About stones

All right, mighty men of the kitchen knife forums.

I have decided to learn sharpening and I'm thinking the Sun Tiger or King stones would be a good starting point (and they're available in this backwater country, which is a huge plus). Would a simple 1000/6000 combination stone be all right?

Another question is, do I need to get a flattening stone/plate or can I use some other flat surface (wet sandpaper glued to glass)? Or should I get two separate stones instead of a combination one and rub them together to flatten them? I feel like the last option would wear the stones out quicker, but it's just a hunch, so go ahead and tell me.

i would go with a 1k/6k king combination if this is you first set of stones. you can get some wet/dry sandpaper and a granite kitchen floor tile if you do not wish to spend much on a flattening stone.

never rub stones together to flatten them unless it is a DMT XXC or Atoma which are the flattening stones

ive put some wicked edges on knives using a 1k king stone and cardboard. once you feel comfortable using the stones, you can get into some more expensive stones and learn more about what the different stones do and how they react to you knives

A 1000/6000 combination will be fine. Murray Carter uses a King 1000 and 6000, and nobody complains about his OOTB edges. It's technique, not stones, that make the difference.

No need to glue wet/dry to a granite tile - the wet paper will adhere nicely. I recommend 120 grit wet/dry. Be sure to chamfer the edges of the stone so the knife will have less chance of cutting into the edge if you accidentally rock the blade as you sharpen.

Expect that it will take several sharpening sessions before you start to get the hang of freehand sharpening.

Good luck!

Rick

If you're really strapped for cash you can sharpen on the very wet dry paper/ tile that you would be flattening stones on. I've sharpened a few knives this way and while it's not as fast as a wet stone you can still put a pretty wicked edge on a blade this way.

Thanks for the replies. The combination stone doesn't cost that much but it's good to know sandpaper works on it's own as well. Even though the few knives that I have aren't that valuable, I still might buy one just to practice sharpening because I'll suck at it for a while before it starts to get better. But I like doing stuff with my hands so I don't mind sinking time into it. There are worse ways to spend a summer vacation than learning a new skill.

birdeye said:

...I'll suck at it for a while before it starts to get better. But I like doing stuff with my hands so I don't mind sinking time into it. There are worse ways to spend a summer vacation than learning a new skill.

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I think I love you. :crytissue:

I hope the cleaver wasn't THAT dull... oke1:

tk59 said:

I think I love you. :crytissue:

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that's nasty.lol

birdeye said:

Thanks for the replies. The combination stone doesn't cost that much but it's good to know sandpaper works on it's own as well. Even though the few knives that I have aren't that valuable, I still might buy one just to practice sharpening because I'll suck at it for a while before it starts to get better. But I like doing stuff with my hands so I don't mind sinking time into it. There are worse ways to spend a summer vacation than learning a new skill.

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I wish I had one of you in my kitchen...

wow, im glad at least one person here thinks with the same gutter-mind that i do

thanks TK

Citizen Snips said:

wow, im glad at least one person here thinks with the same gutter-mind that i do

thanks TK

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There's a lot of kitchen guys here- I think it's safe to say you're far from alone in that respect

brainsausage said:

I hope the cleaver wasn't THAT dull... oke1:

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Lol don't feel guilty, I was going to do this anyway. As for the cleaver I'll have to keep it away from tomatoes for now, but it got the job done with harder vegetables. ...Ok, it probably could use some sharpening. But if I touch it now, it'll just get worse so it may have to spend some time just resting on the counter looking impressive. It might take some time before I feel confident enough to sharpen it. I don't want to ruin it even though it might not have much monetary value - besides being a cleaver, it is also a gift, and thus I respect it too much to sacrifice it for this.