"Learn to sharpen on simple carbon steel"

[Migraine]

Wow ain't that the truth.

My gateway J Knife was a Tojiro DP gytuo and so that's what I learned to sharpen on. Since then I've added some much nicer, carbon steel knives to my collection. Those are what I've been sharpening for the past few months as the Tojiro became a wife knife.

Just sharpened the Tojiro this morning as the edge was dull as dishwater - blimey what a ballache it is. It's SO much more difficult than my other knives; something I couldn't feel when I started as I had zero experience.

So yeah, any budding sharpeners, take that^ advice. These guys are right.

 

[Cyrilix]

Having sharpened stainless and non stainless, I agree with your sentiment only if you're talking about sharpening for pleasure. For practice, I would prefer something that takes me more time and more strokes, because I'm trying to practice, not see immediate results. That means training my angle holding, working on my posture, speed, angle of approach, hitting all areas of the stone, etc.

I most certainly do not want something where I'm done in a few minutes.

 

[Migraine]

Which I think is the way to go once you have a bit of experience and want to improve. But starting on that kind of steel feels like running before you can walk.

 

[HRC_64]

Which I think is the way to go once you have a bit of experience and want to improve. But starting on that kind of steel feels like running before you can walk.

+1...nobody should be aiming to end their sharpening career focused on vg-10

 

[daveb]

I'm firmly in the learn on what you're using camp. Learning to sharpen a Wally World knife will make you good at sharpening Wally World knives - but little else.

If you gotta go with a "practice" knife, simple carbon is typically cheap, sharpens readily and provides quick feedback on mistakes, In the states the best deal (IMO is a Forgecraft or other vintage carbon from the bay. When you're done with the practice you'll have something you can use.

 

[Nemo]

For practice, I would prefer something that takes me more time and more strokes, because I'm trying to practice, not see immediate results. That means training my angle holding, working on my posture, speed, angle of approach, hitting all areas of the stone, etc.

I most certainly do not want something where I'm done in a few minutes.

You can achieve a similar result by sharpening with a fine stone.

The downside to this is that you introduce more opportunities to stuff the edge up (for example, by not maintaining your sharpening angle).

Very discouraging for a beginner.

Given that confidence is a major roadblock for many beginning sharpeners, this can be a significant problem.

Conversely, the ease of generating a nice edge can be very encouraging for a beginner.

 

[Foltest]

You can achieve a similar result by sharpening with a fine stone.

The downside to this is that you introduce more opportunities to stuff the edge up (for example, by not maintaining your sharpening angle).

Very discouraging for a beginner.

Given that confidence is a major roadblock for many beginning sharpeners, this can be a significant problem.

Conversely, the ease of generating a nice edge can be very encouraging for a beginner.

This. Also, simple carbons tend to have nicer feedback, so the person is more likely to keep sharpening.

 

[ian]

Ok, just to say it: it’s also good to just start sharpening with what you have. These kinds of threads might make newcomers with mostly stainless knives less likely to start.

 

[Michi]

I wouldn't overthink it. As a beginner, the reason I want to sharpen a knife is not that I want to learn sharpening, but that I have a blunt knife. Whatever steel that knife is made of is the one that needs sharpening…

So, I sharpen away until the knife is sharp. Next time I have a blunt knife, if it happens to be made out of a different steel, I get learn about how it sharpens differently.

 

[HRC_64]

People having this debate often buy a first "nice knife" and are scared to touch it,
So what we are are forgetting is it is not just about edges but about scratches.

 

[Michi]

People having this debate often buy a first "nice knife" and are scared to touch it,
So what we are are forgetting is it is not just about edges but about scratches.

Sure, I understand.

On the other hand, making mistakes is part of the price of acquiring a new skill. People will inevitably break a few eggs along the way.