Sharpening knives - What am I doing wrong?

[dcSaute]

the knife according to the link is stainless steel. stainless is softer than the hard Japanese style knives.


your 1k/6k is probably much to fine for stainless. very hard steels will take the fine edge of a 6k stone - but not stainless. you may be just polishing the edge; to restore and edge it is necessary to physically remove metal 'to an angle'


fwiw, I have stainless Wuesthof; I use 400/600 grit to get the proper flat, and finish the chef knives to 800, but the slicers to a steeper angle and finish with 1000.
(grits per Edge-Pro)


as for getting/keeping/maintaining an angle, after many years free-handing, I got an Edge-Pro. it is seriously phenomenal at angles; the 'improvement' in sharpness was very noticeable.



sharpening is not rocket science - but it sure helps to do a bit of studying to know what you are trying to accomplish and how to know if you're getting there.



also to note, the "grit" ratings on natural stones vs synthetic stones / cheap / expensive / etc does not match up. it would be good to find someone who know where on the "scale of reality" that stone sites.


I suggest you look up the on-line 'manual' by Chad Ward - it is an excellent read and explains the types of edges / geometries. also tips on sharpening - such as striping the knife edge with a marker - get a magnifying glass - as you work on the stones the marker is removed and you can see much more precisely what you are doing.

 

[CharlieD]

Hardness has nothing to do with stainless or not. Most knives in the market today are stainless. Yes Japanese knives tend to be harder and sharpened at the finer angle.

 

[kbreit]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I've went back and tried it again. The knife is was nowhere close to what I wanted. However, this morning I went to do some cutting with some steak knives which haven't been sharpened. Curious, I took out the chef's knife and while it wasn't as smooth as I'd like, it was better than the steak knives.


In short, I've made progress but it's not where I want it to be. Over the next few nights, I'm going to spend a long time sharpening that knife to see how long it takes, if possible, to get it sharp.

 

[Andy M.]

The 1000 side of your stone should get the majority of the work. A lot more strokes. When that has done all it can, you jus need a few strokes on the 6000 side the smooth it off.

Keep trying. You'll get better at it. It took me a lot of tries to get a really good finished product.

 

[Stock Pot]

Whetstones

I think you want to start with a lower grit, like 300 or so. 1000 is probably too high. Starting with a lower grit and working your way up saves huge time.

 

[Stock Pot]

Grit

I think you may be starting with too high a grit. Start with 200 or 400 and work your way up and I think you will get better results.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

You will find a thousand different answers to your knife sharpening questions. As was stated by the others, go online and do a bit of research. You will find different edge grinds, and the advantages, and disadvantages of each You will know the difference between honing and sharpening. I keep and convex edge on my chef's knife as it is a sturdy edge that cuts very well. It is harder to maintain than a single, or even compound bevel edge. But it's what I like. I also like the brand I use, though I have received criticism for my choice. Knives are a very personal thing. What works for me might not work for you. On the other hand The knives I like might be perfect for you. There is a knife sharpening tool that I am impressed with, the Ken Onion Worksharp system. It uses sanding belts from 300 to eight thousand grit, and produces a convex edge. It's a very nice tool, if you want to spend a hundred bucks of so.

Also, once you knives are sharp, generally, they only need to be honed with a good steel. As you use a sharp knife, that fine cutting edge fold to the side, making the knife seem dull. A steel eraligns the edge, bringing it back to its sharp edge. When steeling a knife, take care no to bang the edge against the steel, as this will create knicks and imperfections in the cutting edge.

Too much sharpening will, over time, remove too much metal from the knife edge, shortening the life of the knife. I got my Chroma 401, ten-inch chef's knife as a Christmas present in 20003, znc it is still like new, and very sharp. For my professional chef son, and myself, it's the most comfortable brand of knives for our hands. My other son loves Wusthoof. They work for him.I also have some Chicago Cutlery knives purchased back in 1978 that are still like new. They are also used frequently, though not as often as the chef's knife.

So, in summation, learn the different bevels, and edge shapes, and determine which is best for you. Go from there.

Seeeeeya; Chief longwind of the North