Warning:
Remember that handling, using and sharpening knives is inherently dangerous.
Neither eGullet nor the author can be responsible for your safety. That’s your
job. Knife safety, especially during sharpening, is a matter of common sense.
Keep your fingers, toes and everything else out of the path of the blade – even
if it were to slip. If you go slowly, pay attention and stay focused, you’ll be
fine.
Introduction
“Knife
sharpening is hard.”
“Sharpening is
too difficult and time consuming to do at home.”
“Send your
knives to a professional sharpener once a year and you will be fine.”
“You have to
spend hours hunched over a heavy hone slathered with oil.”
This
well-intentioned advice is parroted in cooking schools, Food Network television
programs, professional manuals and cookbooks. And it is just plain wrong.
Okay, maybe
not so much wrong as misleading.
Knife
sharpening is not difficult. It is not shrouded in mystery. With a little
knowledge, a little geometry, a couple of tricks and some inexpensive tools,
knife sharpening can be fairly easy and extremely rewarding. At the very least
it’s a great skill for the toolbox. You’ll come away from this clinic with a
better understanding of edges, steel and how to maintain your knives yourself.
Or, if you decide to send them out, you’ll know how to make sure you’re getting
what you want – and what you pay for.
Section One: The Sad Truth About
Kitchen Knives
To a chef,
there is nothing more important than his knife. It is not only an extension of
his hands, it is an extension of his very personality. The knife is a chef’s
paintbrush.
The knives
found in most commercial and home kitchens are designed for the lowest common
denominator. The manufacturers of these knives make a series of compromises
calculated to keep the largest number of people happily using their knives for
the longest period of time. Like supermarket tomatoes bred for sturdiness and
uniformity rather than flavor, these compromises seriously degrade the
performance of your knives.
The first
compromise begins with the steel. Steel is the heart of the knife. Most
manufacturers (Henckels, Wusthof, Forschner, et al.) have proprietary steel
blends and are very close-mouthed about the actual formulation of their steels.
According to industry insiders, these steel blends are closely related to or
equivalent to a steel known as 440a. By and large 440a steel is formulated for
stain and wear resistance rather than holding a high performance edge.
But this
compromise in edge performance is compounded by a heat treatment that leaves
the steel much softer than it could be. In general, the harder the steel, the
keener the edge it will take. However, a hard steel makes it more difficult to
get that edge in the first place. So manufacturers leave the steel a little
soft, theoretically making sharpening at home easier. If you’ve ever spent an
hour or two trying to get a super fine edge on a cheap kitchen knife, you’ll
know that there is a big gap between theory and practice.
Upper-end
kitchen knives like Henckels, Sabatier, Wusthof, et al., are a little better,
but are still softer than they need to be at 52 to 56 on the Rockwell C scale
(the Rockwell scale is a scale used to measure the relative hardness of
different solids). By contrast, Japanese knives tend to be around 61-62 on the
Rockwell scale. Custom knife maker Phil Wilson hardens his S90V (a stainless
supersteel) chef’s and filet knives to 62-63 Rockwell.
The next
compromise is in the factory edge angles. Most kitchen knives come with an edge
that is at least 25 degrees per side, frequently even greater. If you add the
two sides together you get a 50 degree included angle. And that’s the best case
scenario. Take a look at a protractor if you happen to have one lying around.
Fifty degrees is extremely thick. An angle that obtuse is more appropriate for
an axe than a chef’s knife. Again, the theory is that the thick angles will allow
the edge to resist damage from impaction, rolling and wear better than a thin
edge. But, as the song says, it ain’t necessarily so.
Finally, there
is just plain cruelty and misuse. While I’m certain none of you would ever use
the sharpener on the back of an electric can opener, or use a glass cutting
board, or store your knives loose in a drawer or put them in the dishwasher, it
does happen. And when you add soft steel and thick angles to the general abuse
that knives see in the kitchen, you end up with tools that are more adapted for
bludgeoning oxen than fine dicing a soft tomato.
Take heart.
The news isn’t all bad. We can fix these problems. Geometry is far more
important than steel. With some basic knowledge and the willingness to invest a
little time, you can realistically expect a dramatic increase in knife
performance.
- Use wooden
or composite plastic cutting boards only. Glass, ceramic, marble and steel will
cause the edge to roll or chip. Bad. Don’t do it.
- Don’t drop
your knives in the sink. Not only is it a hazard to the person washing dishes,
but you can also blunt the tip or edge.
- Don’t put
your knives in the dishwasher. The heat may damage wooden handles and the edges
may bang against other cutlery or plates.
- Keep your
knives clean and dry. Sanitize if necessary.
- Do not store
your knives loose in a drawer. Use a block, magnetic strip, slotted hanger or
edge guards. The magnetic strip is not recommended if you have children or
inquisitive pets.
- Finally,
your knife is not a can opener, a screwdriver, a pry bar, box cutter or hammer.
There’s a special place in Hell reserved for people who abuse their knives this
way.
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If your knives
won’t fit in a block, simple plastic blade guards are a good solution
This is the
easy part. Establishing and maintaining high performance edges is what this
tutorial is all about. It can be as simple as steeling with the proper
technique or as complex as creating specific edge bevel and edge aggression
strategies for each knife in your collection. It’s all up to you.
While you
can’t change the steel your knife is made from, you can certainly keep your
knives at peak performance – and without too much difficulty. We’ll discuss
high performance edges and sharpening strategies a little later in the
tutorial.
This is
something very few chefs (and even relatively few knife makers) take into
consideration. Ask any chef to show you his knife-hand calluses. He’ll have a
thick one at the base of his first finger from the “pinch grip” used in most
kitchens. He or she may also have another on the side of the second finger
where the finger rubs against the bolster or dropped portion of the blade that
extends below the handle.
He will also
have aching hands and possible repetitive stress injuries.
In the
interest of economy, most knife manufacturers leave the spines of their knives
squared off. The edges of the spine can sometimes be sharper than the knife
itself. That edge cutting into your finger can lead to blisters, calluses,
reduced circulation, numbness and injury.
If you ever
handle a chef’s knife made by Canadian knife maker George Tichbourne you’ll know
that it doesn’t have to be that way. Tichbourne worked with several
professional chefs when designing his kitchen knife series. One of the key
features is a smoothly rounded spine. It doesn’t abrade your finger, cut off
the circulation, make your hands numb or create any of the other discomforts
associated with standard kitchen knives.
You can do the
same in less than half an hour. Lock your knife, edge down, into a padded vise.
The padding doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Two pieces of flat rubber or
leather will keep the jaws from scratching the blade. You’ll need a sheet of
fine (600 grit) wet/dry sandpaper available at any auto supply store or an
abrasive cloth, sometimes called a crocus cloth. Using a gentle shoeshine
motion, lightly round the edges of the spine. You don’t have to buff hard or
remove a lot of metal. All you need to do is break the sharp edge at the base
of the spine. How far you take it is up to you. This simple modification will
make a world of difference in the comfort of your knives.
Section Two: Steel
By definition,
steel is a combination of iron and less than 2 percent carbon. For centuries,
carbon was the only alloying element. The problem in the early days of steel
making was getting rid of unwanted elements, not adding new ones. However,
there are a variety of alloying elements that are added to modern steels to
impart various characteristics.
Iron alone is
relatively soft. It does not hold an edge well, wears quickly and has little
resistance to bending. Add a little bit of carbon and the story changes
dramatically. The carbon combines with the iron to form hard carbide platelets
cemented together in a matrix of iron. The combination is resistant to wear and
bending and will take a keen edge.
Smaller
carbides and a tighter grain structure allow for a stronger, sharper edge.
Other carbide formers, like vanadium, can refine the grain of the steel
further. Knives with a high vanadium content can take a very keen edge, but are
harder to sharpen.
Carbon -
Present in all steels, it is the most vital hardening element. Greater than 0.5
percent carbon content qualifies a steel as a “high carbon” steel.
Chromium -
Added for wear resistance and corrosion resistance. A steel with at least 13
percent chromium is considered “stainless.” Chromium is a carbide former, so it
also increases wear resistance.
Manganese - A
carbide former. Manganese aids grain structure, increases hardenability, and
wear resistance. Manganese is present in most cutlery steels.
Molybdenum -
Another carbide former. Increases hardness, prevents brittleness, makes the
steel easier to machine.
Nickel - Adds
toughness and possibly aids in corrosion resistance.
Phosphorus -
Essentially a contaminant.
Silicon -
Increases hardness and strength.
Sulfur -
Increases machinability but decreases toughness.
Tungsten -
Increases heat, wear and shock resistance. Tungsten is the strongest carbide
former behind vanadium.
Vanadium -
Another carbide former. Contributes to wear resistance and hardenability.
Vanadium refines the grain of the steel, which contributes to toughness and
allows the blade to take a very sharp edge.
Most kitchen
knives fall into the category of “high carbon stainless.” These knives
generally contain between 0.5 and 0.8 percent carbon, 13 to 18 percent chromium
and a little manganese, molybdenum, silicon, phosphorus and sulphur. This makes
for a steel that is easy to produce, is very stain resistant and reasonably
wear resistant. Knives from Global and Mac’s Superior line have some vanadium
added for improved wear resistance and a finer grain, which allows the knife to
be sharpened to an incredible edge.
The great
debate rages on. Carbon steel advocates claim that their knives take a keener
edge, hold it longer and are easier to resharpen than stainless steel knives.
Stainless steel users claim that carbon steel knives are unsanitary, leave an
off taste in foods and that stainless knives hold an edge longer than their
carbon counterparts.
Who’s right?
Depends on your definitions and your environment. It’s not as simple as carbon
versus stainless.
Carbon steels
range from simple iron/carbon combinations to high-alloy tool steels that will
cut through concrete without losing their edge. Stainless steels vary from very
soft, extremely stain resistant dive knives to super stainless alloys, like
Crucible Particle Metals’ S30V, a steel purpose-designed for the custom cutlery
industry.
In the far
less demanding realm of the kitchen, however, the carbon steel devotees are
right. At least until they actually have to use their knives. Then it’s a
different story.
Carbon steel
kitchen knives generally are a little harder and stronger than stainless steel
kitchen knives. They are easy to sharpen and take a screaming edge. And while
the patina that develops on a carbon knife can be unsightly (unless you like
that sort of thing), it isn’t unsanitary.
But in the
wet, acidic environment of the kitchen, stainless rules. For all their faults,
compromises and shortcomings, stainless steel kitchen knives work better and
will hold their edges longer than carbon steel knives.
Doesn’t make
sense, does it?
The culprit is
corrosion – the effect of acid and micro-rusting. Even on what appears to be a
mirror-bright, razor sharp edge, microscopic particles of rust and corrosion
will form, attacking the edge and reducing its performance. Unless carbon steel
knives are rinsed and dried frequently, their edges will degrade rapidly in
kitchen use. The stainless edge will easily outlast them.
According to
chef and knife maker Thomas Haslinger, “Acids of fruit and vegetables are
fairly aggressive and will dull a carbon blade more quickly than stainless. The
acid actually eats the edge.”
Section Three:
Edge Basics
Most kitchen
knives are flat ground, meaning that the blade tapers directly from the spine
to the edge. Hollow ground, convex ground and saber ground blades are rarely
found in the kitchen. I mention them only to confuse you.
Edges come in
a variety of flavors. The most common are the V-edge, double beveled edge,
chisel ground edge and the convex edge.
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V-edges and
double beveled edges are variations on a theme. The edge found on your kitchen
knives is most likely a V-edge, meaning, oddly enough, that the edge bevels
form a V, two surfaces intersecting at a line of (ideally) zero width.
A double bevel
takes this idea a little further by adding a second, more acute, angle behind
the edge bevel. This secondary bevel is sometimes called a back bevel or relief
angle. It’s purpose is to thin the metal behind the edge. The thinner the edge,
the greater the cutting ability. However, an edge that is too thin is
susceptible to damage. So you add a smaller, more obtuse primary bevel to the
very edge to give it the strength to avoid damage from impaction, chipping or
rolling.
Chisel ground
edges are primarily found on Japanese knives, especially sushi knives. The edge
is ground only on one side. The other is side is flat. Hence they come in right
and left handed versions. Chisel ground edges can be extremely thin and sharp.
If the edge bevel is ground at 25 degrees and the other side is 0 degrees, you
have an included angle of 25 degrees – considerably more acute than the average
Western knife.
Sometimes
known as hamaguri-ba, the convex edge arcs in a rounded curve down to the edge.
Thus the final edge is the intersection of two arcs, creating a very sharp edge
with more metal behind it than the standard V-edge. Convex edges are generally
formed on a slack belt grinder, so they are difficult for the home sharpener to
achieve. This can be remedied with the mousepad trick found later in the
tutorial. See the Convex Grind FAQ for sharpening methods and a comparison of the
convex edge with other edge types.
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A double
bevel. The wide area is a 10 degree back bevel; the narrow section is the 15
degree primary edge face.
The back bevel
also solves one of the great problems with V-edges, the fact that the metal
behind the edge gets progressively thicker as the knife is sharpened over time.
The knife doesn’t cut as well and becomes harder and harder to sharpen. The
answer is to grind the shoulders off the edge at an acute angle, i.e. add a
back bevel, then reestablish the primary bevel.
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If you sharpen
your knife without grinding a relief angle, your edge will thicken over time.
Micro-serrations:
True or False?
Knife geeks
frequently talk about “micro-serrations,” microscopic teeth on the edge of the
knife. Is this really true? In a word, yes. Sharpening by its very nature
creates a scratch pattern on the edge of the knife. The coarser the stone, the
coarser and deeper the scratch pattern will be and the larger the
micro-serrations. Conversely, the finer the stone, the finer and more polished
the edge will be with less prominent micro-serrations. The real question is,
which one is better?
This is one of
the great debates in the knife world – the razor sharp polished edge versus a
toothier edge.
John Juranitch
in his book “The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening” is emphatic that a polished
edge is the answer, that micro-serrations are indicative of a dull knife. His
experience comes from sharpening knives for the meat processing industry. Meat
cutters go through knives faster than tissues in flu season, so Juranitch’s
conclusions are hard to dispute.
However, Joe
Talmadge, author of the Bladeforums “Sharpening FAQ;” Cliff Stamp, physicist
and knife nut; Leonard Lee, president of Lee Valley Tools and author of “The
Complete Guide to Sharpening;” and many others have come to the opposite
conclusion: that micro-serrations, in the right context, can be a very good
thing.
What is the
right context? Later on we’ll examine the difference between push cutting and
slicing, their applications in the kitchen and the value of various levels of
polish on your knife edges. Which leads us directly to:
The Meaning of
Sharpness
What do we
mean when we say that we want our knives to be sharp? Seems like a silly
question. We all know what sharp is. Or do we?
Sharpness is
not just a function of creating a super-thin edge that will readily sever
free-hanging nose hairs; it’s also a function of shape and intended purpose.
You could grind your chef’s knife to razor thinness, but the edge would crumble
the first time you hit a bone or tried to hammer your way through a winter
squash. Your knife would be sharp but useless. Similarly, a razor sharp but
wedge-thick edge is great on a splitting axe but not much good for carpaccio.
We have to
take into consideration the shape of the blade, the angle of the edge bevel and
especially the material being cut when we consider how we judge the sharpness
of our kitchen knives.
So the real
question is not “how sharp should my knife be,” but rather “how do I get
maximum performance from my knife under a given set of conditions.” A sharp
knife can be defined as one that has a keen edge that can hold up in repeated
usage while producing the results we’re looking for in the kitchen.
The Myth of
Thick Edges
The theory is
that thick edges (larger angles) last longer than thin edges, and the majority
of the knife buying public wants the edge to last as long as possible. But it
doesn’t work out that way in practice. Thinner edges actually outlast thicker
edges almost all the time.
The thinner
edge starts out performing better than the thicker edge. So even if it does
degrade it has a lot of ground to lose before it falls to the performance level
of the thick edge.
Thinner edges
cut more easily, putting less stress on the edge. If a thin edge takes three
slices to get through a big slab of raw meat, a thicker edge might take six or
seven. Or three with a lot more force. The thicker edge is doing twice as much
work, degrading twice as quickly.
Thinner edges
are easier to control. Lateral stresses are a significant source of edge
degradation. The more smoothly, accurately and easily you are able to cut, the
less lateral stress you put on the edge.
Thin is good.
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A very thin,
high performance 10/15 double bevel. The knife is an 8” custom chef’s knife in
ATS-34 steel from Steve Mullin.
The High
Performance Edge
We want our
kitchen knives to cut as easily as possible while maintaining integrity and
staying sharp.
For maximum
performance, you want the edge as thin as possible. To borrow an image from Joe
Talmadge, imagine a woman stepping on your foot. If she’s wearing tennis shoes,
it will hurt a lot less than if she’s wearing stiletto heels. The same amount
of force applied to a much smaller area penetrates better. A knife edge a
thousandth of an inch thick with one pound of pressure behind it concentrates 1,000
pounds of pressure per square inch at the edge. While an actual kitchen knife’s
edge will be a little thicker than a thousandth of an inch, the thinner your
knife’s edge, the more efficiently it will cut.
To thin a
knife’s edge, you lower the edge angle. The problem is that a thin edge is much
more susceptible to damage. As the edge becomes thinner, there is less metal to
support it. It can roll, indent and chip, causing the edge to degrade quickly.
So the goal is
to thin the edge as much as possible, but not so much that it is regularly
damaged during hard use. One way to do this is to keep thinning your edge until
it reaches an unacceptable level of fragility then back off a couple of
degrees. This is easier than it sounds, but not really necessary. We’ll discuss
suitable edge angles in just a moment.
One factor
that strongly plays into how thin you can take a knife’s edge is the quality of
the steel. That’s one of the primary advantages to the new breed of incredibly
hard stainless super steels. You can sharpen them to very acute angles without
risk of significant damage. As an aside, I’ve taken a chef’s knife made from
ATS-34 down to less than 8 degrees per side before it required an unacceptable
level of maintenance.
As we’ve
discovered, the average kitchen knife is made from pretty mediocre steel. But
it can still be much thinner than the factory edge. As a matter of fact you can
sharpen your Henckels and Wusthofs to angles that would give the good folks in
Solingen the heebie-jeebies without worrying too much.
Section Four:
Sharpening Basics
Before we get
into sharpening systems and the actual mechanics of sharpening, it helps to
understand some of the basic principles. These are the burr, the sharpening
angles, the abrasive, consistency and sharpening strategy. They apply no matter
what sharpening method you choose.
The Burr
First and most
foremost is the burr. The burr is your friend. A burr, or wire edge, is a
rough, almost microscopic, raised lip of metal that forms when one edge meets
the other. It is the only way to be absolutely certain that you have fully
ground an edge. Essentially you grind one side until it meets the other and
pushes up a small curl of metal. If you stop sharpening before the burr is
formed, your knife will not be as sharp as it could be.
Sometimes you
can’t see a burr, but you can always feel it. You check for a burr on the side
opposite the edge you have been grinding. Hold the knife blade horizontally and
place your fingers or thumb at a 45-degree angle to the edge and pull gently
down and away. DO NOT PULL TOWARD THE TIP OR HILT; YOU MAY LOP OFF A FINGER.
PULL AWAY FROM THE EDGE. Remember, check the side opposite the one you've been
sharpening. You're checking for a very light lip caused by the edge rolling over
to the other side. Check at various points along the edge. The burr tends to
form quickly at the base of the blade but takes a little longer at the tip. You
must feel a burr running all the way from heel to tip to know that you have
fully ground that side of the knife.
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Hand position
for checking a burr.
The Angles
As we’ve
discussed, the 50-degree-plus included angle that comes standard on most
kitchen knives is way too obtuse. Leonard Lee suggests anywhere from 5 to 20
degrees per side (10 to 40 degrees total) for general kitchen work. Five
degrees per side is incredibly thin and would require a very hard, high quality
steel to keep that edge in regular use.
For the vast
majority of kitchen knives, 15 to 20 degrees per side will provide a
significant increase in performance without requiring undue maintenance. Meat
cleavers should be a little thicker, say 20 to 25 degrees per side, while
dedicated slicers can be taken down to 10 to 15 degrees per side.
The best
compromise in the kitchen has proven to be a 15/20 double bevel. That is a 15
degree back bevel with a 20 degree primary edge face.
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A 15/20 double
bevel illustrated. This is an excellent performer in the kitchen.
Abrasives
You sharpen
your knives by scraping away metal. That’s really all there is too it. But
there is a huge array of abrasives available.
Traditionalists
will demand an Arkansas stone. These stones were originally mined from a
novaculite deposit in Arkansas. They were graded, from softest to hardest, as
Washita, Soft Arkansas, Hard Arkansas and Black Hard Arkansas. However, the
best parts of the deposit were mined long ago, leading to spotty quality in the
natural stones. They have since been replaced by ground novaculite
reconstituted into benchstones. These can be found under the Arkansas Perfect
name.
Synthetic
aluminum oxide stones are very, very hard and don’t wear like natural stones.
They clean up easily with a scouring pad and are more consistent in their
grading systems. Spyderco and Lansky both manufacture synthetic stones in a
variety of grits (see discussion of grits below).
Japanese
waterstones are considered by many to be the ultimate sharpening tools. Although
natural waterstones are extremely expensive and hard to find, reconstituted
stones are readily available. These reconstituted Japanese stones are held
together by a resin bond, cut very quickly (and wear more quickly as well) and
are available in extremely fine grits that will put a high polish on an edge.
Synthetic
waterstones, as used by EdgePro systems, are formulated from aluminum oxide
specifically for knife sharpening. Like Japanese waterstones, they need to be
wet in order to cut effectively.
Diamond
“stones” have man-made diamond particles imbedded in or coated on a base metal.
They cut very aggressively and should be used with caution. They were formerly
available only in very coarse grits, but that is changing rapidly. According to
Leonard Lee, monocrystalline diamonds are preferable to polycrystalline
diamonds in a diamond stone. They are nearly twice as expensive, but last much
longer. EZE-Lap, Lansky and DMT make excellent diamond stones.
There are two
other issues related to abrasives that must be considered: grits and
lubrication.
You Want Grits
with That?
All of these
abrasives come in a variety of grits from very coarse to ultra-fine. Grit
refers to the size of the individual particles of abrasive in the sharpening
stone. A stone with a finer grit has smaller particles, and produces an more
polished edge with less prominent micro-serrations. A stone with a coarser grit
has larger particles, produces an edge with more prominent micro-serrations,
and tends to abrade metal away more quickly. There are several different grit
rating systems, and unfortunately it is very difficult to correlate these
different systems. For example, Japanese waterstones are graded differently
than diamond stones and both have different numbering systems than the codes
found on powered grindstones. Steve Bottorff, author of “Sharpening Made Easy”
has taken a stab at it here if you’re interested.
What we do
know is that you’ll need a coarse to medium stone for shaping the edge and
removing the shoulders of over-thick edges. You’ll also need a fine stone for
sharpening the final edge. The combination stones found in most hardware stores
just won’t do the trick. The coarse side isn’t coarse enough and the fine side
isn’t fine enough. Any of the sharpening systems mentioned later will come with
appropriate stones.
In very
general and imprecise terms, stones rated lower than 300 grit are coarse,
300-400 are medium, 600+ are fine and 1200 and up are extra fine.
Japanese
waterstones have their own grit rating system. They cut so quickly that
anything below 800x can be considered coarse, although they’ll leave a much
more polished edge than a corresponding Western stone. 1000x and 1200x can be
considered medium and medium-fine and make an excellent general purpose stones.
Waterstones can go up to 8000x, but that’s really overkill for kitchen
purposes.
The stones
that come with Spyderco’s Sharpmaker are listed as fine (the white stones) and
medium (the grey stones). The grey has been compared to an approximately 800x
waterstone, the white to a 1200x waterstone in effect.
The synthetic
waterstones from EdgePro systems also have an idiosyncratic rating system. The
coarse stone is listed as 100, the medium as 180, the fine 220, extra fine 320,
ultra fine is 600. However a conversation with Ben Dale, owner of EdgePro,
revealed that the extra fine stone is equivalent to a 1200x Japanese waterstone
and the ultra fine equivalent to a 2000x Japanese stone. The basic system comes
with a medium and fine stone, which should be sufficient for most needs, though
the coarse stone comes in handy for quickly reshaping bevels.
Oil or Water?
Everyone knows
you need to lubricate your sharpening stone with water or oil, right? So the
question is which one is better. Neither. The purpose of a sharpening stone is
to grind the edge and remove metal. Oil reduces friction and makes the process
much slower.
Supposedly oil
helps float away metal particles that would otherwise clog the pores of the
stone. You can do the same thing by wiping the stone with a damp cloth when
you’re done. Steve Bottorff reports that you can clean your Arkansas stones
with paint thinner. Synthetic stones clean up with a scouring pad and abrasive
cleanser.
According to
Joe Talmadge, if you have already used oil on your Arkansas stone, you’ll
probably need to keep using oil. But if you have a new Arkansas stone, a
diamond stone or a synthetic stone, go ahead and use it without oil or water.
It will work much better.
John Juranitch
reports that in his company’s work with meat processing plants they discovered
that the metal filings suspended in the oil on a stone actually chip and abrade
the edge. Although these chips were only visible through a microscope, the
meatpackers readily noticed the difference between the knives sharpened on a
dry stone and those sharpened on oiled stones.
Waterstones
are another matter entirely. Both Japanese and synthetic waterstones require
water in order to cut effectively. Japanese waterstones can be damaged if used
dry and must be soaked thoroughly before use. Waterstones wear very quickly,
revealing new layers of cutting abrasive as the swarf builds up and is washed
away. That’s why they are so effective. There is always a new layer of sharp
abrasive cutting away at the metal of your edge. By the way, “swarf” is one of
those cool terms you get to toss around when you discuss sharpening. Swarf is
the slurry of metal filings and stone grit that builds up as you sharpen. Throw
that into your next cocktail party conversation and just watch the expressions
of awe appear as people realize that you are a sharpening God.
Consistency
You must be
able to maintain a consistent angle while you are sharpening. This can be tough
to do, which is why there are so many gimmicks and sharpening systems on the
market. They don’t provide any magic. All they do is help you keep your edge at
the same angle throughout the sharpening session.
Maintaining
consistency is a primary reason freehand sharpening with benchstones or
waterstones is a little tricky. It takes a lot of experience and practice to
keep the edge at a constant angle stroke after stroke using only your hands and
eyes.
Sharpening
Strategy: Coarse versus Polished Edges
Related to the
grit discussion above, the finer the stone you use to sharpen your knife, the
more polished your edge will be. And while it can be a lot of fun to create a
scary sharp edge that will cut the tops off of arm hair without touching the
skin, it’s really not necessary or ideal for kitchen use.
As a matter of
fact, leaving the edge of your knife just a little coarse can be a very good
thing. This is where we must compare push cutting to slicing.
Push cutting
involves parting fibers and requires a polished edge. Shaving, for example, is
push cutting. So is peeling an apple or julienning a carrot. You are pressing
your thin, finely polished edge through the fibers of the food, pushing them to
either side.
Slicing, on
the other hand, involves severing fibers and requires a toothier edge. Crusty
bread, a soft tomato, roast chicken – anything with an outer layer that is
tougher than the squishier inside demands an edge that can bite into the skin
without crushing the interior. A highly polished edge will simply skate over
the surface of a ripe plum until you put enough pressure on it to push through
the skin. But the fruit underneath will give way before that happens. Not
pretty.
Now you must
decide. Do you do more push cutting or more slicing? Do you have knives that
you use more often for dicing, peeling and julienning? Do you have a knife that
is dedicated to slicing?
A good basic
strategy is to start with a standard 20 degree bevel (a 15/20 double bevel if
you’re feeling adventurous) with a moderately polished edge on all your knives.
This alone will be a vast improvement over what you might be used to.
Then branch
out. If you have a knife that is only used for vegetables, a santoku for
example, you can take it to a very fine, highly polished edge. A dedicated
slicer can be finished on a medium-fine grit stone, leaving the edge slightly
coarse. Your chef’s knife can be somewhere in between.
There is one
caveat. The thinner the edge, the finer it will need to be to avoid excessive
damage. A coarse edge wears more quickly and requires more maintenance. This is
usually not an issue unless you like your edges very thin. Then a polished edge
will last longer. Of course if you have a very thin edge it will probably push
cut through materials that a thicker edge might have to slice through, so
you’re not losing any slicing performance.
If you’re
really nuts you can create a dual edge on your knives. This would be a slightly
coarse section at the back of the blade near the choil or bolster. The rest of
the blade would be finished on a fine or extra fine stone. That gives you a toothy
section for cutting through tough materials as you begin your stroke and a
finer edge for push cutting through the rest. Yes, this is only for the
seriously deranged.
Section Five:
Sharpening Step by Step
Hey, 5,000
words into this and we’re actually getting to the “how-to” part.
Okay, here’s
where we put all of this together.
Haul out your
sharpening rig and let’s grind some metal. Don’t have one yet? Check out the
Sharpening Systems section below to see what suits you best.
Got one now?
Good.
Remember the
basics: burr, angle, abrasive, consistency and strategy. Let’s assume, for the
sake of discussion, that you’ve decided to put a 15/20 double bevel on your
chef’s knife. Because it’s a general purpose knife, it doesn’t need to have a
mirror polished edge. As a matter of fact, a good medium-fine edge is what
you’re aiming for. This is your angle and strategy.
Because this
is the first time you’ve really tried to change the horrid factory edge, you’ll
need to begin with a fast cutting, coarse abrasive. Benchstone, waterstone,
Sharpmaker grey stone – doesn’t matter. Start with the coarsest thing you’ve
got.
Determine how
you’re going to establish consistency. With a Sharpmaker you simply stroke
straight up and down. The EdgePro or Lansky rod-type systems have angle guides
built in. Freehand sharpening requires a little more skill and patience, but if
you use a guide system like the Razor Edge or simply place your thumb on the
spine in the same spot every time, you can create a consistent angle.
Advanced
Section:
Quote
Warning: Math!
If you want to be really anal about it, Leonard Lee offers this formula for
creating freehand angles of less than 20 degrees. “Use the basic rule that a 1
degree angle subtends an arc of 1 unit at a radius of 60 units. The 1-in-60
rule is close enough for many purposes, particularly sharpening at low angles.
You’ll find that a 10-unit rise in 60 units is about 9-1/2 degrees and a
20-unit rise is about 19 degrees.”
This works out
to raising the spine 1/8 inch (measured 1.5 inches back from the edge) for
every five degrees of angle. The average chef’s knife is about 1.5 inches wide
at the heel, so for a 15 degree angle you’d raise the spine 3/8 inch – about
the height of six quarters stacked up.
If your knife
is wider or narrower than 1.5 inches, measure the height from 1.5 inches back
from the edge, otherwise the math doesn’t work. It’s the height/width ratio
that gives you the angle.
Forget the
math. In a pinch a large binder clip clamped to the spine will get you pretty
close.
So, let’s get
started:
1) Establish
your 15 degree angle. If you’re using a Sharpmaker, put the stones in the 15
degree slots. With a Lansky, Gatco or EdgePro system, slide the rod into the 15
degree setting. With edge guides, clamp the guide at the 3/8” height.
Freehanding, raise the spine to 3/8 inch measured 1.5 inches back from the
edge.
Now you’re
ready to create a burr. Be patient, this might take a while. To grind off the
shoulders of the previous edge we’re going to be removing a lot of metal.
That’s why we need the coarse stone. At this point it doesn’t really matter
what kind of stroke you use. You can go heel to tip or just grind in circles.
It doesn’t make any difference.
To keep the
aesthetics of the knife, you’ll want the bevels relatively even on each side.
If you just grind one side until you get a burr, the other side will require
much less grinding. Thus the bevels will be mismatched. To keep them matched,
grind one side for about five minutes or so then switch to the other side,
maintaining your approximately 15 degree angle. Feel the knife every so often
to see if you can feel a burr. Keep grinding and switching sides until you
detect a burr beginning to form. Remember, the burr forms on the side opposite
from the side you are grinding. If you don’t remember how to check for a burr,
see the picture earlier in the tutorial.
As soon as you
detect a burr, keep grinding on the current side until the burr runs the entire
length of the opposite edge.
If you use the
Magic Marker Trick described below, you can save a little time on this step.
2) Repeat on
the opposite side until you feel a burr along the full edge of the first side.
3) Optional:
If you want to dress up the scratch pattern, switch to your fine stone and give
the edge several passes on each side (at the same angle) to polish them out a
little.
4) Establish
your 20 degree angle. If you’re using a Sharpmaker, switch to the 20 degree
slots. With a Lansky, Gatco or EdgePro system, simply change the rod to the 20
degree setting. With edge guides unclamp the guide and slide it forward about
an 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Freehanding, raise the spine another 1/8 inch. If you
switched to your fine stone, switch back to your coarse stone or the next one
up, usually a medium stone.
5) Create a
burr again at the new sharpening angle, going back to side one. This time
you’re grinding the edges to meet at a 20 degree angle. This will happen very
quickly because you’ve already removed most of the metal you need to. The 20
primary edge face will be very narrow compared to the 15 degree back bevel,
somewhere around 1/32 to 1/64 of an inch.
6) Switch
sides and repeat until you have a burr running the full length of the first
side.
7) You’re
almost home. Now that you’ve got your burr you need to grind it off completely
so that the true edge remains. Now technique matters. No more grinding in
circles. Stroke gently from heel to tip, alternating sides with each stroke.
Keep the sharpening stone perpendicular to the blade as usual, beginning the
stroke at the heel and ending at the tip. Or if you are sharpening on a
benchstone, stroke tip to heel, if you’re more comfortable that way. Lighten up
on the pressure as you go. There is no hard and fast rule, but five to 10
strokes per side should do it. If your checking reveals that the burr is simply
flopping from side to side, lighten up the pressure even more.
8) Change from
the coarse or medium stone to the fine stone and continue. Keep stroking side
to side until all the scratches from the coarse stone are gone. Continue
lightening up on the pressure as you proceed. You are trying to grind the burr
off. If you press too hard you’ll simply form another one.
9) Finish with
a few very light strokes on the fine stone. Now, to make sure that the burr is
completely gone, place the knife on the stone as though you were going to take
one last stroke, but this time increase the angle just a hair. On a Sharpmaker,
tilt the knife very, very slightly in toward the center to increase the angle.
Now guide the knife down the stone using no more pressure than the weight of
the knife itself. Switch sides and repeat for one stroke. You can do this for
one more stroke per side if you can still feel any vestige of a burr.
If you have a
smooth steel or very fine grit ceramic rod you can substitute a couple of
strokes per side at a slightly greater than 20 degree angle for this last step
(see discussion on steels and steeling below).
Your edge
should be frighteningly sharp at this point. If it’s not, you might not have
fully ground off the burr. The edge could simply be turned to one side. Try the
fine stone and light pressure again. It could also be that rather than grinding
off the burr it was simply turned straight down. This will give you an edge
that will send shivers down your spine but it will break off in the first use.
A light touch at the end of the sharpening process is the key.
If you want
your knife too look as good as it performs, progress through the coarse, medium
and fine stones at each angle setting while you’re raising your burr. This will
remove any deep scratches and give the edge a more refined look.
This edge is
not only very sharp, but is relatively strong. With regular steeling it will
last for many months, even under hard use. When steeling ceases to have the
desired effect it’s time to sharpen again. However, now that you’ve ground the
back bevel you really only need to sharpen the 20 degree primary edge. If your
knife is very dull go back to step four on the coarse stones. If it is only a little
dull you can begin with the fine stones. The burr will be very easy to raise in
subsequent sharpening sessions.
Tips and
Tricks
There are a
couple of tricks that can make the sharpening process even easier. I’ve saved
them until the end just to be cruel.
The Magic
Marker Trick
One of the
easiest ways to ensure that you are matching an existing bevel is to coat the
edge with magic marker. As the magic marker is abraded away by the sharpening
stone. you will be able to see where the metal is being removed and whether you
have matched the angle properly. Once you have coated both bevels with marker,
take a swipe or two down your stone. If the marker is wiped off over the width
of the bevel you have matched the angle properly. If your angle is too high,
only the marker near the very edge will be removed. If your angle is too low
only the marker near the shoulder, above the edge, will be removed. Recoating
the edge as you sharpen is a good way to ensure that you’re holding the correct
angle throughout the process. No matter what type of sharpening system you use,
the magic marker trick will save you a lot of time and frustration, especially
in matching an unknown angle on one of the guide or rod-style systems.
The magic
marker trick also comes in handy when you are establishing a back bevel. If you
coat the edge before working at the 15 degree setting you can grind the back
bevel until the marker is ground almost to the edge, leaving 1/32 to 1/64 inch.
That’s about how wide the primary edge face will be. Rather than grinding all
the way to the edge until you get a burr, you can now switch to the 20 degree
setting, knowing that the last little bit of edge will become the primary edge
face. You still have to raise a burr at 20 degrees, but the marker trick can
save you a little time.
The Paper
Airplane Trick
Take a piece
of paper with square edges. Fold the bottom left corner over until it meets the
right edge. Smooth it down. You’ve just turned a 90 degree angle into a 45
degree angle. Fold the creased edge over to the far right edge like you’re
making a paper airplane. You’ve just folded it in half again, and you have a
22.5 degree angle. Sound familiar? Twenty-two and a half degrees is pretty dang
close to 20 degrees. As close as you can generally hold a specific angle by
hand. This folded piece of paper can serve as a guide for steeling your knife,
setting an angle on a benchstone or just checking that you’re keeping your
angle steady as you sharpen. The paper edge guide is especially handy when you
are learning to steel your knives properly. It helps build the right angle into
muscle memory so you can do it without the guide when you have a little more
experience. Fold the paper again and you have an 11.25 degree guide for
steeling those super thin slicing knives that you’ve sharpened to 10 degrees
per side.
The Mousepad
Trick
Do you have an
old mouse pad? Is there an auto supply store nearby? You can make a superb
sharpening system for about $5.
Go to your
nearest auto supply store and get some 600 grit sandpaper. Mylar-backed wet/dry
sandpaper works best. This is the stuff used to sand automotive paint between
coats. Get the self-stick kind. If they have higher grits, get a couple of
sheets of those, too, 1200 grit is generally the next step up. Go nuts. It’s
cheap.
Stick the
sandpaper to the mouse pad and trim the edges. This is your new sharpening
system. If you have both 600 and 1200 grit, apply one to each side of the
mousepad. Make sure you have a work surface you don’t mind scratching up. If
you have a double-sided mousepad sharpener, you don’t want to work on your
kitchen counter or dining room table. Your spouse will kill you.
This system
requires a stropping motion when sharpening, using an edge-trailing stroke.
That means that unlike other sharpening methods you don’t lead with the edge,
you lead with the spine. Image an old barbershop with the barber stropping his
razor, stroking away from the edge. That’s the idea.
To establish
your angle, lay the knife flat on the pad, edge toward you. Lift the spine
slightly while pulling lightly toward you. Continue lifting until the edge
bites into the sandpaper. That’s your stropping angle.
Press down
lightly and stroke the knife away from you, spine first, moving from heel to
tip. When you reach the end STOP and lift the knife straight up off the
sandpaper. Don’t roll it off or lift the spine further or you’ll mess up the
edge you’re creating. Turn the knife over and stroke back the other way with
the edge away from you, pulling the spine toward you at the same angle as the
previous stroke. The really cool thing is that the mouse pad is soft enough
that it conforms to the angle of the knife edge. As long as you’re pretty close
you’ll be fine. This will give you an amazing edge in a fairly short amount of
time. If you want to polish it up, use the higher grit sandpaper on the other
side of the mouse pad.
Because the
mousepad is soft, it deforms lightly around the edge of the knife and gives you
a slightly convex bevel. As we’ve discussed, a convex edge has many advantages
but can be difficult to achieve without a belt sander. This is one way to
create or maintain a convex edge without serious power tools.
This is the
same technique as stropping (below) but with a different abrasive.
Stropping
Stropping is a
handy way to finish off a burr or put a final mirror polish on your edge. While
you can strop on anything from the back of a legal pad to an old belt, places
like Lee Valley Tools and HandAmerican sell hard backed strops. The strop is
usually charged with an abrasive, like green chromium oxide paste, so it
actually does remove very fine particles of metal.
Like the
mousepad trick above, stropping is an edge trailing stroke. Lay your knife flat
on the strop with the spine facing away from you. Slowly pull the knife toward
you while lifting the spine. When the edge just begins to bite into the leather
you have found your angle. Keep that angle as you stroke the spine away from
you, pulling the edge along behind. When you get to the end of the stroke STOP.
Lift the blade straight up off the strop. Do not lift the edge higher or roll
the knife over while it is still on the strop. You can wreck your edge that
way.
Now lay the
knife flat again, spine toward you, and gently push the edge toward the end of
the strop while lifting the spine. When the edge begins to bite you’ve found
your angle for the return stroke. This second step isn’t really necessary if
you’ve kept your angles consistent during sharpening, but it never hurts to
make sure you are holding the right angle. The return stroke is the same motion
as the first stroke, simply in reverse. The edge is facing away from you and
you pull the spine toward you.
Stropping will
create an extremely sharp, highly polished edge optimized for push cutting. To
some extent, stropping can make up for less than perfect sharpening technique,
especially since it’s a little more forgiving.
Handling
Serrated Knives
Serrated
knives and bread knives are a special case. Serrated knives will stay sharp
longer than plain edged knives, mainly because the insides of the serrations
generally don’t contact hard surfaces. That’s what the teeth are for. The teeth
not only have a cutting function, but are also sacrificial lambs, offered up to
steakhouse swordsman and children everywhere who feel that if they’re not
grinding into the ceramic of the plate, they’re not cutting.
There are four
ways to sharpen serrated knives:
1) Pretend the
serrations don’t exist and sharpen on a stone, sharpening system or electric
sharpener as you would a plain edged knife. This will eventually remove the
serrations.
2) Sharpen the
flat, non-serrated back of the blade. This will sharpen the knife, but also
will eventually remove the serrations, though not as quickly as the first
method.
3) Sharpen the
serrations individually with a tapered diamond or ceramic file.
4) Sharpen on
a crock stick setup, going very slowly so the ceramic rod glides in and out of
the serrations.
This last
method actually works fairly well, especially with the Spyderco Sharpmaker.
It’s triangular rods fit into serrations much easier than the standard round
crock sticks. If you want to keep your serrated knives as sharp as they can be,
the Sharpmaker system is the way to go, though the Lansky rod-guided system
also has an accessory hone for sharpening serrated edges.
Chisel Ground
Edges
Sharpening
chisel-ground or single-bevel knives is not tricky. You simply match the bevel
angle and sharpen as usual – but only on the beveled side. When you raise a
burr, grind it off by laying the flat side of the knife perfectly flat against
your stone and swipe the burr off. It only takes a couple of passes. You can do
the same thing with a strop. The back side of the knife must be perfectly flat
or you’ll round your edge. All you want to do is grind off the burr.
The back side
of a sashimi knife is sometimes lightly hollow ground to make this step easier.
You can actually lay the knife flat and sharpen with your usual stroke, edge
first across the stone.
How to Tell if
Your Knife is Sharp
How do you
know when you have achieved the ultimate high performance edge? Depends on what
you want to do with it. Remember that we defined sharp not only as two edge
faces intersecting at a line of minimum width, but also as a function of blade
shape, angle and the material to be cut. We want a keen edge that can hold up
in repeated usage while producing the results we’re looking for in the kitchen.
You can tell
when you’ve set your knife’s edge bevels correctly by placing the knife at a
30-45 degree angle on your thumbnail and pulling across the edge. A properly
set edge will bite in and not slip off your nail. Of course, you could hurt
yourself doing this, too. Or, at the very least, wreck your nail polish.
Any slick,
slightly rounded surface will do. Take, for example, a plastic pen, stand it at
a 30-45 degree angle on a countertop and lay the knife edge straight up and
down on the plastic. Pull the edge from heel to tip. If it bites in, you’ve set
your edge correctly. If it slides off, you have some more work to do. The
sharper the blade, the smaller you can make the angle before it slips.
Another test
is to take a Q-tip and push the fuzzy head over the edge. Any nicks or burrs
will pull the cotton fibers loose from the head. The Q-tip will also reveal any
rough spots in the edge. A well-sharpened edge will feel smooth. This test is
more effective for polished edges.
Razor Edge
Systems makes an Edge Tester for this very purpose. It is widely used in the
meat cutting industry to check edges to see if they need sharpening (or if the
meat cutter is just goofing off).
Another check
is the “Samurai Hair Test.” Lay the knife nearly flat against the hair on the
back of your head and pull gently down. Very gently. An aggressive, keen edge
will readily grab the hair. A dull edge will simply slide off. Don’t shave the
back of your head. Just pull gently down to see if the edge catches and tugs. I
don’t want any irate calls from your barber or hairstylist.
The classic
test of sharpening is shaving the hair of your arms. This has several problems,
not the least of which is that the hair might not grow back or could come in
coarser and darker than the surrounding hair. And if you have a lot of knives
to test you’ll end up looking like you have mange.
The real problem
with shaving, though, is that shaving is push cutting. A highly polished edge
will readily push cut, but, as we’ve discovered, you don’t always want a highly
polished edge. A slightly coarse edge that tugs the hair but doesn’t shave will
actually slice better than the polished edge. Thus, shaving isn’t the best test
for many knives.
There are
other opinions on shaving as a test. Cliff Stamp said, “Coarse edges can easily
shave, Joe Talmadge was one of the first guys to comment on this. A lot of people
think they can't and thus sharpen them pretty sloppily. The more coarse an edge
you form, the sloppier you can get and still have decent cutting ability.
However you can get better cutting ability but keeping the edge crisp and
aligned. This edge will then have a much higher level of push cutting ability,
overall durability and edge retention, as well as a slightly higher level of
slicing aggression. I have seen edges formed from a 100 grit AO belt that would
still shave. This is more coarse than a x-coarse DMT hone.”
Slicing
newsprint is a pretty good test. Both highly polished edges and toothier edges
(as long as they’re not overly coarse) will readily slice a piece of newspaper
held lightly between your fingers.
The best test,
though, is actually using the knife for its intended purpose. If you have a
slicing knife, try a soft tomato or plum. A keen, toothy edge can bite into the
tomato with little or no pressure, just a light draw across the skin. If you
have polished your santoku to a mirror-like edge, try dicing a few carrots or
potatoes. The reduced effort will be immediately noticeable. And greatly
appreciated if you have 50 pounds of beets to get through before service.
Resized to 81%
(was 600 x 321) - Click image to enlarge
A thin,
slightly coarse slicing knife will cut a soft tomato with a light pull and
nearly no pressure on the blade.
Section Six:
Maintenance
Why Edges Wear
The ability of
a knife to hold an edge is affected by several factors. Many are properties of
the steel, others are job-specific.
Wear
resistance – the ability to resist abrasion – comes primarily from the amount,
type and distribution of carbides in the steel.
Strength is
resistance to low-impulse deformation. In other words, bending. Strength is
directly related to the hardness of the steel.
Toughness is
resistance to high-impulse deformation – impacts, chipping and cracking.
As a general
rule, strength and toughness are inversely related. A hard, unbendable steel
can be brittle. It will not withstand chopping through bone as well as a tough,
slightly softer steel. A tough steel might roll its edge if it encounters
significant lateral stress or is forced through very hard materials – stresses
that a strong steel would easily resist. The most extreme examples of both
would be the extremely hard, yet shatter-prone ceramic knives from Kyocera
compared to very tough, soft stainless Chinese cleavers.
Edge holding
is a function of wear resistance, strength, toughness and the tasks the knife
is used for. Toughness is required to resist chipping when you are cutting
through materials where you might encounter bone or other hard bits and pieces.
Strength is required to resist rolling and impaction if, for example, someone
in your kitchen (despite repeated warnings) uses a glass cutting board. Wear
resistance becomes important for edge holding when you’re cutting through
abrasive materials.
So the way
your knife holds an edge depends on the steel and what you use the knife for.
The most
common culprits that put wear resistance, strength and toughness to the test
are:
Wear. Duh. As
a knife blade encounters abrasive materials, the edge wears away. Unless you
cut only soft foods, your edge will always wear somewhat, though the most wear
in the kitchen will come from sharpening your knives. Significant wear could
take years.
Indenting and
rolling. As pressure is put on the edge of the blade (and remember, the edge’s
job is to concentrate tremendous amounts of pressure), the edge can indent,
impact or roll over to one side or the other. The harder the steel, the less
likely it will be to indent or roll. This is actually fairly common in the
kitchen, which is why you need to steel frequently (more on this below).
Chipping. The
edge can chip or crack under impact, especially when encountering hard
materials like bone. Micro-chipping can be an important factor in edge
degradation, although kitchen knives are fairly tough.
Corrosion. The
wet, acidic environment of the kitchen can give knives a real beating.
Micro-rusting and the attack of acidic foods can lead to edge loss at the very
apex of the edge in short order.
Technique. As
chef Thomas Haslinger points out, “Having sharpened my own knives and other
chefs’ knives, I can say that an often overlooked factor in cutting edge performance
is how each individual holds and uses his knives. A person that ‘feels’ the cut
will always have a knife that outperforms an individual who just cuts and slams
the edge into the cutting board”
Steeling your
Knife
Steeling
regularly is the most critical maintenance you can perform on your knife.
Whenever you use your knife, especially soft kitchen knives, the edge can turn
out a bit. Turn the knife with the edge pointing to the ceiling under strong
light. You shouldn’t be able to see it. The edge itself should be invisible.
If, however, you see glints of light, those are spots where the edge has
rolled. The edge is still reasonably sharp, it’s just not pointing straight
down anymore. The steel realigns the edge of the knife, forcing the rolled spots
back into line, making it useable again.
We will get
into the various types of steels in just a moment, but be aware that the
grooved steels that come with knife sets do in fact remove metal. A grooved
steel acts as a file when used with a heavy hand, knocking microscopic chips
out of your edge. At the very least, it is much coarser than the fine abrasive
you used to achieve your edge. Steeling heavily with a grooved steel is taking
several steps backward. A grooved steel should be used with caution and a very
light touch.
The standard
image we all have of steeling a knife involves a chef with his knife in one
hand and steel in the other, blade flashing and ringing. If you’re particularly
adept at this type of swordsmanship, have at it. It impresses the tourists.
A more
effective method is to stand the steel straight up and down with the handle up
and the tip resting on a folded towel to keep it from slipping. Why? Geometry.
Place the
knife edge against the steel with the blade perpendicular to the steel – 90
degrees, right? Rotate your wrist so that you reduce the angle by half – 45
degrees. Reduce that by half – 22.5 degrees, and you are exactly where you need
to be to steel your knife (if you have a 20 degree edge). You generally want to
steel at a very slightly steeper angle than the edge bevel itself.
Resized to 81%
(was 600 x 513) - Click image to enlarge
The most
effective way to steel your knife. Note that I should be standing squarely in
front of the steel. I had to lean a little to get the knife to show up well in
the shot.
You can also
use the Paper Airplane Trick to make a guide to prop against your steel so you
know you are hitting the proper angle.
When you’re
steeling, lock your wrist and stroke the knife from heel to tip by unhinging at
the shoulder – it’s your pivot point – and slowly dropping your forearm. The
key is to maintain a consistent angle all the way through the stroke. By
locking your wrist and elbow, you will keep your angle stable from top to
bottom. Go slowly and follow all the way through the tip. You don’t have to
press very hard to realign the edge. Steeling requires barely more pressure
than the weight of the knife itself.
Alternate from
side to side, keeping the same alignment and angle on both sides. It really
only takes four or five strokes per side to get your knife ready for more work.
When should
you steel? Every time you use your knife. Oddly enough, steeling before you use
the knife is much more effective than steeling afterward. A steeled edge can be
very sharp, but it is not as durable as a freshly honed edge. If you don’t use
a steeled edge right away it can actually relax back into its blunted state.
The same is true of a blunted edge. If you really degrade the edge of your
knife in a heavy cutting session, let it sit overnight before sharpening. It
will be in much better shape than it was the day before.
You should
also steel before sharpening so any rolled or impacted edges are pushed back
into alignment. That way you don’t cut off the rolled edge and lose more metal
than you really need to. You also can steel after sharpening to add a final bit
of polish (especially on a medium to medium fine edge) and tooth alignment. A
steel actually “smears” the edge, teasing out a little more thinness. You’ll
have a keener edge, but it will be weaker than the freshly sharpened edge.
Types of
Steels
Knife steels
come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors. There are round steels, oval
steels, grooved steels, smooth steels, diamond steels and ceramic “steels.” If
you purchased a set of knives, it probably came with a round, grooved steel. Be
very careful with this beast. Kitchen knives are reasonably tough and resist
chipping fairly well, but a grooved steel can really put that to the test. The
grooves in the steel create tiny points of contact with the edge. A smaller
contact area makes for greater pressure on the edge. Used lightly, a grooved
steel can realign the edge of your knife, though it does it fairly
aggressively. Used with too heavy a hand, however, a grooved steel will act as
a file and take microscopic chips out of your edge. Your edge will feel sharp
because it is now, in effect, serrated, but it won’t last very long.
Coarse diamond
steels fall into the same category, though they’ll generally leave a finer edge
than grooved steels. They should still be used with caution and a very light
hand.
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L to R:
Grooved steel, smooth steel and 700 grit ceramic rod.
Smooth steels
are several steps above either grooved or diamond steels. A smooth steel will
gently push the metal of the edge back into alignment. It will take longer than
with a grooved or diamond steel, but you don’t run the risk of damaging your
edge. A smooth steel is very easy to use and fairly forgiving of sloppy angles.
A step above
even smooth steels are fine grit ceramic and very fine diamond steels.
According to Cliff Stamp, “A smooth steel just pushes the edge back into
alignment, leaving the weakened metal there, which will actually relax back
into being deformed in its own time without any use. The ceramic will remove
some of the weakened steel while also aligning the edge. The edge will be more
stable and stay sharp for much longer. There is more metal removed with the
ceramic and diamond rods, but you are looking at between 100 to 1000
sharpenings to remove one millimeter of metal from the edge of the knife
depending on the edge angle and the grit of the ceramic or diamond hone – this
is years of constant use. In general, the lifetime of most knives tends to be
dominated by the occasional accidental damage that forces heavy honing.”
Section Seven:
Overview of Sharpening Systems
Like
everything else in the kitchen, sharpening is just a matter of understanding a
little science and practicing a lot. And sometimes it means buying more stuff,
but that’s half the fun, isn’t it?
Benchstones
and Waterstones
If you’d like
to try freehand sharpening, get the biggest stones you can. A good rule of
thumb is to use a stone that is at least as long as the longest knife you
intend to sharpen. The minimum size to avoid major frustration is 6” x 2”. As
we discussed in the Grit section, you’ll need at least one coarse to medium
stone and one fine stone. If you’d like to try Japanese waterstones, Lee Valley
Tools has a good selection of inexpensive stones. Some even come in kits to get
you started quickly.
Freehand
sharpening is a technique best learned face-to-face. If you have learned to
freehand, you have mastered one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding,
sharpening methods available. There is real satisfaction in attaining the skill
to sharpen a knife to hair-flinging sharpness using nothing more than a stone
and your own knowledge.
Guide Systems
There are a
variety of guide systems available. These systems clamp on to the back of the
knife and keep your angle steady throughout the sharpening stroke. The guide is
used with a benchstone or waterstone and uses the same motion you’d use for
freehand sharpening. The advantage to the guide systems is that you not only
keep your angle steady, but you also build the proper stroke into muscle
memory. Using a guide for a while will improve your freehand sharpening.
Because the guide takes up space, you lose a couple of useable inches of space
on your stone. This is not really a problem if you have a sharpening stone 8”
or longer.
Another
disadvantage to guides is that you’re never sure exactly what angle you are
grinding into your edge. Most of the time, knowing the exact angle isn’t a big
deal, but if you are trying to achieve exact, repeatable bevels, you’ll have to
use the Magic Marker Trick and perhaps the calculations provided by Leonard
Lee.
The most
popular guides come from Razor Edge Systems. These are fairly easy to use but
require a lot of dexterity to clamp properly. Razor Edge also produces an
instructional video on the use of its guides and sharpening stones.
According to
Steve Bottorff, the best guide available is the now-discontinued Buck
Honemaster. If you can find one at a garage sale or on eBay, go for it.
Rod and Clamp
Systems
These are very
popular systems and there are several available. The best are made by Lansky,
DMT and Gatco. The knife is held in a clamp. The stone is attached to a rod. By
putting the rod through one of the pre-set holes in the clamp, you can control
the sharpening angle. Double beveling is very easy with these systems.
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Lansky
sharpening set.
Steve Bottorff
has tried just about every sharpening system available. Here’s his take on the
Lansky, Gatco and DMT systems.
“The Lansky
has an aluminum guide that goes from 13 to 25 degrees in 4 steps; each angle is
3 to 5 degrees lower than indicated. The GATCO guide is aluminum and reinforced
plastic and goes from 17 to 34 degrees in 6 steps, each step is about 6 degrees
greater than indicated. I prefer the GATCO to the Lansky because of the GATCO's
larger stones and selection of angles. The DMT Aligner guide is all plastic,
and goes from 12 to 35 degrees in 7 steps, which are not marked. With DMT
hones, which I do not have, the Aligner would be the pick of the litter for
this size of system.”
The downside
to the Lansky and Gatco systems is the need to reclamp the knife every couple
of inches so you don’t change the bevel angle as you progress from heel to tip.
It is also fairly easy to round the tips of your knives on these systems.
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The Lansky in
action.
The king of
the rod and clamp systems is the EdgePro Apex. Ben Dale, the owner of EdgePro,
has created an excellent, easy to use system that can handle any kind of knife
you care to throw at it. He is also a great person to deal with and is more
than willing to spend time on the phone with you answering any question you
might have.
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EdgePro Apex
sharpening setup.
The Apex is
rugged and uses relatively large 1 x 6 inch aluminum oxide waterstones. The
angle guide is continuously adjustable for any angle, with marks at 10, 15, 18,
21 and 25 degrees. The blade table can harbor runoff grit and metal shavings,
scratching the blade unless you tape it with painters tape. I don’t bother. My
knives are tools. I don’t mind if they’re a little ugly.
The only downside
to the EdgePro Apex is its cost. This is a fully professional sharpening
system, but at $125 before stone upgrades it is a little outside the realm of
what the average home sharpener is willing to spend. I have one, and you’ll
have to pry it out of my cold dead hands to take it away.
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EdgePro in
action. Note that the blade is not clamped, making it easier to maintain a
consistent angle from heel to tip.
EdgePro offers
a video that demonstrates the proper use of the system. The quality is little
better than a home movie, but the information really helps.
V-Systems and
Crock Sticks
V-type
sharpeners have two ceramic sticks set into a plastic base at a preset angle.
The knife is held perpendicular to the ground and stroked down the side of the
sharpening stone. Because you are holding the knife in a natural position,
these systems are fairly easy to use.
Rather than
review all of the crock stick setups out there, let me save you some time.
Spend the $40 and get the Spyderco Sharpmaker 204. If you get one on eBay, make
sure you’re getting the 204 rather than the older 203. The 203 doesn’t have the
15 degree back bevel slots.
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Spyderco
Sharpmaker 204. And my cat, Chester.
These can be
found in many sporting goods stores, knife stores and on the Internet at
Knifecenter.com, Knifeoutlet.com and many others. I’d buy it from Michael Dye
at New Graham. He’s a great guy and has excellent prices and customer service.
The Spyderco
is a nifty system because the angles are preset for performance edges. You
don’t have to guess, just hold the knife straight up and down and stroke it
down the stones. There are two angles, 30 and 40, corresponding to 15 degrees
per side and 20 degrees per side. It’s pretty much foolproof. This is about the
easiest system to use. And, unlike just about anything else out there, you can
sharpen serrated knives. It comes with an excellent manual and a video to help
get you started.
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Sharpmaker in
action. Just stroke straight up and down.
The downside
to the Sharpmaker is that if you swipe the knife off the stones while using the
corners you can round the tip. This is easily remedied by taking your time and
sharpening in two stages, one for 90 percent of the edge and a second stage
concentrating on the tip only.
Even though I
have the EdgePro I still use my Sharpmaker regularly. It is faster to set up
for quick touchups.
Pull-Through
Systems
There are a
number of gadgets with hones (usually tungsten carbide bits or wheels) that
meet to form a V. You draw the knife through the slot and Presto! instant edge.
Ha. Most of these things are garbage, not even fit to sharpen your lawnmower
blades. Repeated use of one of these “sharpeners” will chip the edge of your
kitchen knives. No relief is ground into the blade, so it will gradually become
harder and harder to sharpen.
To show that
there are exceptions to every rule, the Henckels Twinsharp with its ceramic
wheels doesn’t do too much damage and can be used for quick touchups though
judging which set of wheels within the slot you are using can be a little
tricky.
The Chef’s
Choice Model 450 uses diamond stones at the same angles (22.5 and 25 degrees)
as the final two stages of their electric sharpeners. If you own a Chef’s
Choice 110 electric sharpener, this pull-through gadget is handy for touchups
between sharpenings.
According to
Steve Bottorff, there is even one gem among all of the gadget dross.
“There is one
class act in every category, and the Meyerco Sharpen-It is it for slot gadgets.
Designed by Blackie Collins to be so simple that it could be used on horseback,
the Sharpen-It features tungsten carbide wheels for the first stage and fine
ceramic wheels for the second. The ceramic is so hard and fine-grained that it
is more like using a steel. With this combination, the Sharpen-It performs well
at both sharpening and honing.
Unlike other
slot devices, the Sharpen-It adds a third wheel to each set, giving two slots,
and shapes them so that they sharpen one side of the blade at a time. This
setup allows you to vary the bevel angle somewhat. Drawing the knife through at
an angle decreases the bevel angle and gives a more razor-like edge. Since it
is assembled with tamper-proof screws, I could not measure the bevel angles,
but this information is less important because you won't have to use it with
another sharpener to get complete results.
Also unlike
others, the Sharpen-It can be used equally well left-handed. It is so compact
when closed that it can be carried in the watch pocket of your jeans. The unit
well built and sturdy, and features a tapered hone for serrated blades. A less
expensive model is available without the tapered hone.”
Electric
Sharpeners
Please promise
me that you will never use the knife sharpener on the back of your electric can
opener. Please?
Electric
sharpeners grind very aggressively and can remove a lot of metal in a hurry.
You can turn your chef’s knife into a filet knife with just a little
inattention. Using a bad electric knife sharpener is just about the worst thing
you can do to your knives. Poor electric sharpeners have given the entire genre
a bad name. The better machines are multi-stage and use a slower grinding
method.
Just as with
the pull-through sharpeners, there is a gem among the electrics. Both Steve
Bottorff and Cooks Illustrated rated the Chef’s Choice model 110 as the best
electric sharpener available. It puts a very nice edge on knives, sets a back
bevel for performance and doesn’t remove metal at an alarming rate. It does
have a tendency to scratch the blade, however.
The $85 Chef’s
Choice Model 110 uses 3 sets of diamond hones. Each sharpens at a different
angle. The first stage is very aggressive and puts an approximately 15 degree
back bevel on the knife. It is only used once to pre-shape the bevel. From then
on you use the second and third stages (sharpening and honing) only. The final
honing is at a very sturdy 25 degrees, which will give very long edge life.
If you must
have an electric sharpener, this is the one to get. Heck, for $85 I might pick
one up myself.
The Chef’s
Choice 110 has a big brother, the EdgeSelect 120 model, an upgraded version of
the 110. The EdgeSelect 120 features a polymer strop as its final stage,
producing a razor sharp edge.
Professional
Knife Sharpening
If you’ve read
this far, you are a sharpening professional
If you want to
send your knives out to be sharpened, that’s fine, but remember, finding a good
sharpener is like finding someone to cut your hair. It’s somewhat hit or miss.
Just because they have a sign on the door and a grinder in the back doesn’t
mean that you’ll get exactly what you were expecting.
Now that you
have a little more knowledge at your disposal, you can at least make an
informed judgment about what you want from your professional sharpener. Can he
sharpen to specific angles? Does he charge extra for a back bevel? Is he
willing to grind a 15/20 double bevel that you can touch up yourself? What grit
does he finish the edge with? You are now an educated consumer.
Fat Guy has a
place he recommends. I don’t have any experience with them, but I’ll take his
word for it.
Section Eight:
Conclusions and Resources
There you have
it. The veil has been parted and you’ve seen that the man behind the curtain
really doesn’t have anything special going for him. This is stuff that anyone
can do with a little knowledge and a little practice. Sharpening your own
knives can be extremely rewarding. You can establish a Zen-like communion with
your knives.
Just remember
the basics – burr, angle, abrasive, consistency and strategy. Do not ever let
anyone tell you that sharpening is too hard or too complicated to do yourself.
Most recipes could be seen exactly the same way. They’re complicated. They
require knowledge and technique. They’re a little scary. So what? You’d be
insulted if someone told you that a particular dish was beyond your abilities.
At the very least you’d be righteously indignant. You should feel the same way
the next time someone suggests that you send your knives to a “professional.”
And just like
cooking, you become better and better by doing. Your first attempt might not be
perfect. But it will be your achievement. No one else’s. And it just gets
better after that.
Resources and
Links
Obviously,
even as verbose as this tutorial is, I’ve missed a few things. Hopefully we can
cover any glaring absences in the Q&A session. But if you read this
tutorial, print it out and have it on hand the next time you decide to sharpen
your knives, I have no doubt that you can create an excellent edge, better than
anything you’ve been able to achieve before. Because of me? No. Because of all
of the people I’ve stolen from :P.
Some of those
people who answered questions, provided assistance and generally kept me from
making a fool of myself:
Joe Talmadge,
author of the Bladeforums Sharpening FAQ and Steel FAQ. Much of what I know or
have learned about sharpening is influenced by or just plain stolen from Joe’s
work. So if there are any truly egregious errors, it’s his fault. Joe was very
generous with his time answering some of the questions I had in writing this
tutorial.
Ben Dale,
owner of EdgePro Systems.
Cliff Stamp,
graduate student in physics in the field of collision induced absorption at the
Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is a dedicated knife nut and knife
tester. Some of his findings are controversial in the knife world, but Cliff
knows his stuff.
Thomas
Haslinger, Canadian chef and knife maker. He makes gorgeous chef’s knives.
Sal Glesser,
president of Spyderco.
Murray Carter,
ABS Mastersmith. Upon completing his apprenticeship under the tutelage of a
16th generation Yoshimoto bladesmith, Murray was asked to take the position of
number seventeen in the Sakemoto family tradition of Yoshimoto Bladesmithing.
He is the only Caucasian to ever have had the honor and privilege of this
position. He makes some of the best Japanese kitchen knives available.
The members of
Bladeforums.com. Seventeen thousand of the most knowledgeable and contentious
knife nuts on the planet. If it’s pointy, they’ll argue about it. Just about
any question you might ever have about knives or sharpening can be answered by
searching Bladeforums.
Additional
Reading
The Razor Edge
Book of Sharpening, John Juranitch. A little outdated and somewhat of a
commercial for Razor Edge products, this is nonetheless a good primer on
sharpening.
Sharpening
Made Easy, Steve Bottorff. This slim book is a good starting point if you’re
just getting into sharpening. Give it as a gift (along with this tutorial) to
the sharpening-challenged.
The Complete
Guide to Sharpening, Leonard Lee. Deals mainly with sharpening woodworking
tools, but has a great discussion on the principles and mechanics of
sharpening. Also has very good information on using power grinders and sanders
to sharpen, if you’re the handy type.
Sharpening
with Waterstones, Ian Kirby. Mostly for woodworkers, but more information on
waterstones than many other sources.
The
Professional Chef’s Knife Kit, Culinary Institute of America. Weak on
sharpening, but a great resource for kitchen knife information and basic knife
cuts.
Where to Buy
It
Here’s where
you can pick up all the cool stuff mentioned in the tutorial.
Lee Valley
Tools. Abrasives, waterstones, strops, honing compounds and some of the coolest
woodworking and gardening tools in the known universe.
EdgePro.
EdgePro Apex and Professional sharpening systems, replacement stones and fine
grit ceramic rods.
New Graham
Knives. Spyderco Sharpmaker 204.
Razor Edge
Systems. Guides, stones, Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, sharpening video, Edge
Tester and Mousetrap Steel (an amazing tool for restaurant-volume knife
maintenance).
Japanese
Knife. High end Japanese knives. If you want to spend a couple of grand on a
gyotou or yanagi-ba, this is your place. Also has waterstones.
Hand American.
Smooth steels, strops, honing compounds, etc.
Knifecenter.
Discounted kitchen cutlery, Lansky and Gatco sharpening systems, DMT diamond
stones.
One Stop Knife
Shop. Kitchen knives and sharpening equipment. Helps support Bladeforums.
Kellam Knives
and BladeArt. Two of the very few places you can get Murray Carter’s knives in
the Western hemisphere.
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