A five-minute first sharpening routine
Before you start
Soak or splash the stone as the seller instructs (stones differ — a Shapton is designed for use right after wetting per its maker; others are soaked). Sit the stone on a damp cloth so it does not slide.
The routine
- Find a steady angle. Most kitchen knives are sharpened somewhere in the low-to-mid teens of degrees per side for Japanese-style knives and a little higher for softer Western steel; check your knife maker. An angle guide helps while you learn.
- Work the 1000 face with light pressure, edge-leading strokes, until you feel a small burr along the whole edge.
- Flip and repeat lightly on the other side to remove the burr.
- Move to the finer face for a few light passes per side.
- Strop or wipe, rinse and dry the knife thoroughly. Test on paper or a tomato skin.
Common mistakes
- Pressing hard. Light pressure is enough; the stone does the cutting.
- Skipping the burr. If you never feel one, you have not reached the edge.
- Letting the stone dish. Flatten it now and then.
General information, not a substitute for your knife maker's guidance. Sharpen carefully and keep fingers clear of the edge.