In its simplest form, a knife’s edge is a pair of angles ground into steel. Keeping those angles consistent while sharpening, then, is the key to restoring the cutting ability of the place where they meet.
The utility of any tool is found in its ability to function, an ability a knife gradually loses as its edge erodes. Maintaining and restoring that edge through sharpening on a stone is a skill any knife-user can develop with a little practice.
Close inspection of any knife, new or old, should reveal a bevel at the business edge of the blade. This bevel was ground into place at the factory and best sharpening results will be found by following these original angles as you work the blade against the stone or other sharpening surface to restore its edge.
To figure out just how high the back of the blade should be held above the stone to adhere to this angle, start with a clean knife and begin by painting the beveled edge with a felt tip pen. Then lay the knife along the stone to your best guess at the angle – a knife blade’s thickness above the stone at the back is usually a good place to start.
Make two strokes, then look at the edge you painted. If you’ve held the proper angle, all the paint will be gone. If you see paint on the top of the edge, it means you’re holding the back of the knife too high above the stone, too steep an angle. If the top of the bevel is clean but there’s paint at the bottom, it means you’re laying the knife blade too flat, at an angle too shallow. Keep repainting the edge and trying again until you see what the proper angle looks like, then just maintain that.
Straight lines
Both man-made diamond stones and natural Arkansas stones, novaculite, are available in a variety of grits. If the knife you’re working on is extremely dull, you may want to begin with a coarser stone, then progress to a finer stone as the edge takes shape.
Most stones may be used either wet or dry. Those to be used wet may be lubricated with water or honing oil, though once a stone has been used with oil, it’s effectively impossible to return to using water.
Small circles
With the stone generously dampened and the angle of the blade determined, move the blade along the stone with smooth, firm pressure for 15 to 20 strokes, then change sides. Always move the blade away from you, and always do the same number of strokes on each side. Keep the pressure and the angle consistent throughout each stroke, as though you were shaving a thin slice off the stone with each pass.
An alternative to the long, straight strokes method is the small circles technique. This method works just as well as the other, and may be easier to follow. It’s especially handy for maintaining a consistent angle of blade to stone. With the blade held against the stone at the proper angle, move it in dime-sized circles for 15 to 20 revolutions per side, alternating sides until the blade is sharp. As with the other method, use firm, consistent pressure, and spend about as much time on one side as the other.
When you’re done, make sure to clean the stone with water or a little more of whatever lubricant you used.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
