Knife Maintenance and Sharpening

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Pr in t a ble Ve r sion of Topic Click here t o view t his t opic in it s original form at

e G For u m s _ Th e e Gu lle t Cu lin a r y I n st it u t e ( e GCI ) _ Kn ife M a in t e n a n ce a n d Sh a r pe n in g

Post e d by: e GCI Te a m on Au g 1 3 2 0 0 3 , 0 7 :0 5 AM

Kn ife M a in t e n a n ce a n d Sh a r pe n in g By Chad Ward ( Chad) W a r n in g : Rem em ber t hat handling, using and sharpening knives is inherent ly dangerous. Neit her eGullet nor t he aut hor can be responsible for your safet y. That ’s your j ob. Knife safet y, especially during sharpening, is a m at t er of com m on sense. Keep your fingers, t oes and everyt hing else out of t he pat h of t he blade – even if it were t o slip. I f you go slowly, pay at t ent ion and st ay focused, you’ll be fine. Ta ble of Con t e n t s I nt roduct ion Sect ion One: The Sad Trut h about Kit chen Knives Sect ion Two: St eel Sect ion Three: Edge Basics Sect ion Four: Sharpening Basics Sect ion Five: Sharpening St ep by St ep Sect ion Six: Maint enance Sect ion Seven: Overview of Sharpening Syst em s Sect ion Eight : Conclusions and Resources I n t r odu ct ion “ Knife sharpening is hard.” “ Sharpening is t oo difficult and t im e consum ing t o do at hom e.” “ Send your knives t o a professional sharpener once a year and you will be fine.” “ You have t o spend hours hunched over a heavy hone slat hered wit h oil.” This well- int ent ioned advice is parrot ed in cooking schools, Food Net work t elevision program s, professional m anuals and cookbooks. And it is j ust plain wrong. Okay, m aybe not so m uch wrong as m isleading. Knife sharpening is not difficult . I t is not shrouded in m yst ery. Wit h a lit t le knowledge, a lit t le geom et ry, a couple of t ricks and som e inexpensive t ools, knife sharpening can be fairly easy and ext rem ely rewarding. At t he very least it ’s a great skill for t he t oolbox. You’ll com e away from t his clinic wit h a bet t er underst anding of edges, st eel and how t o m aint ain your knives yourself. Or, if you decide t o send t hem out , you’ll know how t o m ake sure you’re get t ing what you want – and what you pay for.

Se ct ion On e : Th e Sa d Tr u t h Abou t Kit ch e n Kn ive s To a chef, t here is not hing m ore im port ant t han his knife. I t is not only an ext ension of his hands, it is an ext ension of his very personalit y. The knife is a chef’s paint brush. So why are m ost kit chen knives so bad? The knives found in m ost com m ercial and hom e kit chens are designed for t he lowest com m on denom inat or. The m anufact urers of t hese knives m ake a series of com prom ises calculat ed t o keep t he largest num ber of people happily using t heir knives for t he longest period of t im e. Like superm arket t om at oes bred for st urdiness and uniform it y rat her t han flavor, t hese com prom ises

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seriously degrade t he perform ance of your knives. The first com prom ise begins wit h t he st eel. St eel is t he heart of t he knife. Most m anufact urers ( Henckels, Wust hof, Forschner, et al.) have propriet ary st eel blends and are very close- m out hed about t he act ual form ulat ion of t heir st eels. According t o indust ry insiders, t hese st eel blends are closely relat ed t o or equivalent t o a st eel known as 440a. By and large 440a st eel is form ulat ed for st ain and wear resist ance rat her t han holding a high perform ance edge. I n t he kit chen, t hat ’s not a bad t radeoff. But t his com prom ise in edge perform ance is com pounded by a heat t reat m ent t hat leaves t he st eel m uch soft er t han it could be. I n general, t he harder t he st eel, t he keener t he edge it will t ake. However, a hard st eel m akes it m ore difficult t o get t hat edge in t he first place. So m anufact urers leave t he st eel a lit t le soft , t heoret ically m aking sharpening at hom e easier. I f you’ve ever spent an hour or t wo t rying t o get a super fine edge on a cheap kit chen knife, you’ll know t hat t here is a big gap bet ween t heory and pract ice. Upper- end kit chen knives like Henckels, Sabat ier, Wust hof, et al., are a lit t le bet t er, but are st ill soft er t han t hey need t o be at 52 t o 56 on t he Rockwell C scale ( t he ht t p: / / www.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Rockwell+ scale is a scale used t o m easure t he relat ive hardness of different solids) . By cont rast , Japanese knives t end t o be around 61- 62 on t he Rockwell scale. Cust om knife m aker Phil Wilson hardens his S90V ( a st ainless superst eel) chef’s and filet knives t o 62- 63 Rockwell. The next com prom ise is in t he fact ory edge angles. Most kit chen knives com e wit h an edge t hat is at least 25 degrees per side, frequent ly even great er. I f you add t he t wo sides t oget her you get a 50 degree included angle. And t hat ’s t he best case scenario. Take a look at a prot ract or if you happen t o have one lying around. Fift y degrees is ext rem ely t hick. An angle t hat obt use is m ore appropriat e for an axe t han a chef’s knife. Again, t he t heory is t hat t he t hick angles will allow t he edge t o resist dam age from im pact ion, rolling and wear bet t er t han a t hin edge. But , as t he song says, it ain’t necessarily so.

Finally, t here is j ust plain cruelt y and m isuse. While I ’m cert ain none of you would ever use t he sharpener on t he back of an elect ric can opener, or use a glass cut t ing board, or st ore your knives loose in a drawer or put t hem in t he dishwasher, it does happen. And when you add soft st eel and t hick angles t o t he general abuse t hat knives see in t he kit chen, you end up wit h t ools t hat are m ore adapt ed for bludgeoning oxen t han fine dicing a soft t om at o. Take heart . The news isn’t all bad. We can fix t hese problem s. Geom et ry is far m ore im port ant t han st eel. Wit h som e basic knowledge and t he willingness t o invest a lit t le t im e, you can realist ically expect a dram at ic increase in knife perform ance. First , do no harm : General knife care - Use wooden or com posit e plast ic cut t ing boards only. Glass, ceram ic, m arble and st eel will cause t he edge t o roll or chip. Bad. Don’t do it . - Don’t drop your knives in t he sink. Not only is it a hazard t o t he person washing dishes, but you can also blunt t he t ip or edge. - Don’t put your knives in t he dishwasher. The heat m ay dam age wooden handles and t he edges m ay bang against ot her cut lery or plat es.

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- Keep your knives clean and dry. Sanit ize if necessary. - Do not st ore your knives loose in a drawer. Use a block, m agnet ic st rip, slot t ed hanger or edge guards. The m agnet ic st rip is not recom m ended if you have children or inquisit ive pet s. - Finally, your knife is not a can opener, a screwdriver, a pry bar, box cut t er or ham m er. There’s a special place in Hell reserved for people who abuse t heir knives t his way.

If your knives won’t fit in a block, simple plastic blade guards are a good solution

Second: Modify for perform ance This is t he easy part . Est ablishing and m aint aining high perform ance edges is what t his t ut orial is all about . I t can be as sim ple as st eeling wit h t he proper t echnique or as com plex as creat ing specific edge bevel and edge aggression st rat egies for each knife in your collect ion. I t ’s all up t o you. While you can’t change t he st eel your knife is m ade from , you can cert ainly keep your knives at peak perform ance – and wit hout t oo m uch difficult y. We’ll discuss high perform ance edges and sharpening st rat egies a lit t le lat er in t he t ut orial. Third: Modify for com fort This is som et hing very few chefs ( and even relat ively few knife m akers) t ake int o considerat ion. Ask any chef t o show you his knife- hand calluses. He’ll have a t hick one at t he base of his first finger from t he “ pinch grip” used in m ost kit chens. He or she m ay also have anot her on t he side of t he second finger where t he finger rubs against t he bolst er or dropped port ion of t he blade t hat ext ends below t he handle. He will also have aching hands and possible repet it ive st ress inj uries. I n t he int erest of econom y, m ost knife m anufact urers leave t he spines of t heir knives squared off. The edges of t he spine can som et im es be sharper t han t he knife it self. That edge cut t ing int o your

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finger can lead t o blist ers, calluses, reduced circulat ion, num bness and inj ury. I f you ever handle a chef’s knife m ade by Canadian knife m aker George Tichbourne you’ll know t hat it doesn’t have t o be t hat way. Tichbourne worked wit h several professional chefs when designing his kit chen knife series. One of t he key feat ures is a sm oot hly rounded spine. I t doesn’t abrade your finger, cut off t he circulat ion, m ake your hands num b or creat e any of t he ot her discom fort s associat ed wit h st andard kit chen knives. You can do t he sam e in less t han half an hour. Lock your knife, edge down, int o a padded vise. The padding doesn’t have t o be anyt hing elaborat e. Two pieces of flat rubber or leat her will keep t he j aws from scrat ching t he blade. You’ll need a sheet of fine ( 600 grit ) wet / dry sandpaper available at any aut o supply st ore or an abrasive clot h, som et im es called a crocus clot h. Using a gent le shoeshine m ot ion, light ly round t he edges of t he spine. You don’t have t o buff hard or rem ove a lot of m et al. All you need t o do is break t he sharp edge at t he base of t he spine. How far you t ake it is up t o you. This sim ple m odificat ion will m ake a world of difference in t he com fort of your knives.

Se ct ion Tw o: St e e l An Overview of St eel By definit ion, st eel is a com binat ion of iron and less t han 2 percent carbon. For cent uries, carbon was t he only alloying elem ent . The problem in t he early days of st eel m aking was get t ing rid of unwant ed elem ent s, not adding new ones. However, t here are a variet y of alloying elem ent s t hat are added t o m odern st eels t o im part various charact erist ics. I ron alone is relat ively soft . I t does not hold an edge well, wears quickly and has lit t le resist ance t o bending. Add a lit t le bit of carbon and t he st ory changes dram at ically. The carbon com bines wit h t he iron t o form hard carbide plat elet s cem ent ed t oget her in a m at rix of iron. The com binat ion is resist ant t o wear and bending and will t ake a keen edge. Sm aller carbides and a t ight er grain st ruct ure allow for a st ronger, sharper edge. Ot her carbide form ers, like vanadium , can refine t he grain of t he st eel furt her. Knives wit h a high vanadium cont ent can t ake a very keen edge, but are harder t o sharpen. Carbon - Present in all st eels, it is t he m ost vit al hardening elem ent . Great er t han 0.5 percent carbon cont ent qualifies a st eel as a “ high carbon” st eel. Chrom ium - Added for wear resist ance and corrosion resist ance. A st eel wit h at least 13 percent chrom ium is considered “ st ainless.” Chrom ium is a carbide form er, so it also increases wear resist ance. Manganese - A carbide form er. Manganese aids grain st ruct ure, increases hardenabilit y, and wear resist ance. Manganese is present in m ost cut lery st eels. Molybdenum - Anot her carbide form er. I ncreases hardness, prevent s brit t leness, m akes t he st eel easier t o m achine. Nickel - Adds t oughness and possibly aids in corrosion resist ance. Phosphorus - Essent ially a cont am inant . Silicon - I ncreases hardness and st rengt h. Sulfur - I ncreases m achinabilit y but decreases t oughness. Tungst en - I ncreases heat , wear and shock resist ance. Tungst en is t he st rongest carbide form er behind vanadium . Vanadium - Anot her carbide form er. Cont ribut es t o wear resist ance and hardenabilit y. Vanadium refines t he grain of t he st eel, which cont ribut es t o t oughness and allows t he blade t o t ake a very sharp edge. Most kit chen knives fall int o t he cat egory of “ high carbon st ainless.” These knives generally cont ain bet ween 0.5 and 0.8 percent carbon, 13 t o 18 percent chrom ium and a lit t le m anganese, m olybdenum , silicon, phosphorus and sulphur. This m akes for a st eel t hat is easy t o produce, is very st ain resist ant and reasonably wear resist ant . Knives from Global and Mac’s Superior line have som e vanadium added for im proved wear resist ance and a finer grain, which allows t he knife t o be

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sharpened t o an incredible edge. Carbon St eel versus St ainless St eel The great debat e rages on. Carbon st eel advocat es claim t hat t heir knives t ake a keener edge, hold it longer and are easier t o resharpen t han st ainless st eel knives. St ainless st eel users claim t hat carbon st eel knives are unsanit ary, leave an off t ast e in foods and t hat st ainless knives hold an edge longer t han t heir carbon count erpart s. Who’s right ? Depends on your definit ions and your environm ent . I t ’s not as sim ple as carbon versus st ainless. Carbon st eels range from sim ple iron/ carbon com binat ions t o high- alloy t ool st eels t hat will cut t hrough concret e wit hout losing t heir edge. St ainless st eels vary from very soft , ext rem ely st ain resist ant dive knives t o super st ainless alloys, like Crucible Part icle Met als’ S30V, a st eel purpose- designed for t he cust om cut lery indust ry. I n t he far less dem anding realm of t he kit chen, however, t he carbon st eel devot ees are right . At least unt il t hey act ually have t o use t heir knives. Then it ’s a different st ory. Carbon st eel kit chen knives generally are a lit t le harder and st ronger t han st ainless st eel kit chen knives. They are easy t o sharpen and t ake a scream ing edge. And while t he pat ina t hat develops on a carbon knife can be unsight ly ( unless you like t hat sort of t hing) , it isn’t unsanit ary. But in t he wet , acidic environm ent of t he kit chen, st ainless rules. For all t heir fault s, com prom ises and short com ings, st ainless st eel kit chen knives work bet t er and will hold t heir edges longer t han carbon st eel knives. Doesn’t m ake sense, does it ? The culprit is corrosion – t he effect of acid and m icro- rust ing. Even on what appears t o be a m irror- bright , razor sharp edge, m icroscopic part icles of rust and corrosion will form , at t acking t he edge and reducing it s perform ance. Unless carbon st eel knives are rinsed and dried frequent ly, t heir edges will degrade rapidly in kit chen use. The st ainless edge will easily out last t hem . According t o chef and knife m aker ht t p: / / www.haslinger- knives.com / , “ Acids of fruit and veget ables are fairly aggressive and will dull a carbon blade m ore quickly t han st ainless. The acid act ually eat s t he edge.”

Se ct ion Th r e e : Edge Ba sics Most kit chen knives are flat ground, m eaning t hat t he blade t apers direct ly from t he spine t o t he edge. Hollow ground, convex ground and saber ground blades are rarely found in t he kit chen. I m ent ion t hem only t o confuse you. Edges com e in a variet y of flavors. The m ost com m on are t he V- edge, double beveled edge, chisel ground edge and t he convex edge.

V- edges and double beveled edges are variat ions on a t hem e. The edge found on your kit chen knives is m ost likely a V- edge, m eaning, oddly enough, t hat t he edge bevels form a V, t wo surfaces int ersect ing at a line of ( ideally) zero widt h.

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A double bevel t akes t his idea a lit t le furt her by adding a second, m ore acut e, angle behind t he edge bevel. This secondary bevel is som et im es called a back bevel or relief angle. I t ’s purpose is t o t hin t he m et al behind t he edge. The t hinner t he edge, t he great er t he cut t ing abilit y. However, an edge t hat is t oo t hin is suscept ible t o dam age. So you add a sm aller, m ore obt use prim ary bevel t o t he very edge t o give it t he st rengt h t o avoid dam age from im pact ion, chipping or rolling. Chisel ground edges are prim arily found on Japanese knives, especially sushi knives. The edge is ground only on one side. The ot her is side is flat . Hence t hey com e in right and left handed versions. Chisel ground edges can be ext rem ely t hin and sharp. I f t he edge bevel is ground at 25 degrees and t he ot her side is 0 degrees, you have an included angle of 25 degrees – considerably m ore acut e t han t he average West ern knife. Som et im es known as ham aguri- ba, t he convex edge arcs in a rounded curve down t o t he edge. Thus t he final edge is t he int ersect ion of t wo arcs, creat ing a very sharp edge wit h m ore m et al behind it t han t he st andard V- edge. Convex edges are generally form ed on a slack belt grinder, so t hey are difficult for t he hom e sharpener t o achieve. This can be rem edied wit h t he m ousepad t rick found lat er in t he t ut orial. See t he ht t p: / / hom e.nycap.rr.com / sosak/ convex.ht m for sharpening m et hods and a com parison of t he convex edge wit h ot her edge t ypes.

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 t he great problem s wit h V- edges, t he fact t hat t he m et al behind t he edge get s progressively t hicker as t he knife is sharpened over t im e. The knife doesn’t cut as well and becom es harder and harder t o sharpen. The answer is t o grind t he shoulders off t he edge at an acut e angle, i.e. add a back bevel, t hen reest ablish t he prim ary bevel.

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If you sharpen your knife without grinding a relief angle, your edge will thicken over time.

Micro- serrat ions: True or False? Knife geeks frequent ly t alk about “ m icro- serrat ions,” m icroscopic t eet h on t he edge of t he knife. I s t his really t rue? I n a word, yes. Sharpening by it s very nat ure creat es a scrat ch pat t ern on t he edge of t he knife. The coarser t he st one, t he coarser and deeper t he scrat ch pat t ern will be and t he larger t he m icro- serrat ions. Conversely, t he finer t he st one, t he finer and m ore polished t he edge will be wit h less prom inent m icro- serrat ions. The real quest ion is, which one is bet t er? This is one of t he great debat es in t he knife world – t he razor sharp polished edge versus a t oot hier edge. John Juranit ch in his book “ The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening” is em phat ic t hat a polished edge is t he answer, t hat m icro- serrat ions are indicat ive of a dull knife. His experience com es from sharpening knives for t he m eat processing indust ry. Meat cut t ers go t hrough knives fast er t han t issues in flu season, so Juranit ch’s conclusions are hard t o disput e. However, Joe Talm adge, aut hor of t he Bladeforum s “ Sharpening FAQ; ” Cliff St am p, physicist and knife nut ; Leonard Lee, president of Lee Valley Tools and aut hor of “ The Com plet e Guide t o Sharpening; ” and m any ot hers have com e t o t he opposit e conclusion: t hat m icro- serrat ions, in t he right cont ext , can be a very good t hing. What is t he right cont ext ? Lat er on we’ll exam ine t he difference bet ween push cut t ing and slicing, t heir applicat ions in t he kit chen and t he value of various levels of polish on your knife edges. Which leads us direct ly t o: The Meaning of Sharpness What do we m ean when we say t hat we want our knives t o be sharp? Seem s like a silly quest ion. We all know what sharp is. Or do we? Sharpness is not j ust a funct ion of creat ing a super- t hin edge t hat will readily sever free- hanging nose hairs; it ’s also a funct ion of shape and int ended purpose. You could grind your chef’s knife t o razor t hinness, but t he edge would crum ble t he first t im e you hit a bone or t ried t o ham m er your way t hrough a wint er squash. Your knife would be sharp but useless. Sim ilarly, a razor sharp but wedge- t hick edge is great on a split t ing axe but not m uch good for carpaccio. We have t o t ake int o considerat ion t he shape of t he blade, t he angle of t he edge bevel and especially t he m at erial being cut when we consider how we j udge t he sharpness of our kit chen knives. So t he real quest ion is not “ how sharp should m y knife be,” but rat her “ how do I get m axim um perform ance from m y knife under a given set of condit ions.” A sharp knife can be defined as one

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t hat has a keen edge t hat can hold up in repeat ed usage while producing t he result s we’re looking for in t he kit chen. The Myt h of Thick Edges The t heory is t hat t hick edges ( larger angles) last longer t han t hin edges, and t he m aj orit y of t he knife buying public want s t he edge t o last as long as possible. But it doesn’t work out t hat way in pract ice. Thinner edges act ually out last t hicker edges alm ost all t he t im e. The t hinner edge st art s out perform ing bet t er t han t he t hicker edge. So even if it does degrade it has a lot of ground t o lose before it falls t o t he perform ance level of t he t hick edge. Thinner edges cut m ore easily, put t ing less st ress on t he edge. I f a t hin edge t akes t hree slices t o get t hrough a big slab of raw m eat , a t hicker edge m ight t ake six or seven. Or t hree wit h a lot m ore force. The t hicker edge is doing t wice as m uch work, degrading t wice as quickly. Thinner edges are easier t o cont rol. Lat eral st resses are a significant source of edge degradat ion. The m ore sm oot hly, accurat ely and easily you are able t o cut , t he less lat eral st ress you put on t he edge. Thin is good.

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 Perform ance Edge We want our kit chen knives t o cut as easily as possible while m aint aining int egrit y and st aying sharp. For m axim um perform ance, you want t he edge as t hin as possible. To borrow an im age from Joe Talm adge, im agine a wom an st epping on your foot . I f she’s wearing t ennis shoes, it will hurt a lot less t han if she’s wearing st ilet t o heels. The sam e am ount of force applied t o a m uch sm aller area penet rat es bet t er. A knife edge a t housandt h of an inch t hick wit h one pound of pressure behind it concent rat es 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch at t he edge. While an act ual kit chen knife’s edge will be a lit t le t hicker t han a t housandt h of an inch, t he t hinner your knife’s edge, t he m ore efficient ly it will cut . To t hin a knife’s edge, you lower t he edge angle. The problem is t hat a t hin edge is m uch m ore

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suscept ible t o dam age. As t he edge becom es t hinner, t here is less m et al t o support it . I t can roll, indent and chip, causing t he edge t o degrade quickly. So t he goal is t o t hin t he edge as m uch as possible, but not so m uch t hat it is regularly dam aged during hard use. One way t o do t his is t o keep t hinning your edge unt il it reaches an unaccept able level of fragilit y t hen back off a couple of degrees. This is easier t han it sounds, but not really necessary. We’ll discuss suit able edge angles in j ust a m om ent . One fact or t hat st rongly plays int o how t hin you can t ake a knife’s edge is t he qualit y of t he st eel. That ’s one of t he prim ary advant ages t o t he new breed of incredibly hard st ainless super st eels. You can sharpen t hem t o very acut e angles wit hout risk of significant dam age. As an aside, I ’ve t aken a chef’s knife m ade from ATS- 34 down t o less t han 8 degrees per side before it required an unaccept able level of m aint enance. As we’ve discovered, t he average kit chen knife is m ade from pret t y m ediocre st eel. But it can st ill be m uch t hinner t han t he fact ory edge. As a m at t er of fact you can sharpen your Henckels and Wust hofs t o angles t hat would give t he good folks in Solingen t he heebie- j eebies wit hout worrying t oo m uch.

Se ct ion Fou r : Sh a r pe n in g Ba sics Before we get int o sharpening syst em s and t he act ual m echanics of sharpening, it helps t o underst and som e of t he basic principles. These are t he burr, t he sharpening angles, t he abrasive, consist ency and sharpening st rat egy. They apply no m at t er what sharpening m et hod you choose. The Burr First and m ost forem ost is t he burr. The burr is your friend. A burr, or wire edge, is a rough, alm ost m icroscopic, raised lip of m et al t hat form s when one edge m eet s t he ot her. I t is t he only way t o be absolut ely cert ain t hat you have fully ground an edge. Essent ially you grind one side unt il it m eet s t he ot her and pushes up a sm all curl of m et al. I f you st op sharpening before t he burr is form ed, your knife will not be as sharp as it could be.

Som et im es you can’t see a burr, but you can always feel it . You check for a burr on t he side opposit e t he edge you have been grinding. Hold t he knife blade horizont ally and place your fingers or t hum b at a 45- degree angle t o t he edge and pull gent ly down and away. DO NOT PULL TOWARD THE TI P OR HI LT; YOU MAY LOP OFF A FI NGER. PULL AWAY FROM THE EDGE. Rem em ber, check t he side opposit e t he one you've been sharpening. You're checking for a very light lip caused by t he edge rolling over t o t he ot her side. Check at various point s along t he edge. The burr t ends t o form quickly at t he base of t he blade but t akes a lit t le longer at t he t ip. You m ust feel a burr running all t he way from heel t o t ip t o know t hat you have fully ground t hat side of t he knife.

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Hand position for checking a burr.

The Angles As we’ve discussed, t he 50- degree- plus included angle t hat com es st andard on m ost kit chen knives is way t oo obt use. Leonard Lee suggest s anywhere from 5 t o 20 degrees per side ( 10 t o 40 degrees t ot al) for general kit chen work. Five degrees per side is incredibly t hin and would require a very hard, high qualit y st eel t o keep t hat edge in regular use. For t he vast m aj orit y of kit chen knives, 15 t o 20 degrees per side will provide a significant increase in perform ance wit hout requiring undue m aint enance. Meat cleavers should be a lit t le t hicker, say 20 t o 25 degrees per side, while dedicat ed slicers can be t aken down t o 10 t o 15 degrees per side. The best com prom ise in t he kit chen has proven t o be a 15/ 20 double bevel. That is a 15 degree back bevel wit h a 20 degree prim ary 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 m et al. That ’s really all t here is t oo it . But t here is a huge array of abrasives available. Tradit ionalist s will dem and an Arkansas st one. These st ones were originally m ined from a novaculit e deposit in Arkansas. They were graded, from soft est t o hardest , as Washit a, Soft Arkansas, Hard Arkansas and Black Hard Arkansas. However, t he best part s of t he deposit were m ined long ago, leading t o spot t y qualit y in t he nat ural st ones. They have since been replaced by ground novaculit e reconst it ut ed int o benchst ones. These can be found under t he Arkansas Perfect nam e. Synt het ic alum inum oxide st ones are very, very hard and don’t wear like nat ural st ones. They clean up easily wit h a scouring pad and are m ore consist ent in t heir grading syst em s. Spyderco and Lansky bot h m anufact ure synt het ic st ones in a variet y of grit s ( see discussion of grit s below) . Japanese wat erst ones are considered by m any t o be t he ult im at e sharpening t ools. Alt hough nat ural wat erst ones are ext rem ely expensive and hard t o find, reconst it ut ed st ones are readily available. These reconst it ut ed Japanese st ones are held t oget her by a resin bond, cut very quickly ( and wear m ore quickly as well) and are available in ext rem ely fine grit s t hat will put a high polish on an edge. Synt het ic wat erst ones, as used by EdgePro syst em s, are form ulat ed from alum inum oxide specifically for knife sharpening. Like Japanese wat erst ones, t hey need t o be wet in order t o cut effect ively. Diam ond “ st ones” have m an- m ade diam ond part icles im bedded in or coat ed on a base m et al. They cut very aggressively and should be used wit h caut ion. They were form erly available only in very coarse grit s, but t hat is changing rapidly. According t o Leonard Lee, m onocryst alline diam onds are preferable t o polycryst alline diam onds in a diam ond st one. They are nearly t wice as expensive, but last m uch longer. EZE- Lap, Lansky and DMT m ake excellent diam ond st ones. There are t wo ot her issues relat ed t o abrasives t hat m ust be considered: grit s and lubricat ion. You Want Grit s wit h That ? All of t hese abrasives com e in a variet y of grit s from very coarse t o ult ra- fine. Grit refers t o t he size of t he individual part icles of abrasive in t he sharpening st one. A st one wit h a finer grit has sm aller part icles, and produces an m ore polished edge wit h less prom inent m icro- serrat ions. A st one wit h a coarser grit has larger part icles, produces an edge wit h m ore prom inent m icro- serrat ions, and t ends t o abrade m et al away m ore quickly. There are several different grit rat ing syst em s, and unfort unat ely it is very difficult t o correlat e t hese different syst em s. For exam ple, Japanese wat erst ones are graded different ly t han diam ond st ones and bot h have different num bering syst em s t han t he codes found on powered grindst ones. St eve Bot t orff, aut hor of “ Sharpening Made Easy” has

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t aken a st ab at it ht t p: / / www.am erit ech.net / users/ knives/ grit s.ht m if you’re int erest ed. What we do know is t hat you’ll need a coarse t o m edium st one for shaping t he edge and rem oving t he shoulders of over- t hick edges. You’ll also need a fine st one for sharpening t he final edge. The com binat ion st ones found in m ost hardware st ores j ust won’t do t he t rick. The coarse side isn’t coarse enough and t he fine side isn’t fine enough. Any of t he sharpening syst em s m ent ioned lat er will com e wit h appropriat e st ones. I n very general and im precise t erm s, st ones rat ed lower t han 300 grit are coarse, 300- 400 are m edium , 600+ are fine and 1200 and up are ext ra fine. Japanese wat erst ones have t heir own grit rat ing syst em . They cut so quickly t hat anyt hing below 800x can be considered coarse, alt hough t hey’ll leave a m uch m ore polished edge t han a corresponding West ern st one. 1000x and 1200x can be considered m edium and m edium - fine and m ake an excellent general purpose st ones. Wat erst ones can go up t o 8000x, but t hat ’s really overkill for kit chen purposes. The st ones t hat com e wit h Spyderco’s Sharpm aker are list ed as fine ( t he whit e st ones) and m edium ( t he grey st ones) . The grey has been com pared t o an approxim at ely 800x wat erst one, t he whit e t o a 1200x wat erst one in effect . The synt het ic wat erst ones from EdgePro syst em s also have an idiosyncrat ic rat ing syst em . The coarse st one is list ed as 100, t he m edium as 180, t he fine 220, ext ra fine 320, ult ra fine is 600. However a conversat ion wit h Ben Dale, owner of EdgePro, revealed t hat t he ext ra fine st one is equivalent t o a 1200x Japanese wat erst one and t he ult ra fine equivalent t o a 2000x Japanese st one. The basic syst em com es wit h a m edium and fine st one, which should be sufficient for m ost needs, t hough t he coarse st one com es in handy for quickly reshaping bevels. Oil or Wat er? Everyone knows you need t o lubricat e your sharpening st one wit h wat er or oil, right ? So t he quest ion is which one is bet t er. Neit her. The purpose of a sharpening st one is t o grind t he edge and rem ove m et al. Oil reduces frict ion and m akes t he process m uch slower. Supposedly oil helps float away m et al part icles t hat would ot herwise clog t he pores of t he st one. You can do t he sam e t hing by wiping t he st one wit h a dam p clot h when you’re done. St eve Bot t orff report s t hat you can clean your Arkansas st ones wit h paint t hinner. Synt het ic st ones clean up wit h a scouring pad and abrasive cleanser. According t o Joe Talm adge, if you have already used oil on your Arkansas st one, you’ll probably need t o keep using oil. But if you have a new Arkansas st one, a diam ond st one or a synt het ic st one, go ahead and use it wit hout oil or wat er. I t will work m uch bet t er. John Juranit ch report s t hat in his com pany’s work wit h m eat processing plant s t hey discovered t hat t he m et al filings suspended in t he oil on a st one act ually chip and abrade t he edge. Alt hough t hese chips were only visible t hrough a m icroscope, t he m eat packers readily not iced t he difference bet ween t he knives sharpened on a dry st one and t hose sharpened on oiled st ones. Wat erst ones are anot her m at t er ent irely. Bot h Japanese and synt het ic wat erst ones require wat er in order t o cut effect ively. Japanese wat erst ones can be dam aged if used dry and m ust be soaked t horoughly before use. Wat erst ones wear very quickly, revealing new layers of cut t ing abrasive as t he swarf builds up and is washed away. That ’s why t hey are so effect ive. There is always a new layer of sharp abrasive cut t ing away at t he m et al of your edge. By t he way, “ swarf” is one of t hose cool t erm s you get t o t oss around when you discuss sharpening. Swarf is t he slurry of m et al filings and st one grit t hat builds up as you sharpen. Throw t hat int o your next cockt ail part y conversat ion and j ust wat ch t he expressions of awe appear as people realize t hat you are a sharpening God. Consist ency You m ust be able t o m aint ain a consist ent angle while you are sharpening. This can be t ough t o do, which is why t here are so m any gim m icks and sharpening syst em s on t he m arket . They don’t provide any m agic. All t hey do is help you keep your edge at t he sam e angle t hroughout t he sharpening session. Maint aining consist ency is a prim ary reason freehand sharpening wit h benchst ones or wat erst ones is a lit t le t ricky. I t t akes a lot of experience and pract ice t o keep t he edge at a const ant angle st roke aft er st roke using only your hands and eyes.

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Sharpening St rat egy: Coarse versus Polished Edges Relat ed t o t he grit discussion above, t he finer t he st one you use t o sharpen your knife, t he m ore polished your edge will be. And while it can be a lot of fun t o creat e a scary sharp edge t hat will cut t he t ops off of arm hair wit hout t ouching t he skin, it ’s really not necessary or ideal for kit chen use. As a m at t er of fact , leaving t he edge of your knife j ust a lit t le coarse can be a very good t hing. This is where we m ust com pare push cut t ing t o slicing. Push cut t ing involves part ing fibers and requires a polished edge. Shaving, for exam ple, is push cut t ing. So is peeling an apple or j ulienning a carrot . You are pressing your t hin, finely polished edge t hrough t he fibers of t he food, pushing t hem t o eit her side. Slicing, on t he ot her hand, involves severing fibers and requires a t oot hier edge. Crust y bread, a soft t om at o, roast chicken – anyt hing wit h an out er layer t hat is t ougher t han t he squishier inside dem ands an edge t hat can bit e int o t he skin wit hout crushing t he int erior. A highly polished edge will sim ply skat e over t he surface of a ripe plum unt il you put enough pressure on it t o push t hrough t he skin. But t he fruit underneat h will give way before t hat happens. Not pret t y. Now you m ust decide. Do you do m ore push cut t ing or m ore slicing? Do you have knives t hat you use m ore oft en for dicing, peeling and j ulienning? Do you have a knife t hat is dedicat ed t o slicing? A good basic st rat egy is t o st art wit h a st andard 20 degree bevel ( a 15/ 20 double bevel if you’re feeling advent urous) wit h a m oderat ely polished edge on all your knives. This alone will be a vast im provem ent over what you m ight be used t o. Then branch out . I f you have a knife t hat is only used for veget ables, a sant oku for exam ple, you can t ake it t o a very fine, highly polished edge. A dedicat ed slicer can be finished on a m edium - fine grit st one, leaving t he edge slight ly coarse. Your chef’s knife can be som ewhere in bet ween. There is one caveat . The t hinner t he edge, t he finer it will need t o be t o avoid excessive dam age. A coarse edge wears m ore quickly and requires m ore m aint enance. This is usually not an issue unless you like your edges very t hin. Then a polished edge will last longer. Of course if you have a very t hin edge it will probably push cut t hrough m at erials t hat a t hicker edge m ight have t o slice t hrough, so you’re not losing any slicing perform ance. I f you’re really nut s you can creat e a dual edge on your knives. This would be a slight ly coarse sect ion at t he back of t he blade near t he choil or bolst er. The rest of t he blade would be finished on a fine or ext ra fine st one. That gives you a t oot hy sect ion for cut t ing t hrough t ough m at erials as you begin your st roke and a finer edge for push cut t ing t hrough t he rest . Yes, t his is only for t he seriously deranged.

Se ct ion Five : Sh a r pe n in g St e p by St e p Hey, 5,000 words int o t his and we’re act ually get t ing t o t he “ how- t o” part . Okay, here’s where we put all of t his t oget her. Haul out your sharpening rig and let ’s grind som e m et al. Don’t have one yet ? Check out t he Sharpening Syst em s sect ion below t o see what suit s you best . Got one now? Good. Rem em ber t he basics: burr, angle, abrasive, consist ency and st rat egy. Let ’s assum e, for t he sake of discussion, t hat you’ve decided t o put a 15/ 20 double bevel on your chef’s knife. Because it ’s a general purpose knife, it doesn’t need t o have a m irror polished edge. As a m at t er of fact , a good m edium - fine edge is what you’re aim ing for. This is your angle and st rat egy. Because t his is t he first t im e you’ve really t ried t o change t he horrid fact ory edge, you’ll need t o begin wit h a fast cut t ing, coarse abrasive. Benchst one, wat erst one, Sharpm aker grey st one – doesn’t m at t er. St art wit h t he coarsest t hing you’ve got . Det erm ine how you’re going t o est ablish consist ency. Wit h a Sharpm aker you sim ply st roke st raight up and down. The EdgePro or Lansky rod- t ype syst em s have angle guides built in. Freehand sharpening requires a lit t le m ore skill and pat ience, but if you use a guide syst em like t he Razor Edge or sim ply place your t hum b on t he spine in t he sam e spot every t im e, you can creat e a consist ent angle.

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Advanced Sect ion: QUOTE

W a r n in g: M a t h ! I f you want t o be really anal about it , Leonard Lee offers t his form ula for creat ing freehand angles of less t han 20 degrees. “ Use t he basic rule t hat a 1 degree angle subt ends an arc of 1 unit at a radius of 60 unit s. The 1- in- 60 rule is close enough for m any purposes, part icularly sharpening at low angles. You’ll find t hat a 10- unit rise in 60 unit s is about 9- 1/ 2 degrees and a 20- unit rise is about 19 degrees.” This works out t o raising t he spine 1/ 8 inch ( m easured 1.5 inches back from t he edge) for every five degrees of angle. The average chef’s knife is about 1.5 inches wide at t he heel, so for a 15 degree angle you’d raise t he spine 3/ 8 inch – about t he height of six quart ers st acked up. I f your knife is wider or narrower t han 1.5 inches, m easure t he height from 1.5 inches back from t he edge, ot herwise t he m at h doesn’t work. I t ’s t he height / widt h rat io t hat gives you t he angle. Forget t he m at h. I n a pinch a large binder clip clam ped t o t he spine will get you pret t y close.

So, let ’s get st art ed: 1) Est ablish your 15 degree angle. I f you’re using a Sharpm aker, put t he st ones in t he 15 degree slot s. Wit h a Lansky, Gat co or EdgePro syst em , slide t he rod int o t he 15 degree set t ing. Wit h edge guides, clam p t he guide at t he 3/ 8” height . Freehanding, raise t he spine t o 3/ 8 inch m easured 1.5 inches back from t he edge. Now you’re ready t o creat e a burr. Be pat ient , t his m ight t ake a while. To grind off t he shoulders of t he previous edge we’re going t o be rem oving a lot of m et al. That ’s why we need t he coarse st one. At t his point it doesn’t really m at t er what kind of st roke you use. You can go heel t o t ip or j ust grind in circles. I t doesn’t m ake any difference. To keep t he aest het ics of t he knife, you’ll want t he bevels relat ively even on each side. I f you j ust grind one side unt il you get a burr, t he ot her side will require m uch less grinding. Thus t he bevels will be m ism at ched. To keep t hem m at ched, grind one side for about five m inut es or so t hen swit ch t o t he ot her side, m aint aining your approxim at ely 15 degree angle. Feel t he knife every so oft en t o see if you can feel a burr. Keep grinding and swit ching sides unt il you det ect a burr beginning t o form . Rem em ber, t he burr form s on t he side opposit e from t he side you are grinding. I f you don’t rem em ber how t o check for a burr, see t he pict ure earlier in t he t ut orial. As soon as you det ect a burr, keep grinding on t he current side unt il t he burr runs t he ent ire lengt h of t he opposit e edge. I f you use t he Magic Marker Trick described below, you can save a lit t le t im e on t his st ep. 2) Repeat on t he opposit e side unt il you feel a burr along t he full edge of t he first side. 3) Opt ional: I f you want t o dress up t he scrat ch pat t ern, swit ch t o your fine st one and give t he edge several passes on each side ( at t he sam e angle) t o polish t hem out a lit t le. 4) Est ablish your 20 degree angle. I f you’re using a Sharpm aker, swit ch t o t he 20 degree slot s. Wit h a Lansky, Gat co or EdgePro syst em , sim ply change t he rod t o t he 20 degree set t ing. Wit h edge guides unclam p t he guide and slide it forward about an 1/ 8 t o 1/ 4 inch. Freehanding, raise t he spine anot her 1/ 8 inch. I f you swit ched t o your fine st one, swit ch back t o your coarse st one or t he next one up, usually a m edium st one. 5) Creat e a burr again at t he new sharpening angle, going back t o side one. This t im e you’re grinding t he edges t o m eet at a 20 degree angle. This will happen very quickly because you’ve already rem oved m ost of t he m et al you need t o. The 20 prim ary edge face will be very narrow com pared t o t he 15 degree back bevel, som ewhere around 1/ 32 t o 1/ 64 of an inch. 6) Swit ch sides and repeat unt il you have a burr running t he full lengt h of t he first side. 7) You’re alm ost hom e. Now t hat you’ve got your burr you need t o grind it off com plet ely so t hat t he t rue edge rem ains. Now t echnique m at t ers. No m ore grinding in circles. St roke gent ly from heel t o t ip, alt ernat ing sides wit h each st roke. Keep t he sharpening st one perpendicular t o t he blade as usual, beginning t he st roke at t he heel and ending at t he t ip. Or if you are sharpening on a benchst one, st roke

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t ip t o heel, if you’re m ore com fort able t hat way. Light en up on t he pressure as you go. There is no hard and fast rule, but five t o 10 st rokes per side should do it . I f your checking reveals t hat t he burr is sim ply flopping from side t o side, light en up t he pressure even m ore. 8) Change from t he coarse or m edium st one t o t he fine st one and cont inue. Keep st roking side t o side unt il all t he scrat ches from t he coarse st one are gone. Cont inue light ening up on t he pressure as you proceed. You are t rying t o grind t he burr off. I f you press t oo hard you’ll sim ply form anot her one. 9) Finish wit h a few very light st rokes on t he fine st one. Now, t o m ake sure t hat t he burr is com plet ely gone, place t he knife on t he st one as t hough you were going t o t ake one last st roke, but t his t im e increase t he angle j ust a hair. On a Sharpm aker, t ilt t he knife very, very slight ly in t oward t he cent er t o increase t he angle. Now guide t he knife down t he st one using no m ore pressure t han t he weight of t he knife it self. Swit ch sides and repeat for one st roke. You can do t his for one m ore st roke per side if you can st ill feel any vest ige of a burr. I f you have a sm oot h st eel or very fine grit ceram ic rod you can subst it ut e a couple of st rokes per side at a slight ly great er t han 20 degree angle for t his last st ep ( see discussion on st eels and st eeling below) . Your edge should be fright eningly sharp at t his point . I f it ’s not , you m ight not have fully ground off t he burr. The edge could sim ply be t urned t o one side. Try t he fine st one and light pressure again. I t could also be t hat rat her t han grinding off t he burr it was sim ply t urned st raight down. This will give you an edge t hat will send shivers down your spine but it will break off in t he first use. A light t ouch at t he end of t he sharpening process is t he key. I f you want your knife t oo look as good as it perform s, progress t hrough t he coarse, m edium and fine st ones at each angle set t ing while you’re raising your burr. This will rem ove any deep scrat ches and give t he edge a m ore refined look. This edge is not only very sharp, but is relat ively st rong. Wit h regular st eeling it will last for m any m ont hs, even under hard use. When st eeling ceases t o have t he desired effect it ’s t im e t o sharpen again. However, now t hat you’ve ground t he back bevel you really only need t o sharpen t he 20 degree prim ary edge. I f your knife is very dull go back t o st ep four on t he coarse st ones. I f it is only a lit t le dull you can begin wit h t he fine st ones. The burr will be very easy t o raise in subsequent sharpening sessions. Tips and Tricks There are a couple of t ricks t hat can m ake t he sharpening process even easier. I ’ve saved t hem unt il t he end j ust t o be cruel. The Magic Marker Trick One of t he easiest ways t o ensure t hat you are m at ching an exist ing bevel is t o coat t he edge wit h m agic m arker. As t he m agic m arker is abraded away by t he sharpening st one. you will be able t o see where t he m et al is being rem oved and whet her you have m at ched t he angle properly. Once you have coat ed bot h bevels wit h m arker, t ake a swipe or t wo down your st one. I f t he m arker is wiped off over t he widt h of t he bevel you have m at ched t he angle properly. I f your angle is t oo high, only t he m arker near t he very edge will be rem oved. I f your angle is t oo low only t he m arker near t he shoulder, above t he edge, will be rem oved. Recoat ing t he edge as you sharpen is a good way t o ensure t hat you’re holding t he correct angle t hroughout t he process. No m at t er what t ype of sharpening syst em you use, t he m agic m arker t rick will save you a lot of t im e and frust rat ion, especially in m at ching an unknown angle on one of t he guide or rod- st yle syst em s. The m agic m arker t rick also com es in handy when you are est ablishing a back bevel. I f you coat t he edge before working at t he 15 degree set t ing you can grind t he back bevel unt il t he m arker is ground alm ost t o t he edge, leaving 1/ 32 t o 1/ 64 inch. That ’s about how wide t he prim ary edge face will be. Rat her t han grinding all t he way t o t he edge unt il you get a burr, you can now swit ch t o t he 20 degree set t ing, knowing t hat t he last lit t le bit of edge will becom e t he prim ary edge face. You st ill have t o raise a burr at 20 degrees, but t he m arker t rick can save you a lit t le t im e. The Paper Airplane Trick Take a piece of paper wit h square edges. Fold t he bot t om left corner over unt il it m eet s t he right edge. Sm oot h it down. You’ve j ust t urned a 90 degree angle int o a 45 degree angle. Fold t he creased edge over t o t he far right edge like you’re m aking a paper airplane. You’ve j ust folded it in half again, and you have a 22.5 degree angle. Sound fam iliar? Twent y- t wo and a half degrees is pret t y dang close t o 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 st eeling your knife, set t ing an angle on a benchst one or j ust checking t hat you’re

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keeping your angle st eady as you sharpen. The paper edge guide is especially handy when you are learning t o st eel your knives properly. I t helps build t he right angle int o m uscle m em ory so you can do it wit hout t he guide when you have a lit t le m ore experience. Fold t he paper again and you have an 11.25 degree guide for st eeling t hose super t hin slicing knives t hat you’ve sharpened t o 10 degrees per side. The Mousepad Trick Do you have an old m ouse pad? I s t here an aut o supply st ore nearby? You can m ake a superb sharpening syst em for about $5. Go t o your nearest aut o supply st ore and get som e 600 grit sandpaper. Mylar- backed wet / dry sandpaper works best . This is t he st uff used t o sand aut om ot ive paint bet ween coat s. Get t he self- st ick kind. I f t hey have higher grit s, get a couple of sheet s of t hose, t oo, 1200 grit is generally t he next st ep up. Go nut s. I t ’s cheap. St ick t he sandpaper t o t he m ouse pad and t rim t he edges. This is your new sharpening syst em . I f you have bot h 600 and 1200 grit , apply one t o each side of t he m ousepad. Make sure you have a work surface you don’t m ind scrat ching up. I f you have a double- sided m ousepad sharpener, you don’t want t o work on your kit chen count er or dining room t able. Your spouse will kill you. This syst em requires a st ropping m ot ion when sharpening, using an edge- t railing st roke. That m eans t hat unlike ot her sharpening m et hods you don’t lead wit h t he edge, you lead wit h t he spine. I m age an old barbershop wit h t he barber st ropping his razor, st roking away from t he edge. That ’s t he idea. To est ablish your angle, lay t he knife flat on t he pad, edge t oward you. Lift t he spine slight ly while pulling light ly t oward you. Cont inue lift ing unt il t he edge bit es int o t he sandpaper. That ’s your st ropping angle. Press down light ly and st roke t he knife away from you, spine first , m oving from heel t o t ip. When you reach t he end STOP and lift t he knife st raight up off t he sandpaper. Don’t roll it off or lift t he spine furt her or you’ll m ess up t he edge you’re creat ing. Turn t he knife over and st roke back t he ot her way wit h t he edge away from you, pulling t he spine t oward you at t he sam e angle as t he previous st roke. The really cool t hing is t hat t he m ouse pad is soft enough t hat it conform s t o t he angle of t he knife edge. As long as you’re pret t y close you’ll be fine. This will give you an am azing edge in a fairly short am ount of t im e. I f you want t o polish it up, use t he higher grit sandpaper on t he ot her side of t he m ouse pad. Because t he m ousepad is soft , it deform s light ly around t he edge of t he knife and gives you a slight ly convex bevel. As we’ve discussed, a convex edge has m any advant ages but can be difficult t o achieve wit hout a belt sander. This is one way t o creat e or m aint ain a convex edge wit hout serious power t ools. This is t he sam e t echnique as st ropping ( below) but wit h a different abrasive. St ropping St ropping is a handy way t o finish off a burr or put a final m irror polish on your edge. While you can st rop on anyt hing from t he back of a legal pad t o an old belt , places like Lee Valley Tools and HandAm erican sell hard backed st rops. The st rop is usually charged wit h an abrasive, like green chrom ium oxide past e, so it act ually does rem ove very fine part icles of m et al. Like t he m ousepad t rick above, st ropping is an edge t railing st roke. Lay your knife flat on t he st rop wit h t he spine facing away from you. Slowly pull t he knife t oward you while lift ing t he spine. When t he edge j ust begins t o bit e int o t he leat her you have found your angle. Keep t hat angle as you st roke t he spine away from you, pulling t he edge along behind. When you get t o t he end of t he st roke STOP. Lift t he blade st raight up off t he st rop. Do not lift t he edge higher or roll t he knife over while it is st ill on t he st rop. You can wreck your edge t hat way. Now lay t he knife flat again, spine t oward you, and gent ly push t he edge t oward t he end of t he st rop while lift ing t he spine. When t he edge begins t o bit e you’ve found your angle for t he ret urn st roke. This second st ep isn’t really necessary if you’ve kept your angles consist ent during sharpening, but it never hurt s t o m ake sure you are holding t he right angle. The ret urn st roke is t he sam e m ot ion as t he first st roke, sim ply in reverse. The edge is facing away from you and you pull t he spine t oward you. St ropping will creat e an ext rem ely sharp, highly polished edge opt im ized for push cut t ing. To som e ext ent , st ropping can m ake up for less t han perfect sharpening t echnique, especially since it ’s a lit t le m ore forgiving. Handling Serrat ed Knives

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Serrat ed knives and bread knives are a special case. Serrat ed knives will st ay sharp longer t han plain edged knives, m ainly because t he insides of t he serrat ions generally don’t cont act hard surfaces. That ’s what t he t eet h are for. The t eet h not only have a cut t ing funct ion, but are also sacrificial lam bs, offered up t o st eakhouse swordsm an and children everywhere who feel t hat if t hey’re not grinding int o t he ceram ic of t he plat e, t hey’re not cut t ing. There are four ways t o sharpen serrat ed knives: 1) Pret end t he serrat ions don’t exist and sharpen on a st one, sharpening syst em or elect ric sharpener as you would a plain edged knife. This will event ually rem ove t he serrat ions. 2) Sharpen t he flat , non- serrat ed back of t he blade. This will sharpen t he knife, but also will event ually rem ove t he serrat ions, t hough not as quickly as t he first m et hod. 3) Sharpen t he serrat ions individually wit h a t apered diam ond or ceram ic file. 4) Sharpen on a crock st ick set up, going very slowly so t he ceram ic rod glides in and out of t he serrat ions. This last m et hod act ually works fairly well, especially wit h t he Spyderco Sharpm aker. I t ’s t riangular rods fit int o serrat ions m uch easier t han t he st andard round crock st icks. I f you want t o keep your serrat ed knives as sharp as t hey can be, t he Sharpm aker syst em is t he way t o go, t hough t he Lansky rod- guided syst em also has an accessory hone for sharpening serrat ed edges. Chisel Ground Edges Sharpening chisel- ground or single- bevel knives is not t ricky. You sim ply m at ch t he bevel angle and sharpen as usual – but only on t he beveled side. When you raise a burr, grind it off by laying t he flat side of t he knife perfect ly flat against your st one and swipe t he burr off. I t only t akes a couple of passes. You can do t he sam e t hing wit h a st rop. The back side of t he knife m ust be perfect ly flat or you’ll round your edge. All you want t o do is grind off t he burr. The back side of a sashim i knife is som et im es light ly hollow ground t o m ake t his st ep easier. You can act ually lay t he knife flat and sharpen wit h your usual st roke, edge first across t he st one. How t o Tell if Your Knife is Sharp How do you know when you have achieved t he ult im at e high perform ance edge? Depends on what you want t o do wit h it . Rem em ber t hat we defined sharp not only as t wo edge faces int ersect ing at a line of m inim um widt h, but also as a funct ion of blade shape, angle and t he m at erial t o be cut . We want a keen edge t hat can hold up in repeat ed usage while producing t he result s we’re looking for in t he kit chen. You can t ell when you’ve set your knife’s edge bevels correct ly by placing t he knife at a 30- 45 degree angle on your t hum bnail and pulling across t he edge. A properly set edge will bit e in and not slip off your nail. Of course, you could hurt yourself doing t his, t oo. Or, at t he very least , wreck your nail polish. Any slick, slight ly rounded surface will do. Take, for exam ple, a plast ic pen, st and it at a 30- 45 degree angle on a count ert op and lay t he knife edge st raight up and down on t he plast ic. Pull t he edge from heel t o t ip. I f it bit es in, you’ve set your edge correct ly. I f it slides off, you have som e m ore work t o do. The sharper t he blade, t he sm aller you can m ake t he angle before it slips. Anot her t est is t o t ake a Q- t ip and push t he fuzzy head over t he edge. Any nicks or burrs will pull t he cot t on fibers loose from t he head. The Q- t ip will also reveal any rough spot s in t he edge. A well- sharpened edge will feel sm oot h. This t est is m ore effect ive for polished edges. Razor Edge Syst em s m akes an Edge Test er for t his very purpose. I t is widely used in t he m eat cut t ing indust ry t o check edges t o see if t hey need sharpening ( or if t he m eat cut t er is j ust goofing off) . Anot her check is t he “ Sam urai Hair Test .” Lay t he knife nearly flat against t he hair on t he back of your head and pull gent ly down. Very gent ly. An aggressive, keen edge will readily grab t he hair. A dull edge will sim ply slide off. Don’t shave t he back of your head. Just pull gent ly down t o see if t he edge cat ches and t ugs. I don’t want any irat e calls from your barber or hairst ylist . The classic t est of sharpening is shaving t he hair of your arm s. This has several problem s, not t he least of which is t hat t he hair m ight not grow back or could com e in coarser and darker t han t he surrounding hair. And if you have a lot of knives t o t est you’ll end up looking like you have m ange. The real problem wit h shaving, t hough, is t hat shaving is push cut t ing. A highly polished edge will readily push cut , but , as we’ve discovered, you don’t always want a highly polished edge. A slight ly coarse edge t hat t ugs t he hair but doesn’t shave will act ually slice bet t er t han t he polished edge. Thus, shaving isn’t t he best t est for m any knives.

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There are ot her opinions on shaving as a t est . Cliff St am p said, “ Coarse edges can easily shave, Joe Talm adge was one of t he first guys t o com m ent on t his. A lot of people t hink t hey can't and t hus sharpen t hem pret t y sloppily. The m ore coarse an edge you form , t he sloppier you can get and st ill have decent cut t ing abilit y. However you can get bet t er cut t ing abilit y but keeping t he edge crisp and aligned. This edge will t hen have a m uch higher level of push cut t ing abilit y, overall durabilit y and edge ret ent ion, as well as a slight ly higher level of slicing aggression. I have seen edges form ed from a 100 grit AO belt t hat would st ill shave. This is m ore coarse t han a x- coarse DMT hone.” Slicing newsprint is a pret t y good t est . Bot h highly polished edges and t oot hier edges ( as long as t hey’re not overly coarse) will readily slice a piece of newspaper held light ly bet ween your fingers. The best t est , t hough, is act ually using t he knife for it s int ended purpose. I f you have a slicing knife, t ry a soft t om at o or plum . A keen, t oot hy edge can bit e int o t he t om at o wit h lit t le or no pressure, j ust a light draw across t he skin. I f you have polished your sant oku t o a m irror- like edge, t ry dicing a few carrot s or pot at oes. The reduced effort will be im m ediat ely not iceable. And great ly appreciat ed if you have 50 pounds of beet s t o get t hrough before service.

A thin, slightly coarse slicing knife will cut a soft tomato with a light pull and nearly no pressure on the blade.

Post e d by: e GCI Te a m on Au g 1 3 2 0 0 3 , 0 7 :0 6 AM

Se ct ion Six : M a in t e n a n ce Why Edges Wear The abilit y of a knife t o hold an edge is affect ed by several fact ors. Many are propert ies of t he st eel, ot hers are j ob- specific. Wear resist ance – t he abilit y t o resist abrasion – com es prim arily from t he am ount , t ype and dist ribut ion of carbides in t he st eel. St rengt h is resist ance t o low- im pulse deform at ion. I n ot her words, bending. St rengt h is direct ly relat ed t o t he hardness of t he st eel. Toughness is resist ance t o high- im pulse deform at ion – im pact s, chipping and cracking. As a general rule, st rengt h and t oughness are inversely relat ed. A hard, unbendable st eel can be brit t le. I t will not wit hst and chopping t hrough bone as well as a t ough, slight ly soft er st eel. A t ough st eel m ight roll it s edge if it encount ers significant lat eral st ress or is forced t hrough very hard m at erials – st resses t hat a st rong st eel would easily resist . The m ost ext rem e exam ples of bot h would be t he ext rem ely hard, yet shat t er- prone ceram ic knives from Kyocera com pared t o very t ough, soft st ainless Chinese cleavers.

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Edge holding is a funct ion of wear resist ance, st rengt h, t oughness and t he t asks t he knife is used for. Toughness is required t o resist chipping when you are cut t ing t hrough m at erials where you m ight encount er bone or ot her hard bit s and pieces. St rengt h is required t o resist rolling and im pact ion if, for exam ple, som eone in your kit chen ( despit e repeat ed warnings) uses a glass cut t ing board. Wear resist ance becom es im port ant for edge holding when you’re cut t ing t hrough abrasive m at erials. So t he way your knife holds an edge depends on t he st eel and what you use t he knife for. The m ost com m on culprit s t hat put wear resist ance, st rengt h and t oughness t o t he t est are: Wear . Duh. As a knife blade encount ers abrasive m at erials, t he edge wears away. Unless you cut only soft foods, your edge will always wear som ewhat , t hough t he m ost wear in t he kit chen will com e from sharpening your knives. Significant wear could t ake years. I ndent ing and rolling. As pressure is put on t he edge of t he blade ( and rem em ber, t he edge’s j ob is t o concent rat e t rem endous am ount s of pressure) , t he edge can indent , im pact or roll over t o one side or t he ot her. The harder t he st eel, t he less likely it will be t o indent or roll. This is act ually fairly com m on in t he kit chen, which is why you need t o st eel frequent ly ( m ore on t his below) . Chipping. The edge can chip or crack under im pact , especially when encount ering hard m at erials like bone. Micro- chipping can be an im port ant fact or in edge degradat ion, alt hough kit chen knives are fairly t ough. Corrosion. The wet , acidic environm ent of t he kit chen can give knives a real beat ing. Micro- rust ing and t he at t ack of acidic foods can lead t o edge loss at t he very apex of t he edge in short order. Technique. As chef Thom as Haslinger point s out , “ Having sharpened m y own knives and ot her chefs’ knives, I can say t hat an oft en overlooked fact or in cut t ing edge perform ance is how each individual holds and uses his knives. A person t hat ‘feels’ t he cut will always have a knife t hat out perform s an individual who j ust cut s and slam s t he edge int o t he cut t ing board” St eeling your Knife St eeling regularly is t he m ost crit ical m aint enance you can perform on your knife. Whenever you use your knife, especially soft kit chen knives, t he edge can t urn out a bit . Turn t he knife wit h t he edge point ing t o t he ceiling under st rong light . You shouldn’t be able t o see it . The edge it self should be invisible. I f, however, you see glint s of light , t hose are spot s where t he edge has rolled. The edge is st ill reasonably sharp, it ’s j ust not point ing st raight down anym ore. The st eel realigns t he edge of t he knife, forcing t he rolled spot s back int o line, m aking it useable again.

We will get int o t he various t ypes of st eels in j ust a m om ent , but be aware t hat t he grooved st eels t hat com e wit h knife set s do in fact rem ove m et al. A grooved st eel act s as a file when used wit h a heavy hand, knocking m icroscopic chips out of your edge. At t he very least , it is m uch coarser t han t he fine abrasive you used t o achieve your edge. St eeling heavily wit h a grooved st eel is t aking several st eps backward. A grooved st eel should be used wit h caut ion and a very light t ouch. The st andard im age we all have of st eeling a knife involves a chef wit h his knife in one hand and st eel in t he ot her, blade flashing and ringing. I f you’re part icularly adept at t his t ype of swordsm anship, have at it . I t im presses t he t ourist s.

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A m ore effect ive m et hod is t o st and t he st eel st raight up and down wit h t he handle up and t he t ip rest ing on a folded t owel t o keep it from slipping. Why? Geom et ry. Place t he knife edge against t he st eel wit h t he blade perpendicular t o t he st eel – 90 degrees, right ? Rot at e your wrist so t hat you reduce t he angle by half – 45 degrees. Reduce t hat by half – 22.5 degrees, and you are exact ly where you need t o be t o st eel your knife ( if you have a 20 degree edge) . You generally want t o st eel at a very slight ly st eeper angle t han t he edge bevel it self.

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 t he Paper Airplane Trick t o m ake a guide t o prop against your st eel so you know you are hit t ing t he proper angle. When you’re st eeling, lock your wrist and st roke t he knife from heel t o t ip by unhinging at t he shoulder – it ’s your pivot point – and slowly dropping your forearm . The key is t o m aint ain a consist ent angle all t he way t hrough t he st roke. By locking your wrist and elbow, you will keep your angle st able from t op t o bot t om . Go slowly and follow all t he way t hrough t he t ip. You don’t have t o press very hard t o realign t he edge. St eeling requires barely m ore pressure t han t he weight of t he knife it self. Alt ernat e from side t o side, keeping t he sam e alignm ent and angle on bot h sides. I t really only t akes four or five st rokes per side t o get your knife ready for m ore work. When should you st eel? Every t im e you use your knife. Oddly enough, st eeling before you use t he knife is m uch m ore effect ive t han st eeling aft erward. A st eeled edge can be very sharp, but it is not as durable as a freshly honed edge. I f you don’t use a st eeled edge right away it can act ually relax back int o it s blunt ed st at e. The sam e is t rue of a blunt ed edge. I f you really degrade t he edge of your knife in a heavy cut t ing session, let it sit overnight before sharpening. I t will be in m uch bet t er shape t han it was t he day before. You should also st eel before sharpening so any rolled or im pact ed edges are pushed back int o alignm ent . That way you don’t cut off t he rolled edge and lose m ore m et al t han you really need t o.

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You also can st eel aft er sharpening t o add a final bit of polish ( especially on a m edium t o m edium fine edge) and t oot h alignm ent . A st eel act ually “ sm ears” t he edge, t easing out a lit t le m ore t hinness. You’ll have a keener edge, but it will be weaker t han t he freshly sharpened edge. Types of St eels Knife st eels com e in a variet y of sizes, shapes and flavors. There are round st eels, oval st eels, grooved st eels, sm oot h st eels, diam ond st eels and ceram ic “ st eels.” I f you purchased a set of knives, it probably cam e wit h a round, grooved st eel. Be very careful wit h t his beast . Kit chen knives are reasonably t ough and resist chipping fairly well, but a grooved st eel can really put t hat t o t he t est . The grooves in t he st eel creat e t iny point s of cont act wit h t he edge. A sm aller cont act area m akes for great er pressure on t he edge. Used light ly, a grooved st eel can realign t he edge of your knife, t hough it does it fairly aggressively. Used wit h t oo heavy a hand, however, a grooved st eel will act as a file and t ake m icroscopic chips out of your edge. Your edge will feel sharp because it is now, in effect , serrat ed, but it won’t last very long. Coarse diam ond st eels fall int o t he sam e cat egory, t hough t hey’ll generally leave a finer edge t han grooved st eels. They should st ill be used wit h caut ion and a very light hand.

L to R: Grooved steel, smooth steel and 700 grit ceramic rod.

Sm oot h st eels are several st eps above eit her grooved or diam ond st eels. A sm oot h st eel will gent ly push t he m et al of t he edge back int o alignm ent . I t will t ake longer t han wit h a grooved or diam ond st eel, but you don’t run t he risk of dam aging your edge. A sm oot h st eel is very easy t o use and fairly forgiving of sloppy angles. A st ep above even sm oot h st eels are fine grit ceram ic and very fine diam ond st eels. According t o Cliff St am p, “ A sm oot h st eel j ust pushes t he edge back int o alignm ent , leaving t he weakened m et al t here, which will act ually relax back int o being deform ed in it s own t im e wit hout any use. The ceram ic will rem ove som e of t he weakened st eel while also aligning t he edge. The edge will be m ore st able and st ay sharp for m uch longer. There is m ore m et al rem oved wit h t he ceram ic and diam ond rods, but you are looking at bet ween 100 t o 1000 sharpenings t o rem ove one m illim et er of m et al from t he edge of t he knife depending on t he edge angle and t he grit of t he ceram ic or diam ond hone – t his is years of const ant use. I n general, t he lifet im e of m ost knives t ends t o be dom inat ed by t he occasional accident al dam age t hat forces heavy honing.”

Se ct ion Se ve n : Ove r vie w of Sh a r pe n in g Syst e m s

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Like everyt hing else in t he kit chen, sharpening is j ust a m at t er of underst anding a lit t le science and pract icing a lot . And som et im es it m eans buying m ore st uff, but t hat ’s half t he fun, isn’t it ? Benchst ones and Wat erst ones I f you’d like t o t ry freehand sharpening, get t he biggest st ones you can. A good rule of t hum b is t o use a st one t hat is at least as long as t he longest knife you int end t o sharpen. The m inim um size t o avoid m aj or frust rat ion is 6” x 2” . As we discussed in t he Grit sect ion, you’ll need at least one coarse t o m edium st one and one fine st one. I f you’d like t o t ry Japanese wat erst ones, Lee Valley Tools has a good select ion of inexpensive st ones. Som e even com e in kit s t o get you st art ed quickly. Freehand sharpening is a t echnique best learned face- t o- face. I f you have learned t o freehand, you have m ast ered one of t he m ost difficult , yet m ost rewarding, sharpening m et hods available. There is real sat isfact ion in at t aining t he skill t o sharpen a knife t o hair- flinging sharpness using not hing m ore t han a st one and your own knowledge. Guide Syst em s There are a variet y of guide syst em s available. These syst em s clam p on t o t he back of t he knife and keep your angle st eady t hroughout t he sharpening st roke. The guide is used wit h a benchst one or wat erst one and uses t he sam e m ot ion you’d use for freehand sharpening. The advant age t o t he guide syst em s is t hat you not only keep your angle st eady, but you also build t he proper st roke int o m uscle m em ory. Using a guide for a while will im prove your freehand sharpening. Because t he guide t akes up space, you lose a couple of useable inches of space on your st one. This is not really a problem if you have a sharpening st one 8” or longer. Anot her disadvant age t o guides is t hat you’re never sure exact ly what angle you are grinding int o your edge. Most of t he t im e, knowing t he exact angle isn’t a big deal, but if you are t rying t o achieve exact , repeat able bevels, you’ll have t o use t he Magic Marker Trick and perhaps t he calculat ions provided by Leonard Lee. The m ost popular guides com e from Razor Edge Syst em s. These are fairly easy t o use but require a lot of dext erit y t o clam p properly. Razor Edge also produces an inst ruct ional video on t he use of it s guides and sharpening st ones. According t o St eve Bot t orff, t he best guide available is t he now- discont inued Buck Honem ast er. I f you can find one at a garage sale or on eBay, go for it . Rod and Clam p Syst em s These are very popular syst em s and t here are several available. The best are m ade by Lansky, DMT and Gat co. The knife is held in a clam p. The st one is at t ached t o a rod. By put t ing t he rod t hrough one of t he pre- set holes in t he clam p, you can cont rol t he sharpening angle. Double beveling is very easy wit h t hese syst em s.

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Lansky sharpening set.

St eve Bot t orff has t ried j ust about every sharpening syst em available. Here’s his t ake on t he Lansky, Gat co and DMT syst em s. “ The Lansky has an alum inum guide t hat goes from 13 t o 25 degrees in 4 st eps; each angle is 3 t o 5 degrees lower t han indicat ed. The GATCO guide is alum inum and reinforced plast ic and goes from 17 t o 34 degrees in 6 st eps, each st ep is about 6 degrees great er t han indicat ed. I prefer t he GATCO t o t he Lansky because of t he GATCO's larger st ones and select ion of angles. The DMT Aligner guide is all plast ic, and goes from 12 t o 35 degrees in 7 st eps, which are not m arked. Wit h DMT hones, which I do not have, t he Aligner would be t he pick of t he lit t er for t his size of syst em .” The downside t o t he Lansky and Gat co syst em s is t he need t o reclam p t he knife every couple of inches so you don’t change t he bevel angle as you progress from heel t o t ip. I t is also fairly easy t o round t he t ips of your knives on t hese syst em s.

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The Lansky in action.

The king of t he rod and clam p syst em s is t he EdgePro Apex. Ben Dale, t he owner of EdgePro, has creat ed an excellent , easy t o use syst em t hat can handle any kind of knife you care t o t hrow at it . He is also a great person t o deal wit h and is m ore t han willing t o spend t im e on t he phone wit h you answering any quest ion you m ight have.

EdgePro Apex sharpening setup.

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The Apex is rugged and uses relat ively large 1 x 6 inch alum inum oxide wat erst ones. The angle guide is cont inuously adj ust able for any angle, wit h m arks at 10, 15, 18, 21 and 25 degrees. The blade t able can harbor runoff grit and m et al shavings, scrat ching t he blade unless you t ape it wit h paint ers t ape. I don’t bot her. My knives are t ools. I don’t m ind if t hey’re a lit t le ugly. The only downside t o t he EdgePro Apex is it s cost . This is a fully professional sharpening syst em , but at $125 before st one upgrades it is a lit t le out side t he realm of what t he average hom e sharpener is willing t o spend. I have one, and you’ll have t o pry it out of m y cold dead hands t o t ake it away.

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 t hat dem onst rat es t he proper use of t he syst em . The qualit y is lit t le bet t er t han a hom e m ovie, but t he inform at ion really helps. V- Syst em s and Crock St icks V- t ype sharpeners have t wo ceram ic st icks set int o a plast ic base at a preset angle. The knife is held perpendicular t o t he ground and st roked down t he side of t he sharpening st one. Because you are holding t he knife in a nat ural posit ion, t hese syst em s are fairly easy t o use. Rat her t han review all of t he crock st ick set ups out t here, let m e save you som e t im e. Spend t he $40 and get t he Spyderco Sharpm aker 204. I f you get one on eBay, m ake sure you’re get t ing t he 204 rat her t han t he older 203. The 203 doesn’t have t he 15 degree back bevel slot s.

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Spyderco Sharpmaker 204. And my cat, Chester.

These can be found in m any sport ing goods st ores, knife st ores and on t he I nt ernet at Knifecent er.com , Knifeout let .com and m any ot hers. I ’d buy it from Michael Dye at ht t p: / / www.newgraham .com / sharpene.ht m . He’s a great guy and has excellent prices and cust om er service. The Spyderco is a nift y syst em because t he angles are preset for perform ance edges. You don’t have t o guess, j ust hold t he knife st raight up and down and st roke it down t he st ones. There are t wo angles, 30 and 40, corresponding t o 15 degrees per side and 20 degrees per side. I t ’s pret t y m uch foolproof. This is about t he easiest syst em t o use. And, unlike j ust about anyt hing else out t here, you can sharpen serrat ed knives. I t com es wit h an excellent m anual and a video t o help get you st art ed.

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Sharpmaker in action. Just stroke straight up and down.

The downside t o t he Sharpm aker is t hat if you swipe t he knife off t he st ones while using t he corners you can round t he t ip. This is easily rem edied by t aking your t im e and sharpening in t wo st ages, one for 90 percent of t he edge and a second st age concent rat ing on t he t ip only. Even t hough I have t he EdgePro I st ill use m y Sharpm aker regularly. I t is fast er t o set up for quick t ouchups. Pull- Through Syst em s There are a num ber of gadget s wit h hones ( usually t ungst en carbide bit s or wheels) t hat m eet t o form a V. You draw t he knife t hrough t he slot and Prest o! inst ant edge. Ha. Most of t hese t hings are garbage, not even fit t o sharpen your lawnm ower blades. Repeat ed use of one of t hese “ sharpeners” will chip t he edge of your kit chen knives. No relief is ground int o t he blade, so it will gradually becom e harder and harder t o sharpen. To show t hat t here are except ions t o every rule, t he Henckels Twinsharp wit h it s ceram ic wheels doesn’t do t oo m uch dam age and can be used for quick t ouchups t hough j udging which set of wheels wit hin t he slot you are using can be a lit t le t ricky. The Chef’s Choice Model 450 uses diam ond st ones at t he sam e angles ( 22.5 and 25 degrees) as t he final t wo st ages of t heir elect ric sharpeners. I f you own a Chef’s Choice 110 elect ric sharpener, t his pull- t hrough gadget is handy for t ouchups bet ween sharpenings. According t o St eve Bot t orff, t here is even one gem am ong all of t he gadget dross. “ There is one class act in every cat egory, and t he Meyerco Sharpen- I t is it for slot gadget s. Designed by Blackie Collins t o be so sim ple t hat it could be used on horseback, t he Sharpen- I t feat ures t ungst en carbide wheels for t he first st age and fine ceram ic wheels for t he second. The ceram ic is so hard and fine- grained t hat it is m ore like using a st eel. Wit h t his com binat ion, t he Sharpen- I t perform s well at bot h sharpening and honing. Unlike ot her slot devices, t he Sharpen- I t adds a t hird wheel t o each set , giving t wo slot s, and shapes t hem so t hat t hey sharpen one side of t he blade at a t im e. This set up allows you t o vary t he bevel angle som ewhat . Drawing t he knife t hrough at an angle decreases t he bevel angle and gives a m ore razor- like edge. Since it is assem bled wit h t am per- proof screws, I could not m easure t he bevel angles, but t his inform at ion is less im port ant because you won't have t o use it wit h anot her

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sharpener t o get com plet e result s. Also unlike ot hers, t he Sharpen- I t can be used equally well left - handed. I t is so com pact when closed t hat it can be carried in t he wat ch pocket of your j eans. The unit well built and st urdy, and feat ures a t apered hone for serrat ed blades. A less expensive m odel is available wit hout t he t apered hone.” Elect ric Sharpeners Please prom ise m e t hat you will never use t he knife sharpener on t he back of your elect ric can opener. Please? Elect ric sharpeners grind very aggressively and can rem ove a lot of m et al in a hurry. You can t urn your chef’s knife int o a filet knife wit h j ust a lit t le inat t ent ion. Using a bad elect ric knife sharpener is j ust about t he worst t hing you can do t o your knives. Poor elect ric sharpeners have given t he ent ire genre a bad nam e. The bet t er m achines are m ult i- st age and use a slower grinding m et hod. Just as wit h t he pull- t hrough sharpeners, t here is a gem am ong t he elect rics. Bot h St eve Bot t orff and Cooks I llust rat ed rat ed t he Chef’s Choice m odel 110 as t he best elect ric sharpener available. I t put s a very nice edge on knives, set s a back bevel for perform ance and doesn’t rem ove m et al at an alarm ing rat e. I t does have a t endency t o scrat ch t he blade, however. The $85 Chef’s Choice Model 110 uses 3 set s of diam ond hones. Each sharpens at a different angle. The first st age is very aggressive and put s an approxim at ely 15 degree back bevel on t he knife. I t is only used once t o pre- shape t he bevel. From t hen on you use t he second and t hird st ages ( sharpening and honing) only. The final honing is at a very st urdy 25 degrees, which will give very long edge life. I f you m ust have an elect ric sharpener, t his is t he one t o get . Heck, for $85 I m ight pick one up m yself. The Chef’s Choice 110 has a big brot her, t he EdgeSelect 120 m odel, an upgraded version of t he 110. The EdgeSelect 120 feat ures a polym er st rop as it s final st age, producing a razor sharp edge.

Professional Knife Sharpening I f you’ve read t his far, you are a sharpening professional I f you want t o send your knives out t o be sharpened, t hat ’s fine, but rem em ber, finding a good sharpener is like finding som eone t o cut your hair. I t ’s som ewhat hit or m iss. Just because t hey have a sign on t he door and a grinder in t he back doesn’t m ean t hat you’ll get exact ly what you were expect ing. Now t hat you have a lit t le m ore knowledge at your disposal, you can at least m ake an inform ed j udgm ent about what you want from your professional sharpener. Can he sharpen t o specific angles? Does he charge ext ra for a back bevel? I s he willing t o grind a 15/ 20 double bevel t hat you can t ouch up yourself? What grit does he finish t he edge wit h? You are now an educat ed consum er. Fat Guy has a place he recom m ends. I don’t have any experience wit h t hem , but I ’ll t ake his word for it .

Se ct ion Eigh t : Con clu sion s a n d Re sou r ce s There you have it . The veil has been part ed and you’ve seen t hat t he m an behind t he curt ain really doesn’t have anyt hing special going for him . This is st uff t hat anyone can do wit h a lit t le knowledge and a lit t le pract ice. Sharpening your own knives can be ext rem ely rewarding. You can est ablish a Zen- like com m union wit h your knives. Just rem em ber t he basics – burr, angle, abrasive, consist ency and st rat egy. Do not ever let anyone t ell you t hat sharpening is t oo hard or t oo com plicat ed t o do yourself. Most recipes could be seen exact ly t he sam e way. They’re com plicat ed. They require knowledge and t echnique. They’re a lit t le scary. So what ? You’d be insult ed if som eone t old you t hat a part icular dish was beyond your abilit ies. At t he very least you’d be right eously indignant . You should feel t he sam e way t he next t im e som eone suggest s t hat you send your knives t o a “ professional.” And j ust like cooking, you becom e bet t er and bet t er by doing. Your first at t em pt m ight not be

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perfect . But it will be your achievem ent . No one else’s. And it j ust get s bet t er aft er t hat . Resources and Links Obviously, even as verbose as t his t ut orial is, I ’ve m issed a few t hings. Hopefully we can cover any glaring absences in t he Q&A session. But if you read t his t ut orial, print it out and have it on hand t he next t im e you decide t o sharpen your knives, I have no doubt t hat you can creat e an excellent edge, bet t er t han anyt hing you’ve been able t o achieve before. Because of m e? No. Because of all of t he people I ’ve st olen from : P. Som e of t hose people who answered quest ions, provided assist ance and generally kept m e from m aking a fool of m yself: Joe Talm adge, aut hor of t he ht t p: / / www.bladeforum s.com / feat ures/ faqs.sht m l. Much of what I know or have learned about sharpening is influenced by or j ust plain st olen from Joe’s work. So if t here are any t ruly egregious errors, it ’s his fault . Joe was very generous wit h his t im e answering som e of t he quest ions I had in writ ing t his t ut orial. Ben Dale, owner of ht t p: / / www.business.gorge.net / edgepro/ . ht t p: / / www.physics.m un.ca/ ~ sst am p/ knives/ reviews.ht m l, graduat e st udent in physics in t he field of collision induced absorpt ion at t he Mem orial Universit y of Newfoundland. He is a dedicat ed knife nut and knife t est er. Som e of his findings are cont roversial in t he knife world, but Cliff knows his st uff. ht t p: / / www.haslinger- knives.com / , Canadian chef and knife m aker. He m akes gorgeous chef’s knives. Sal Glesser, president of ht t p: / / www.spyderco.com . Murray Cart er, ABS Mast ersm it h. Upon com plet ing his apprent iceship under t he t ut elage of a 16t h generat ion Yoshim ot o bladesm it h, Murray was asked t o t ake t he posit ion of num ber sevent een in t he Sakem ot o fam ily t radit ion of Yoshim ot o Bladesm it hing. He is t he only Caucasian t o ever have had t he honor and privilege of t his posit ion. He m akes som e of t he best Japanese kit chen knives available. The m em bers of ht t p: / / www.bladeforum s.com . Sevent een t housand of t he m ost knowledgeable and cont ent ious knife nut s on t he planet . I f it ’s point y, t hey’ll argue about it . Just about any quest ion you m ight ever have about knives or sharpening can be answered by searching Bladeforum s. Addit ional Reading The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, John Juranit ch. A lit t le out dat ed and som ewhat of a com m ercial for Razor Edge product s, t his is nonet heless a good prim er on sharpening. Sharpening Made Easy, St eve Bot t orff. This slim book is a good st art ing point if you’re j ust get t ing int o sharpening. Give it as a gift ( along wit h t his t ut orial) t o t he sharpening- challenged. The Com plet e Guide t o Sharpening, Leonard Lee. Deals m ainly wit h sharpening woodworking t ools, but has a great discussion on t he principles and m echanics of sharpening. Also has very good inform at ion on using power grinders and sanders t o sharpen, if you’re t he handy t ype. Sharpening wit h Wat erst ones, I an Kirby. Most ly for woodworkers, but m ore inform at ion on wat erst ones t han m any ot her sources. The Professional Chef’s Knife Kit , Culinary I nst it ut e of Am erica. Weak on sharpening, but a great resource for kit chen knife inform at ion and basic knife cut s. Where t o Buy I t Here’s where you can pick up all t he cool st uff m ent ioned in t he t ut orial. ht t p: / / www.leevalley.com . Abrasives, wat erst ones, st rops, honing com pounds and som e of t he coolest woodworking and gardening t ools in t he known universe. ht t p: / / business.gorge.net / edgepro/ . EdgePro Apex and Professional sharpening syst em s, replacem ent st ones and fine grit ceram ic rods.

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ht t p: / / www.newgraham .com . Spyderco Sharpm aker 204. ht t p: / / www.razoredgesyst em s.com . Guides, st ones, Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, sharpening video, Edge Test er and Mouset rap St eel ( an am azing t ool for rest aurant - volum e knife m aint enance) . ht t p: / / www.j apanese- knife.com . High end Japanese knives. I f you want t o spend a couple of grand on a gyot ou or yanagi- ba, t his is your place. Also has wat erst ones. ht t p: / / www.handam erican.com . Sm oot h st eels, st rops, honing com pounds, et c. ht t p: / / www.knifecent er.com . Discount ed kit chen cut lery, Lansky and Gat co sharpening syst em s, DMT diam ond st ones. ht t p: / / www.1sks.com . Kit chen knives and sharpening equipm ent . Helps support Bladeforum s. ht t p: / / www.kellam knives.com and ht t p: / / Ht t p: / / www.bladeart .com . Two of t he very few places you can get Murray Cart er’s knives in t he West ern hem isphere.

I n st r u ct or : Ch a d W a r d Chad Ward is a freelance writ er and m arket ing st rat egist based in Wichit a, KS. His art icles have been feat ured in m agazines ranging from Flat picking Guit ar t o Manufact uring Engineering. He is also a knife collect or and dedicat ed hom e cook. Copyright 2003 Chad Ward. All right s reserved. Post your quest ions here - - > > ht t p: / / forum s.egullet .org/ index.php?act = ST&f= 108&t = 26025&

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