New to Sharpening

[DanTheSharpMan]

Hey KKF, I’m an extreme pocket knife collector and an avid chef knife collector now. I’ve never sharpened knives myself except for on a belt. Again, never on whetstone. Just bought a strop, sinkbridge, and 2 stones. I got 2 shapton glass stones, one 1000, and 1 4000. I got them recommended by a friend. All of my knives are stainless from 1 mono to a couple sg2/r2 and one aebl. Was this a good buy? Is there anything else I should look for purchasing?

Cheers & God Bless,

Ethan Dan

 

[Infrared]

You're set for the most part. Just need something to keep the stones flat, like a diamond plate.

 

[M1k3]

Those are some good stones. I really like the Glass 4k as a finisher for kitchen knives. In the future you might want to think about adding in the 500, such a great versatile stone for small repairs and super dull knives. And maybe the 220 for repairs.

 

[mockit]

Should be off to the races with that setup. Second the 500 if you feel like you need it. Could put the icing on the cake with some diamond compound for your strop but not necessary. I am still getting the hang of stropping myself!

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

You're set for the most part. Just need something to keep the stones flat, like a diamond plate.

Could you recommend a good, cost conscientious one?

 

[mockit]

https://www.amazon.com/Atoma-Diamon...ocphy=9003197&hvtargid=pla-370325869117&psc=1
Atoma 140 is pretty much the standard recommendation. Make sure to get one that has both an aluminum body + plate as you can get replacement plates for them.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

So

https://www.amazon.com/Atoma-Diamon...ocphy=9003197&hvtargid=pla-370325869117&psc=1
Atoma 140 is pretty much the standard recommendation. Make sure to get one that has both an aluminum body + plate as you can get replacement plates for them.

So does that sharpener in the link have the aluminum and plate?

 

[daveb]

Sell the strop, buy the SG500!

Others will disagree (they're wrong ya know) but you can put off the flattener for awhile - the stones you have are very slow to dish.

 

[Heckel7302]

Could you recommend a good, cost conscientious one?

Atoma 140 is the gold standard. Chef Knives To Go has a house branded one that's supposed to be very similar for about half the price, if you want to save some cash.

Agree with Dave, not critical to have right now since SG stones aren't prone to excessive dishing, but you'll need it eventually.

Totally agree with SG500 added to the lineup. Fantastic stone, makes things much faster if knives are on the duller side.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

Sell the strop, buy the SG500!

Others will disagree (they're wrong ya know) but you can put off the flattener for awhile - the stones you have are very slow to dish.

Ok, i love your enthusiasm. But why would I sell the strop? Shouldn’t you finish all your knives on a strip for a razor, laser edge? And also I thought any stones under 600 are used for repairs and making a new edge, no? I’d love the feedback and knowledge, thanks!

 

[mockit]

I *think* the prevailing wisdom is that you can strop with a lot of very cheap materials over a hard surface. You are not sharpening so much as you are aligning the edge / removing the burr. Newspaper or denim over a countertop or 2x4 supposedly does the trick. What I can tell you for sure is that if you are not sharp pre-strop then the strop will not save you. I'm unsure if this sentiment applies to abrasive diamond compounds, as they have far more bite.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

I *think* the prevailing wisdom is that you can strop with a lot of very cheap materials over a hard surface. You are not sharpening so much as you are aligning the edge. Newspaper or denim over a countertop or 2x4 supposedly does the trick. What I can tell you for sure is that if you are not sharp pre-strop then the strop will not save you. I'm unsure if this sentiment applies to abrasive diamond compounds, as they have far more bite.

I kind of understand a little bit more, but still foggy in some places. Almost all the YouTube videos I’ve watched in the past months all finished they’re knives after sharpening(polishing with 4000) with a leather strop, like 4 passes

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Stropping is somewhat controversial. Or at least, widely debated with some strong opinions. First, let me say if you're watching YT vids, I recommend skipping anything by Burrfection. Just say no.

That said, yes, you can strop on all sorts of things and be effective.

The best piece of advice I can give regarding sharpening is to understand the why so the how comes naturally. Don't try to do this by rote. You can achieve good results in many different ways and that's why there are so many different opinions, tools and approaches.

A dedicated strop can absolutely be effective. I do not live in the "no strop" camp but these days I do minimize their use. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stropping if you get good results. Do not over strop or it can be counter productive but if you like your edges, then all good. But they are not necessary, especially for kitchen edges.

Stropping is done to remove the last tiny remnants of burrs and to refine the edge that last little bit. Many sharpeners will say to strive to get your technique to where you can do that same thing on stones. It takes practice and patience to do that. But even so, that doesn't make it absolute. Many professional sharpeners strop.

Get a method that works for you and your different knives and steels and then start to experiment.

Also, I absolutely echo the SG500 recommendation. It's more often than not my starting point for sharpening vs. quick maintenance.

I also flatten my stones with each use.

 

[Nemo]

Ok, i love your enthusiasm. But why would I sell the strop? Shouldn’t you finish all your knives on a strip for a razor, laser edge? And also I thought any stones under 600 are used for repairs and making a new edge, no? I’d love the feedback and knowledge, thanks!

It's great that you love @daveb 's enthusiasm

The basic issue is that your knife should be sharp off your coarsest stone. Refining the edge won't make a poor edge sharper. And using a fine stone badly could easily round a decent edge.

Some steels (coarser grained softish stainless such as often found in "quality" Western chef knives) are best sharpened on circa 500 grit stone. This is because finer abrasive particles than this will get in between the carbides and abrade the softer steel matrix preferentially, leaving the carbides standing proud (and not very sharp).

A razor edge is great for shaving. A circa 4-5k edge is great for cutting food. Maybe up to 12k for a DEDICATED fish slicer with a simple carbon blade.

I would contend that "laser" refers to a knife that is very thin and does not describe a feature of the edge.

 

[M1k3]

Ok, i love your enthusiasm. But why would I sell the strop? Shouldn’t you finish all your knives on a strip for a razor, laser edge? And also I thought any stones under 600 are used for repairs and making a new edge, no? I’d love the feedback and knowledge, thanks!

I use the Glass 500 as a finisher for cheap soft stainless and butchery knives. Also I use it in place of a 1k stone. Glass 500 and 4k make up my travel kit.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

Thanks for all the info and knowledge yall. I’ll order a 500 and start practicing. But I think I’m gonna take a quick class first too. Just so I don’t mess anything up. I’m a real life visual and auditory learner lol can really trust vids.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

If you don't already have something, picking up a decent, but not expensive shirogami knife can be a great way to start sharpening. Very sharpening friendly steel and combined with the typically thin grind of Japanese cutlery knives, gives excellent feedback.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

If you don't already have something, picking up a decent, but not expensive shirogami knife can be a great way to start sharpening. Very sharpening friendly steel and combined with the typically thin grind of Japanese cutlery knives, gives excellent feedback.

I do not, I do have a miyabi though

 

[mockit]

Shirogami = Japanese or Hitachi white steel. Aogami = Japanese or Hitachi blue steel. What type of Miyabi is it ?

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

Shirogami = Japanese or Hitachi white steel. Aogami = Japanese or Hitachi blue steel. What type of Miyabi is it ?

I think is fc3400 or smtg like that, it’s a stainless, I do not own any carbon knives

 

[M1k3]

I think is fc3400 or smtg like that, it’s a stainless, I do not own any carbon knives

AEB-L I believe. A very nice stainless steel. I'd say closest you can get to a simple carbon steel in stainless.

 

[DanTheSharpMan]

AEB-L I believe. A very nice stainless steel. I'd say closest you can get to a simple carbon steel in stainless.

Sorry 4000fc, but yeah I think it’s similar to Aeb -l

 

[M1k3]

Sorry 4000fc, but yeah I think it’s similar to Aeb -l

It's their FC61... In other words, AEB-L (Fine Carbide) at 61 HRC.

 

[Benuser]

Stropping requires a specific technique if you want to avoid rounding of the edge. It is often used to compensate for poor stone sharpening. A complete deburring should be achieved with stones. Wait before exploring stropping.

 

[lesslemming]

The Shapton Glass are exceptionally well behaved and are a good purchase.

I would think about a stone holder and a flattening solution in the future. You might get away with a cheap Naniwa Nagura (the big brown ones) but I would recommend an Aroma (140 if you like it rough, 400 is imho the better compromise)

A strop can be created out of many materials such as balsa wood or even cloth on a 2x4.
As for polishing compound, no need to go exotic. Purchase cheap Diamond paste/spray or something for car polishing and see if you like stropping your knives or not. Stropping is optional but can really help improve your results

 

[daveb]

The SG500 Extra Thick (From MTC among others) comes with a plastic box that will serve as a base for any of the Shapton (or Nano hone) stones. FWIW.

 

[lesslemming]

The SG500 Extra Thick (From MTC among others) comes with a plastic box that will serve as a base for any of the Shapton (or Nano hone) stones. FWIW.

I appreciate your opinion, but why would OP need a SG 500 if he already has a 1.000? I found the GS 1k to be a very aggressive beast, more in line with a conventional 800

 

[daveb]

Have you been there?

I would much rather use a SG500 for a few strokes than a 1000 for a bunch of them. Granted I'll often start with the SG500 and then go to the SP1000 / 2000 for house knives, lessor knives or other peoples knives, or SG500 to SG2000 and/or SG4000 for decent knives.

IMO the SG500 is a great starting point for any dull knife that doesn't need repair (or only needs a wee bit of a chip removed). And the XL has a box.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I appreciate your opinion, but why would OP need a SG 500 if he already has a 1.000? I found the GS 1k to be a very aggressive beast, more in line with a conventional 800

In my opinion, the SG500 is the minimum "one stone". I'm not much into the ever popular 1k club. The SG500 makes quick work of all but the more involved tasks.