Sharpening a knife is not difficult to do, but some practice is required to obtain the very sharpest edge your knife is capable of. Putting a keen edge on a knife is a process affected by a number of variables. Some of these variables include the sharpening system being used, the blade steel, the condition of the knife and the experience of the user.
Personally, I recommend using one of the sharpening systems that clamps and holds the knife blade in a fixed position while a hone is moved across the blade at a predefined angle. The Lansky sharpener is the most well known of these systems, although there are numerous variations available. The benefit of this system is in the consistent angle that may be obtained for each stroke of the hone and allows a novice to sharpen a blade to a very fine edge.
Typically these systems will have at least 3 angles of cut to choose from. Your choice would depend on the type of knife or tool being sharpened. The Blade Master system I use has 4 angles: 15, 19, 24 and 29 degrees. As the number increases the angle becomes more shallow and cuts a finer, although thinner, edge. The thinner the edge the sharper the blade will be. However an angle of 29 degrees is so shallow that it should be used only for fine kitchen knives with very thin blades. As the number decreases the angle becomes steeper and sharpens the blade to more of a chopping point. Obviously a thin edge will not stand up to rough use such as chopping or aggressive cutting and the smaller angles should be used here. In general, a daily carry knife will be best sharpened at a 19 degree angle or thereabouts.
To sharpen, the user clamps the knife in the holding device and beginning with a coarse hone, strokes are made on each side of the blade to remove enough material to reset the edge. Finer hones are then used in the same way to refine and polish the edge.
Another popular knife sharpener is exemplified in the many "pocket sharpeners" that are on the market today. These sharpeners will often have a pair of sharpening rods, usually made of ceramic or similar material, that are fixed into a handle at a predetermined angle to form a "V". There is no angle selection possible with these systems. To sharpen, the user simply holds the sharpener in one hand, puts the knife blade into the "V" shaped slot made at the cross section of the two sharpening rods and pulls rearward in a reverse stroke. As the blade moves along the bottom of the V, the rods sharpen the blade to the angle at which they are set. These systems are useful for a quick touch up in the field, but I would not use them as a mainstay for blade care as the angle can change according to how the knife is held while stroking, the sharpening rods cannot be adjusted, nor is there any choice in the grit of the hone.
Wetstones have been used longer than any other method and do work well, although they require practice if sharpening freehand. In this method there is no assist with the cutting angle or maintaining the angle through the sharpening motion, the sharpening surface is the only offering. Here, a user must hold the blade at an angle believed to be correct and moves the blade across the hone in a forward shaving motion, as if trying to shave off a thin slice of the stone. Swirling movements are sometimes employed and once sharpened the blade is turned over to repeat the process for the other side. The danger here is twofold. First, the angle being sharpened may not be the ideal angle, nor is it likely this angle can be consistently maintained through the freehand movements of sharpening. In the end, the knife will usually be sharper, but will not have the consistency of a clamp system. Doing a poor job with a wetstone can actually make the blade worse, which is why this method is best reserved for experienced users. Sometimes a wetstone system will come with a clamp device that holds the blade at a consistent angle while moving across the stone. This helps greatly in achieving a proper edge.
The blade steel will also have an impact on the edge sharpness and retention. As a general rule of thumb, chromium is added to steel to increase the stainless properties but this can also have a detrimental effect on the ability to achieve a top flight edge. The higher the Carbon content of the steel, the better the edge it will take, but is also more susceptible to discoloration. Premium knife steels such as the Sandvik steel, ATS-34 and 154CM are formulated for the best of both worlds. Other lesser steels will experience trade off between these two extremes.
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There are just as many knives available as there is a knife sharpening system to go with each one. Some people recommend putting your kitchen knives in the dishwasher because of the high temperatures, other say don't put them in the dishwasher because of the high temperatures and the chance of them being knocked around. Which answer is right? What ever you feel comfortable with is the right answer.
Some people just clean their kitchen knives with hot, soapy water; however, you must be very careful not to cut yourself with this method. Never drop your knives into a sink of soapy water, take them one at a time and wash them before rinsing them the same way. You can really cut yourself if you have to dig into a tub of soapy water looking for a kitchen knife to wash.
To protect your knives, it is best to keep them in a block holder or some type of holder rather than just thrown in a kitchen drawer. This is for the same reason; it is easy to be cut by your kitchen knives if you are reaching into a pile of knives that are not secured by something or if your knives are not placed in something. Manufacturers of knives make sleeves to cover the sharp part of the knife or there are special boxes that you can put in the drawers to protect you and your knives.
Most knife sharpening system kits come with honing 'sticks' which are basically long, round pieces of stainless steal and you take the knife you want sharpened and run it up and down the rod of stainless steal at an angle until you get just the right sharpness to your knife. This is one of the fastest and simplest ways to sharpen a knife.
Other knife sharpening system kits include whetstones in which you can rub the knife across the surface and get a sharper knife in minutes. Some of these whetstones need lubrication such as water or oil, depending on the brand of whetstone you are using. Arkansas is a popular brand and style of whetstone used around the country for its fine, abrasive properties on the stone. And yes, they come from Arkansas.
There is also a diamond whetstone which contains small amounts of glass or diamond abrasives however this is an expensive way to sharpen your knives or tools. To care for your whetstone, take some graduals of sand and put them on a piece of glass, add a little water and rub the whetstone in a circular motion until the graduals are ground down. This will help to maintain the abrasiveness of the whetstone.
There is a leather strap method of knife sharpening in which you gently take the knife back and forth across a thick, leather strap to gently make the blade's edge sharper. This is usually reserved for barbers and hairdressers who have straight edged blades; however it works for all types of knives from kitchen knives and small pocket knives to long, sword type knives.
Some kitchen knives come with their own sharpening device built into the block holder and every time you place the knives into the slots and then pull them out for use, they sharpen themselves; you don't need to do a thing except take them out of the holder and use them, then put them back into the holder after cleaning them and they will remain sharp for as long as you have your knives.
There is a knife sharpening system that is made of two blades of stainless steal that is shaped into a V and it is contained in a piece of plastic or wood to hold it into place and you drag the blade across this to sharpen the edges. This can be done several times to gain the sharpness on the blades.
For utility and other specialty knives such as filleting knives, boning knives and small paring knives which are thinner and require a more delicate knife sharpening system, use the honing stones and a little light pressure to get the sharpened edge. There are special systems for serrated knives so you can get each little 'saw blade' or 'tooth' sharpened without wearing down the 'teeth.'
Caring for your knife collection, whether its kitchen knives or a collection of vintage knives, should be done carefully and with attention to detail. You want to be careful not to cut yourself or nick the knives in any way.
Both Bob Holder & William Doggett are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Bob Holder has sinced written about articles on various topics from Hunting, Recreation and Sports. Bob Holder is the owner of , an online knife retailer of quality. Bob Holder's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
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