Newbie Denka and Wat sharpening

[NJDJ]

I want to sharpen my TF Denka Gyuto and a Wat B2 Nakiri. I was looking hard at a Bob Kramer Sharpening kit but don't think I really need all the stones. I figure I will mostly do maintenance sharpening and take my knives to Bernal (drivable) if they need professional work. I do like the look of the Kramer sink bridge. Rather than getting the complete Kramer kit, I was thinking about just buying the Kramer Sink Bridge, a Shapton Pro 1k, an Atoma 140 to flatten it, and a Kramer Leather Strop block that fits the bridge. What do you guys think? Would the Shapron Pro 1k followed by the leather strop leave me with a good edge for my home cooking?

 

[jedy617]

I would skip the strop, and grab something like a 3k stone for a finer finish, and for deburring. I like the chosera 3k. I like blue super around a 3k edge quite a bit. 1k will work but a bit coarse IMO. Atoma 140 is a good choice for flattening. Might also want to get something like a shapton glass 320 or chosera 400 if you need to sharpen from very dull or to fix chips, etc.

 

[NJDJ]

I would skip the strop, and grab something like a 3k stone for a finer finish, and for deburring. I like the chosera 3k. I like blue super around a 3k edge quite a bit. 1k will work bit a bit coarse IMO. Atoma 140 is a good choice for flattening. Might also want to get something like a shapton glass 320 or chosera 400 if you need to sharpen from very dull or to fix chips, etc.

Hmmm. Well, I didn't think I would need the corse stone because I figured I would let the professionals at Bernal Cutlery handle it when it was bad. If I get the 1k and a 3k, maybe I should just get the kit (400, 1k, 5k)? I thought I needed a strop to completely remove the burr? Is that not correct?

 

[Justinv]

I Agree with above, a 1000 grit is course for a final edge on these knives and a stone in the 2000-4000 range would be preferred. Shapton stones are well liked but there are plenty of alternatives.

There is absolutely no need to use a strop with a sink bridge. Strops are used dry. I don’t have a sink bridge, I just set my stones on a scrap towel or paper towel and grind away. For strops I just set them on the counter.

 

[DarwellianEmpire]

I work in a kitchen and sharpen frequently. I have waaaay more stones than are necessary but my essentials are as follows:
Atoma 140 (strictly for flattening stones)
Shapton Glass 500
Chosera 1000
Chosera 3000
Universal stone holder (from Amazon)

With these you can pretty much do anything. The atoma will remove chips with QUICKNESS and can also be used for heavy thinning but will leave deep scratches. The Shapton and Choseras all leave wonderful edges and are pretty great polishers. Additionally all of these stones are splash and go which is incredibly convenient.

EDIT: I used a strop a lot in the beginning but I found that it isn’t necessary. Often times it will mask an uneven edge and make it seem “sharper” than it really is only to dull very quickly. Practice keeping your angles consistent and learn how to deburr. There are plenty of posts on the forum explaining the importance of deburring and how to do it properly

 

[NJDJ]

So, I do need a strop?

 

[DarwellianEmpire]

So, I do need a strop?

Just edited my post with my 2¢

 

[M1k3]

So, I do need a strop?

No you don't need one.
Once you get basic sharpening down, it's a nice to have, but not necessary.

You can use some cardboard, paper or a towel as a strop, if you want to experiment with one without buying one.

 

[mozg31337]

You definitely don't need a strop. You can easily remove the burr on your final stone by doing a dozen or so alternating edge trailing passes with no pressure.

If you intend to send the knives to a pro sharpener I would suggest that you use 1K and 2-3K stones. A 2K would be plenty for most home kitchen work unless you do a lot of sushi and sashimi work.

Good luck kitchen with your sharpening journey. I would also suggest you getting a really cheap practice knife of the same or similar profile to your good knives. Practice on it a few times at least before heading for your real knives.

 

[Corradobrit1]

So, I do need a strop?

I think it depends on the steel. Shirogami can dull quite quickly so a strop is a quick and easy way to bring the edge back on the fly. With the Denka AS its surplus to needs. TF AS holds an edge forever.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

If I was starting out I would probably get a Norton Crystalon combo stone and an India combo stone in 8x2. These are super affordable and gives you 4 stones for a price just north of 1 stone. You can use these to flatten each other but I would also opt for some SiC 60 and 120 grit powder.

Next I would get the Naniwa Hayabusa / Falcon 4K. This really finishes about 6K. These are quite affordable too.

From there I would just focus on the technique of sharpening for a while. The coarsest of all stones mentioned here is the crystalon coarse side at 120 grit. This is what that stone can do with good technique.
(I do recommend putting these stones outside in the sun to heat up to liquify the oil in them and let the excess oil leach out of them. Straight out of the box, they are too messy for my preferences.)

 

[user 16756]

You dont need a strop but one loaded with diamond spray is so much easier to deburr with than a stone, especially a softer stone like a synth, that Id hazard your edge will last way longer with it even if you dont use it for maintenance.

Minimally that plus a chosera 1k or similar can keep you in business for a LONG time though I would also say a 3k/4k stone would be a great second stone to add.

Shapton Po 1K is too coarse for my taste. 2K is a nice stone though.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

I've spent a long time using just a Shapton pro 2k stone and strop with fantastic results. No you don't need a strop but I happen to like one. Recently from a recommendation from Eddworks, I picked up a DMT extra fine. Its a really toothy edge but awesome on tomatoes after stropping. I have started deburring on my 2k afterword's and really like the edge. I don't necessarily recommend this for a new sharpener because you can mess up quick. I would go with a good 2k stone and just touch up often, it will give you a nice edge and help you practice.

 

[Delat]

I might as well muddy the waters some more.

Instead of an SP1k, I'd recommend an SG500 and an SP2k. Use the SG500 for your initial sharpening on any new knife, followed by the SP2k. Then just the SP2k for maintenance going forward until you notice it's taking a while to refresh the edge, at which point you drop back to the SG500.

This is just for saving time in case your natural angle is much lower than the OOTB bevel angle; you would spend a fair amount of time cutting in your new angle on a 2k vs 500 grit stone.

I agree a strop is nice when starting out as your deburring on the stones won't be that great. But a piece of cardboard works fine, or an old pair of jeans, or a cheap random $15 leather strop off Amazon.

If money is a concern, skip the sink bridge. I use a $10 rubber dog bowl mat and an old spray bottle. You can just work next to the sink and rinse the stones as they load up, which won't be often with just the two knives and simple edge maintenance.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Wat pro takes a delicious edge on Chosera 3k. It's a great final/touch up stone and feels good, highly recommend it.

 

[user 16756]

IMO a strop is not that useful by itself.

It's just the delivery vehicle for diamond emulsion. I use quite stiff leather as such. Without compound I actually dont like them that much and would probably just use newspaper or something.

 

[mozg31337]

I have been successfully using a natural wine cork to deburr my knives. The way I do it is pull and push the knife without any pressure through a cork using three different angles - roughly 45 degrees, 90 degrees and 45 degrees on the other side. Following the cork I do a half a dozen more edge trailing strokes on the final stone without any pressure. If you do it right, the burr will be gone. I've inspected the edges a number of times under a loop and the burr is gone under 10x and 20x loop.

So, even though I have four different strops, I rarely use them for knife deburring after sharpening. I would use them for the razor touch ups after or before the shave. Also, I strop a few dozen times my honyaki gyuto after each use to keep the edge keen. That seems to work just fine in my case.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I really like this double sided strop from Tokushu. I don't use the compound side all that much, usually just prefer the plain bison leather but with 15% it's large and a great deal. Doubles as a cricket bat in a pinch.

I do find the compound side helps keep some tooth on my stainless knives or can bring a knife back to life if I don't have time to do a touchup on fine stone or am afraid to sharpen like on a pass around/loaner knife.

https://tokushuknife.com/collection...oducts/tokushu-knife-premium-xl-buffalo-strop

 

[Shein]

I started out with a Bob Kramer Sharpening Kit 3 or 4 years ago. The only part I still use regularly is the sink bridge. The stones are ok but I have moved on to Chosera stones in 800 and 3K grits. I have other stones but that is what I use the most. One of the things I like about the wood sink bridge is that you can use the wood to remove the burr. I do like a strop for the final touch and to maintain the edges between sharpenings. I like the Tokushu strop mentioned above.

You can find a wooden sink bridge on Amazon for about $40. If I were starting again, I would buy the wooden sink bridge and then pick out whatever stones appeal to you. I would get a strop and diamond paste to play around with. It's not that expensive. Use the money you save by not buying the Bob Kramer kit to build a kit that works for you.

 

[Stockman]

A Strop isn't essential in the sharpening process, however for me, it's an essential tool in maintaining a shaving sharp edge prior to prep. I use a homemade leather strop loaded with 1 mic diamond paste, 10 or so alternating strokes to any knife with a well sharpened edge prior to use and it's good to go. The strop will also highlight if there are any rolls or chips in the edge (scratches will be visible on the strop), that will require steeling or a resharpen.
When the strop no longer brings back a shaving edge, then back to the stones.
For a quick touch up on a reasonable edge, the SP2000 is great. For an edge that has taken damage a course/fine India followed by the SP2000 will get the job done and won't break the bank. My go to is a Medium India then onto a Washita. I prefer the Washita over the SP2000 or similar as the amount of pressure you apply can vary the result to match my usage of a particular knife. More pressure gives a bit more tooth and bite, light pressure a more refined and polished edge. An Atoma 400 diamond plate is great on chip removal and any reprofiling and works quickly on all steels.

 

[Keithpaints]

As others mentioned Shapton Pro 2K
Green stone is good medium stone.
I recommend. The Shapton pro 320 blue case for little thinning behind the edge. Easy for home use splash & go, dish resistant. For two stone set a coarse stone is very useful.

 

[MowgFace]

As others mentioned Shapton Pro 2K
Green stone is good medium stone.
I recommend. The Shapton pro 320 blue case for little thinning behind the edge. Easy for home use splash & go, dish resistant. For two stone set a coarse stone is very useful.

This is exactly my 2 stone travel combo.

Shapton Pro 320/2000.

I have thought about swapping the coarse to a Glass so both stones could fit in one pro case.