarse side of the whetstone confronting upward. Touch the blade to the stone at its base on the longwise side of the stone that is nearest to you at a twenty degree point. This point width is critical. For reference, twenty degrees is about the point of a book of matches from base to best. Next, apply direct descending weight with your fingers on the posterior of the cutting edge, and push it forward in a corner to corner movement. The tip of the blade ought to be quite recently touching the stone as you achieve the stone's end.

A decent sharp knifeKeep the blade on the stone as you bring it back towards you in order to keep up the point, yet don't have any significant bearing any weight on it. Rehash this procedure for ten to twenty strokes, then flip the blade over and do it once more. When you've finished this progression, it's an ideal opportunity to wipe the cutting edge off, flip the stone over to the fine side, and rehash. This will remove any remaining rugged steel on the cutting's edge that the coarse side couldn't get. After the imperative ten to twenty strokes on every side, your cutting edge is sharp and prepared to cut with.

Completing

Before putting your blade honing setup away, make sure to wipe off the blade edge and check its edge for any scratches or irregularities. There's no compelling reason to fuss in the event that you consider one, to be somewhat more work on the whetstone's fine side will deal with it in a rush. Also, as with any aptitude including blades, it's vital to take as much time as is needed and be cautious the initial few circumstances you hone. That little additional care will bring about a much more honed, more secure, and more valuable sharp edge.

excellent water stones are the satisfactory way to preserve your top notch knives sharp for the longest time, however simplest in case you know the way to really use them. This manual receives into the nitty-gritty of the angles, strokes, and technological know-how behind right sharpening.
 
QueenSashy February 20, 2016
You are right, there are many techniques. Before you pick the one that works for you there are a couple of basic things to consider. Do you have Western style or Japanese knives? Western knives are typically sharpened on both sides. Traditional Japanese knives are sharpened on one side only. (However, there are Japanese made knives that require both side.) So figure that one first. The next step is the angle. Factory edges for Western knives range between 18 to 28 degrees, Japanese are about 10-15. Also, knives that are meant for heavy use will have higher angler than finer knives for slicing and delicate work. Once you figure that out, you approximately know your sharpening angle. The important thing when sharpening a knife on a wetstone is to maintain the sharpening angle, so pick a technique that feels most comfortable at the beginning. Another really useful trick, especially if you have fancy knives, is to get yourself a really cheap knife (for example, Kuhn Rikon will set you back about $10). So practice on that first, until you are comfortable that you can handle the rest of your collection.
 
EO February 20, 2016
Korin.com has a comprehensive section on sharpening on their website and a series of instruction videos on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erseerRFKLA
 
scruz February 18, 2016
i've bookmarked this site because i go back to it every once in a while for reference:
https://forums.egullet.org/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/

this is a site called cooking for engineers and his discussion on steel and sharpening:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/187/Knife-and-Sharpening-Steel-Hardness
i have an oilstone and i don't know why i waited so long to get one. it is a joy to use sharp knives. dull knives are dangerous.
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx February 17, 2016
Here's snippet from an article on the site:
4. Honing Steel or Whetstone
I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your knives sharp when you are cutting anything -- especially meat. There is nothing worse than trying to handle meat with a dull knife; not only will you be working much harder than you need to, but you will inadvertently tear your meat (and possibly your fingers) into tartare, which is no good. If your boning knife is frequently coming into contact with bones, it will need to be sharpened frequently.

A honing steel is a good tool for everyday sharpening that will bring the edge of your blade back to life. Steel and ceramic honing rods usually have ridges running down their length, whereas diamond honing steels are smooth and embedded with tiny, gritty diamond particles. If you don’t know how to use a honing steel, this video will help you. You should be able to buy a steel at any kitchen store that sells knives, or you can purchase one online.

If you are using your knives all day, every day, you may want to invest in a whetstone to use once or twice a week. Whetstones come in a variety of grits (or grades) with numbers ranging from low to high, which indicates their coarseness. Be sure to research what grit is best for the knife you are sharpening. Watch this video for tips on how to use a whetstone effectively -- once you get the hang of it, the process is very relaxing!
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx February 17, 2016
https://food52.com/blog/12264-hone-sweet-hone-how-to-sharpen-your-knives-any-which-way
 
Lizzie G. February 17, 2016
Thanks!
 
Smaug February 17, 2016
There's water stones, which are a type of whet stone, and oil stones which are also whet stones but not, I suppose, wet...I mention this because there is sometimes confusion on this. Other than the lubricant (water or oil), however, they behave pretty much the same, but don't mix that up. There are simple jigs available to hold straight blades, such as chisels or plane blades, even planer knives, at an exact angle, but I know of no whetstone jigs for kitchen knives- short of buying some sort of knife system, you'll have to learn how to freehand it. It's generally best to move in one direction, pushing the bevel ahead of you in a shaving motion. You can fairly easily develop a feel for when the bevel is down flat, but be careful about digging in; waterstones are pretty soft and easily chewed up. Part of maintaining the stones is keeping them flat; there are ceramic plates made for this, but you can do a pretty good job with a flat object and some sort of abrasive. There are also diamond stones (lubricated with water) that are on a hard synthetic base and do not go out of flat; in fact they can be used to flatten other stones; they're probably the best for most cooks. It's very difficult to maintain an even bevel by hand over time; it's really best to use some simple sharpener- the Chef's Choice or similar models- to do rough sharpening and maintain the bevel, and save whetstones for finishing. Once the bevel is polished (with a very fine stone) the final step is a microbevel- the final cutting edge, a secondary bevel at a slightly wider angle than the main bevel; this should require only a few passes with your finest stone. When resharpening, you can typically redo the microbevel several times before needing to regrind the main bevel, saving considerable time.
 
Lizzie G. February 17, 2016
Thanks!
 
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