Sharpening a Knife

At a certain point, honing the blade will become ineffective as the blade edge degrades from use (usually several months). At this point it should be sharpened using a sharpening stone or other sharpening tool

Knife sharpening is an art and a science. Steels are used to realign the edge on a knife. Stones are used to sharpen the edge once it has grown dull through ordinary use. Most good stones come with a coarse side and a fine side. If your knife is dull, use the coarse side first. Place the sharpening stone on a damp cloth or rubber mat to keep it from moving. Then draw the blade toward you using a 20 degree angle and applying an even moderate pressure. Make strokes of equal number on each side of the blade. After about ten strokes on each side, flip the stone over and move on to the finer grit. Wash the particles off and finish by honing your knife on a steel. A quicker and easier way to sharpen knives is with an electric knife sharpener.