Ceriano
Well-Known Member
How much should I expect to spend to get into sharpening? Is an $80 cerax combo 1K/6K good enough for a beginner?
$40 for a shapton 1k. No soak needed, fast cutting, slow wearing and gives plenty of bite to your knives.
Don't start using a fine stone (6k although probably 4k is better for general kitchen use) until you reliably get a sharp edge off a medium stone (circa 1k).
If you will be sharpening Western stainless, use a coarse stone and use a Medium stone only to deburr.
If funds are truly tight, a double sided stone could be a good starting point. But you will likely want to move to individual stones eventually, so it may be a false economy.
What’s a good knife to practice sharpening on? morakniv?
You wore the footpath down? Impressive dedication!When I first wanted to try sharpening, my cheapest path was a ~$15 combo stone on Amazon. I practiced with my older/cheaper knives on it and flattened it on a sidewalk. After I wore that down and my interest in sharpening didn't wane, then my first "real" stone was a Chosera 800.
Yep, the orange one.Is this the correct one? Ha No Kuromaku ceramic medium grit?
https://www.amazon.com/Kuromaku-Ceramic-Whetstone-Medium-Grit/dp/B001TPH8YG?th=1
Maybe unpopular opinion these days...
Get a King 1k (and flattening stone) and use it till it melts away and needs to be replaced. At this point, move onto other suggestions.
King is clay like and smooth (wobble wont turn to deep scratches), forms a slurry like no other, is super forgiving, and gives a great edge with little effort, and isn't so aggressive that your knives will shrink away.
What’s a good knife to practice sharpening on? morakniv?
How much should I expect to spend to get into sharpening? Is an $80 cerax combo 1K/6K good enough for a beginner?
Ceriano, before you start thinking about sharpening (removal of metal), I recommend that you also consider an effective and simple maintenance regimen. A quick inspection of your blade every time you use it, will tell you precisely what condition the knife is in, and a simple honing can have you putting off sharpening for quite some time, especially if you combine that procedure with proper cleaning and storage of your knife. I NEVER put a dulled knife back in the drawer (knife rack, etc), and I NEVER use a knife without first checking to see that it is indeed "sharp".
Let me give you an example;
My most often used knife is a Victorinox 6" utility knife. which many will tell you that it's a "soft" steel, and won't keep an edge. Well, mine is now 20 months old, has never been sharpened,, and is still razor-sharp. That knife "lives" in its' cheap plastic sleeve that came with the knife, and I keep the knife handy in my utensil drawer,,,,, nothing "special" in terms of storage,,, but it is effective.
When I go to use the knife, I remove it from its' sleeve and immediately check the blade edge for "bite" by simply flicking my thumb across the edge in both directions, and do this along the entire length of the edge ; the "bite" should be equal in both directions, right-to-left and left-to-right,,and if it's not, it requires a quick touch-up with a butcher-steel and/or ceramic honing rod. By doing so, you'll prevent the edge from rolling over, which often leads to the need for re-sharpening. This inspection/honing process often takes less than a minute.
When I'm done using the knife, I pass it under the hot-water faucet, and give it a quick wash with a soapy sponge, then dry it thouroughly, checking to see if there are still water-droplets where the blade meets the handle. After drying with a dish-towel, I might allow the handle to air-dry for a few minutes, to remove any humidity in the wooden handle. I re-check the edge again, do a quick re-honing if necessary, and only then do I place it back into its' protective sleeve, and back in the drawer.
For me,,, honing is really a 2-step process. I generally use a good-quality butcher steel to first "feather" the edge, where you're pulling the edge away from the spine,,,not pulling the steel toward the tip. Place the hell of the steel against the heel of the knife at an angle, then draw that steel away using firm but careful pressure,,,, just enough to reset the "teeth" or "bite" of the edge, and do the entire edge on both sides ot the blade, with progressively lighter strokes. Check your progress again with your thumb,,,,equal "bite" on both sides.
Once you've re-constituted that edge with the butcher steel, you "may" need to do a second honing with a fine ceramic honing rod, and that rod WILL actually sharpen the edge. You want to proceed firmly yet gently, at a now steeper angle than you did with the butcher steel. The goal here is to simply work the apex of the edge, not the bevel. Again,,, do NOT apply too much pressure against the bevel of the edge or you'll roll the feathered edge and you'll have to start over.
FWIW, F. Dick has some excellent butcher-steels and honing rods. I use an old Zwilling butcher-steel and it does a great job. I also use a 10" Idahone fine ceramic rod.
Good luck.
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/stropping-on-medium-grit-stones.43483/post-641973I love my honing rod. I use it almost exclusively for my victorinox boning knives when I’m field processing deer. It’s great for getting gunk and blood off the blade.
I have had mixed experience with sharpening stones in the past. I can get a sharp enough edge to cut a piece of paper but not hair popping sharp. Here is an example of kershaw I did awhile ago on diamond stone. You can see how rough the burr is. When I try to get the burr off with finer stone the knife ends up very dull.
I ordered the sharpton 1k. I’ll give it another try see how it goes.
I love my honing rod. I use it almost exclusively for my victorinox boning knives when I’m field processing deer. It’s great for getting gunk and blood off the blade.
I have had mixed experience with sharpening stones in the past. I can get a sharp enough edge to cut a piece of paper but not hair popping sharp. Here is an example of kershaw I did awhile ago on diamond stone. You can see how rough the burr is. When I try to get the burr off with finer stone the knife ends up very dull.
I ordered the sharpton 1k. I’ll give it another try see how it goes.
In my experience, depends on what you're cutting and the knife. I find a 4k edge good all around. If I'm feeling fancy or whatever 6kthe 4k 5k 6k stones dont provide a good edge for kitchen knives. They're almost too smooth and have no bite.
i dont let my knives get too dull and sharpen on the shapton 1k, then shapton 2k. i strop with a leather strop. and i maintain by going straight to the shapton 2k. perfect edge for all kitchen knife duties.
i have a Shapton 5k and when i finish on it..the edge is sharp, and very smooth. but i doesn't bite, it doesn't feel as sharp on food as when i finish on the 2k. I think its the toothy edge that helps on food.In my experience, depends on what you're cutting and the knife. I find a 4k edge good all around. If I'm feeling fancy or whatever 6k
Anywhere from 500ish-4kish works though.
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