Sharpening questions.

[Perverockstar]

I have a few questions regarding sharpening.

Which progression(s) do you usually recommend for professional use in a restaurant? Prep, service, etc.

I do like a very very sharp edge. I have both, SS and carbon knives.

What kind of edge do you expect from each grit? I have heard about toothiness and stuff like that, which also seems to have some importance regarding what is going to be cut.

Is it enough to get a burr on each side, then deburr on the final stone and finish with a strop? Did I get this right?

When is a micro bevel desired?

Now, some info regarding my particular situation.

I own two combination whetstones. A Shun 1000-6000 and a JCK 400-1200.

The Shun was my first stone and it is the one that I have used for most of my professional life. For many years I only used the 1000 side and my knives have been sharp enough for kitchen use, not shabby at all, I might say. Never crazy razor sharp though.

Within the last months I have acquired more knives and I see that some of them get sharper than others by sharperning them the same way: create a burr on each side on 1000 grit, continue to 6000, deburr, strop. BTW, I'm using the Kippington method for deburring most of my knives.

I'm now considering buying some Naniwa Pro whetstones since time is paramount and sometimes I'd really prefer using splash-and-go stones. I'm considering 800 and 3000 grits. What do you think?

What pointers can you give me? What other stuff should I understand?

Thank you.

 

[MattPike4President]

I am only what I would consider an 'adequate' sharpener so I'll refrain from giving technique advice here.

I am a professional cook and use the Naniwa Pro 800 and 3k for nearly all of my sharpening and I quite like them. I use the 800 for anything more than a touch up, but prefer the edge from the 3k for prep. It really glides through things but has enough tooth to have no issues with tomato skins or similar slippery foods. Never felt I wanted more refinement than that. All that said, if I didn't have a 3k and just used the 800 for everything I think I'd be perfectly happy. The 800 edge cuts great.

The routine that works for me is to touch up my work knives ~once a week on the 3k and once every month or two knock back the shoulders on the 800. I also love the 800 for relatively dull knives, it cuts much faster than the 3k though obviously slower than a coarse stone.

 

[ethompson]

Can’t speak highly enough about the Shapton glass 500 for splash and go coarse work. Quick enough for light thinning, consistent scratch pattern, etc.

You’ve got the basics down - raise a burr, get rid of it. Practice and experience teach the rest. Keep careful mental notes of your results at varied angles and pressures. The sharpie trick as described by JKI’s excellent YouTube series is a great tool - I use it all the time and have been sharpening several times a week for about 6 years now. keep in mind that the real work occurs at the bottom end of the grit range. If it’s not cutting paper tool at 500 grit, no sense progressing to higher grits. Anything above 2k is just adding refinement in my opinion, which is great if that’s what you want, but a semi-sharp knife off a 500 isn’t going to get magically sharp by going up to 3k+.

The types of edge people like is deeply personal. Some pursue ultimate sharpness at all costs and use razor-esque progressions and stropping regimens. Others love the super aggressive bit of a sub 1k edge and stop there. Most of us fall in the middle and want both some bite and some refinement. Bell peppers are my preferred way to test an edge as those waxy skins can be bothersome but I want clean cuts in the softer flesh. I looking for something that doesn’t slip on pepper or onion skins but glides through after that. Just try a bunch of different stuff and see what you like in different applications.

 

[M1k3]

Shapton Glass 500 and 4000. Also get a Shapton Pro case, both stones fit in it at the same time.

Venev diamond stone 240/400 or 400/800.

 

[Forty Ounce]

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEBF55079F53216AB
This should help answer some of your questions.

 

[inferno]

I have a few questions regarding sharpening.

Which progression(s) do you usually recommend for professional use in a restaurant? Prep, service, etc.

I do like a very very sharp edge. I have both, SS and carbon knives.

What kind of edge do you expect from each grit? I have heard about toothiness and stuff like that, which also seems to have some importance regarding what is going to be cut.

Is it enough to get a burr on each side, then deburr on the final stone and finish with a strop? Did I get this right?

When is a micro bevel desired?

Now, some info regarding my particular situation.

I own two combination whetstones. A Shun 1000-6000 and a JCK 400-1200.

The Shun was my first stone and it is the one that I have used for most of my professional life. For many years I only used the 1000 side and my knives have been sharp enough for kitchen use, not shabby at all, I might say. Never crazy razor sharp though.

Within the last months I have acquired more knives and I see that some of them get sharper than others by sharperning them the same way: create a burr on each side on 1000 grit, continue to 6000, deburr, strop. BTW, I'm using the Kippington method for deburring most of my knives.

I'm now considering buying some Naniwa Pro whetstones since time is paramount and sometimes I'd really prefer using splash-and-go stones. I'm considering 800 and 3000 grits. What do you think?

What pointers can you give me? What other stuff should I understand?

Thank you.

i basically divide up like this:
soft ss less than lets say 58hrc. 1-2k
hard ingot ss 2-3k, most often 2k. good stuff gets 3k.
powder ss 4k.
carbons 4-12k.

personally i think the shapton pros and glass are better stones than the naniwas.
glass 500 and 3 or 4k. is all you really need. i like both the 3 and 4k. so i have both.
or shapton pro 1k, 2k and then maybe the 8k? all of those are really really good stones.

the naniwas are kinda messy compared to shaptons, especially the green 1k.
and they can also develop cracks with regular use.
and they are a lot more expensive. and they are not better stones.

the 800 and 3k - 162€
https://www.dictum.com/en/naniwa-eae/naniwa-professional-stone-grit-400-711370
shapton pro 1k, 2k, 8k - 174€
https://www.fine-tools.com/shapton-stones.html
glass 500DT, 3k, 6k - 183€
Shapton Glass Stone HR, Hard Bond, Grit 120 | Shapton | Dictum
https://www.dictum.com/en/shapton-e...hick-version-hard-bond-grit-500-711623?c=2677