How to use a sharpening stone?

9th March 2020

How to use a sharpening stone
			Shop for Sharpening Stone
			Follow this simple step-by-step guide to learn how to use a sharpening stone to correctly sharpen a knife.

			Setting up
			Step 1 – Anchor your stone Clear a little work space and set down a cloth, non-slip mat or sharpening jig so that your stone will not move around when you begin to sharpen your tool. Alternatively, you could set the stone in a vice.

			Step 2 – Select correct stones Selecting the correct coarseness of your sharpening stones is an important step to sharpening your knife. Not every knife-sharpening operation needs to be started with the coarsest stone, and not every knife needs to go through three levels of sharpening. It all depends on the current state of your knife’s cutting edge.

			If your blade is severely chipped or damaged you will need to start with a very coarse stone to grind the edge back to usability. If your blade is sharp but has lost its razor edge, then you can skip straight to the honing stage using a very fine stone.

			Step 3a – Soak water stones If you are using water stones, soak them in water for about 5-8 minutes.

			Step 3b – Lubricate oil stones If you are using an oil stone, lubricate its surface with a little cutting oil.

			Diamond stones can be used with or without water but should never be used with oil. Using a spray bottle to apply water to a diamond stone will ensure you get excellent coverage without over-wetting.

			Sharpening method
			Step 1 – Maintain constant pressure Hold the knife’s handle in your dominant hand. With your other hand, apply pressure to the side of the blade. Maintain this pressure for the further steps.

			Step 2 – Draw knife across stone The knife should be held at an approximately 20-25 degree angle from the stone. Begin to draw the knife backwards slowly across the stone. Maintain pressure.

			Step 3 – Smooth action Continue drawing back the knife in a smooth continuous action.

			Step 4 – Draw knife off stone Once the knife has been drawn back across the stone right to the tip, draw the knife off the stone completely.

			Step 5 – Turn knife over and repeat Turn the knife over and repeat the process of drawing the knife across the stone in a smooth continuous action and whilst maintaining pressure upon the blade.

			Step 6 – Draw knife off stone Draw the knife off the stone and revert to step one. Repeat this whole process until you have reached your required sharpness or you move to a finer grit sharpening stone. Sharpen each side of the knife an equal number of times for the best results.