GUEST POST: Sharpening A Knife with A Stone – Complete Guide 2023, by The Knife Guide Team

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Sharpening a knife, be it a custom knife, kitchen, or utility blade, is a vital part of knife ownership. A dull knife is not only difficult to use, but it can also pose a safety risk. Since you have to apply more pressure to cut using a dull knife, it increases the chance of slippage and accidentally injuring your hand.

So, keeping a knife sharp is essential for maintaining accuracy but also the safety of the user. Everyone has that one blade that they use more than the other knives in their collection, and it ends up getting dull faster. Knowing how to sharpen a knife can ensure your favorite knife is never out of commission.

The most common device that people have used to sharpen knives for centuries is the whetstone. These stones have abrasive surfaces that can restore the sharpness of a blade. However, if you haven’t used a sharpening stone before, it can be challenging to figure out the proper way to use it.

This article will cover sharpening a knife with a whetstone from start to finish. Keep reading to learn the step-by-step process of sharpening a knife with a stone.

What is a whetstone and its types? [H2]

Whetstones are a special kind of stone that have a coarse and usually porous surface. There are different types of stones, including:

Oil stones: They need a layer of oil to lubricate them.

Water stones: They need to be soaked in water before usage.

Dry stones: Don’t need a layer of oil or water.

In addition to the lubrication type, whetstones also come with different levels of coarseness. Here are the different coarseness levels. The coarseness of a sharpening stone is known as grit, and here are the different grits a weight stone might have:

Coarse grit: A sharpening stone is considered coarse if rated at 1000 or less. These sharpening stones are ideal for knives that are very dull or have damaged edges.

Medium grit: Medium grit sharpening stones are rated between the 1000-3000 range, and they are less abrasive than coarse grit stones. They are ideal for knives that are not too dull and just need a quick sharpening to restore the sharpness.

Fine grit: Any sharpening stone rated between 4000-8000 is a fine grit stone. It will be ideal for refining the edge after you use a medium or coarse grit stone.

Steps to sharpen a knife with a stone [H2]

Now that you know the different types of sharpening stones, it should be easy to pick one with the right kind and grit. Once you have the suitable stone, you can follow these simple steps to stone sharpen your knife:

Step 1. Prepping the whetstone: Before you begin the sharpening process, you have to prepare the stone. Depending upon the type of stone you have, the prepping process will vary. For a water stone, you will have to submerge it in water for around 20-40 minutes. On the other hand, an oil-lubricated stone will need a layer of oil to prepare it for sharpening.

Some varieties of diamond stones are meant to be used while dry, and you don’t need any prepping to use them.

Note: Please read the usage instructions on the manual for the whetstone to learn the best method of prepping it.

Step 2. Get the correct sharpening angle: A knife has to make contact with the stone surface at the right angle to sharpen it. If you sharpen it at the wrong angle, you can make the knife duller than it was to begin with.

Most knives can be sharpened at a 20-degree angle because, at this angle, the knife’s edge will meet the sharpening stone at the right angle. The goal is to shave off enough metal from the blade to restore its sharpness.

Step 3. Start rubbing the knife on the stone: Once you have figured out the correct sharpening angle, you can start by sliding one side of the blade on while maintaining the angle.

Make sure you are applying constant pressure to the knife when moving it across the stone. Keep sliding one side of the blade on the stone until it is sharpened, then flip the knife and do the same process for the other side. Make sure that both sides of the knife are evenly sharpened and avoid over-sharpening either side.

A great way to make sure both sides of the knife are evenly sharpened is by using the same number of strokes for both sides. For example, if you made 10 strokes with the left side of the blade, then you should also make 10 strokes with the right side. This is where the importance of maintaining even pressure also comes into play. If you apply more pressure when sharpening one side and less when sharpening the other, you won’t get even results.

Moreover, if you start seeing burr forming as you sharpen the blade, it is also a sign that you should switch to the other side.

Step 5. Switch to a finer grit: As mentioned earlier, fine grit is ideal for perfecting the edge of a blade. So, if you used a coarse stone with a grit rating of around 1000 or less, you should use a fine grit to refine the edge.

Prep the finer grit stone using the previously mentioned steps and use the same angle to fine-tune your knife.

Step 6. Testing the knife: Once you are sure that the knife has been sufficiently sharpened on both sides, you can test the knife. Try slicing a tomato or a potato to test if it is cutting properly or not.

If you feel that the knife is still not cutting as it should, then you may have to sharpen it more. However, if you get the right result, then you can move onto the next step.

Step 7. Clean the knife: After sharpening and testing a knife, you should always wash and wipe it dry. Doing this will remove any metal flakes or burr from the blade and make sure they don’t get transferred into the food.

Make sure your knife is dry before storing it to prevent rust from forming.

Wrap Up: How to keep a whetstone’s surface even? [H2]

After regular use, your sharpening stone may become uneven in the areas that were used more often. So, it is essential to even out its surface to maintain its usefulness.

You can use a whetstone flattener to even out its surface. Simply place the flattener on the surface of the stone and rub it evenly across it’s surface to make it’s surface even again.

It’s important to keep your knife sharp as it can reduce the chances of you getting cut, so there you have it! This post covers everything related to sharpening knives with a stone.