how to use a knife sharpener

In this piece, we will look at how to use a knife sharpener. This is important because dull knives or blunt knives are neither safe nor easy to use. We’ll talk about different sharpeners, such as whetstones, pull-through, sharpening steel, guided systems, and electric sharpeners. These devices are all manual. However, the electric sharpener can be said to be a semi-manual sharpener.

Let us cut straight to the point.

Sharpening Your Knives

There are several types of knife sharpeners available on the market, and we are going to cover some of the most popular so you can feel more confident if you ever need to sharpen your knives.

Using a Whetstone

Using whetstones or sharpening stones is one of the most ancient methods of sharpening a knife.

Whetstones give you total control of the sharpening process. However, it has a bit of a learning curve if you look to use this method effectively, for whetstones require time and practice. Here is a step-by-step process of using a whetstone or sharpening stone to sharpen a knife. Sharpening stones are the king of manual knife sharpeners.

Step 1

Most whetstones come with a holder to keep them in place. If yours does not, use a paper towel or dishcloth to line your surface and prevent it from slipping on your kitchen countertop.

Step 2

Place the whetstone on the lined and elevated flat surface, ensuring the coarse side faces upward.

Step 3

Whetstones come in different shapes and sizes. They also come with different characteristics. This means you may have a stone that needs its surface to wet before use, while others need to be fully drenched. Make sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for appropriate use.

Step 4

Determine the angle of your knife. Sharpening the knife at the right angle protects the blade. If your knife edge is damaged, you might want to have that reset before sharpening. You can also use the angle set that comes with some stones.

Step 5

Now that you have your angle, grip the knife using your dominant hand and place four fingers on top of the knife blade and grip the handle with the other hand. This is to control the pressure and allow for proper stabilization.

Step 6

Using a slow and stable momentum, run the blade lengthwise from the tip to the heel. You can go along with adding or reducing pressure. Make 4 to 5 passes before flipping the blade from the new sharp edge to the dull edge. Next, flip the blade, pull it along the stone from tip to heel, and then make 4 to 5 passes on this side.

Step 7

Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you feel a subtly raised burr along the blade length. At this stage, flip the stone and have the fine grit side facing upward and the course side downwards. Again, this step might take more time if you work on a very dull knife.

Step 8

Repeat steps 7-8 on the fine grit side until the burr is gone and the edges are clean and sharp.

Step 9

Clean the blade with mild dish soap, rinse properly with water, and dry to get rid of any metal filings. Repeat all these steps to sharpen knives in your house.

Using a Pull-Through Knife Sharpener

a red device polishing a kitchen tool

Pull-through or handheld sharpeners are some of the most simplistic and convenient knife sharpeners today. Pulling a knife through the sharpening slots is easy and direct.

Here is a step-by-step guide on using a pull-through knife sharpener.

Step 1

Place the pull-through knife sharpener on a clean and dry surface or countertop. Using your non-dominant hand, firmly hold the sharpener to reduce unnecessary movement when in use.

Step 2

Grip the knife handle with your dominant hand. Make sure that all your fingers are behind the knife heel.

Step 3

If you use a multi-stage pull-through knife sharpener, you will want to start with the coarse slot. This is only if the knife requires honing or extra touching up.

Step 4

Gently insert the knife into the sharpening slot closest to the knife heel. Using a back-and-forth motion, pull the knife through the slot, applying some pressure as you do so.

Step 5

Lift the knife handle as you reach the tip of the knife. Do this to follow the blade’s angle and contour. Make sure that each pull lasts 2 to 3 seconds. Repeat these steps until a burr forms on the blade and the knife edge is raised.

Step 6

Move the knife to a finer grit and repeat these steps until the blade is smooth and the burr is gone.

Step 7

Gently clean the blade using mild dish soap and a soft washing pad to eliminate any metal filings. Then, wipe the blade dry and store it appropriately.

Using an Electric Knife Sharpener

Like most electronic equipment that is made to make life easier, using a knife sharpener that’s electrically powered is no different. Because of how fast and convenient electric knife sharpener is, more and more people are angled towards using them. So if you are looking for a semi-manual electric sharpener, this is the right sharpening tool.

Let us look at a step-by-step guide on how to use an electric knife sharpener.

Step 1

Place the electric sharpener on a clean, flat, dry surface or countertop. Plug the sharpener into an electric power outlet.

Step 2

Take the knife and hold it firmly at the handle using your dominant hand. Make sure all your fingers are behind the handle. Then, with your non-dominant hand, hold the electric sharpener in place.

Step 3

Start sharpening using the course section of the electric knife sharpener. Most devices have indicators that will tell you which section you’re using but check the instruction booklet if you are unsure.

Step 4

Gently pull the knife through the electric sharpener slot. It should take around 5 seconds from base to tip. Do not add any pressure to the knife sharpener.

Step 5

As you gently pull out the knife and the knife tip gets closer to the grinder, raise your hand slowly away from the sharpener. Ensure that the whole knife blade comes into contact with the grinder as you pull away, from heel to tip.

Step 6

After a few strokes on the grinder, check the blade for burr. You can do this using the tips of your fingers. If you do not feel any burr, you should repeat steps 4 and 5 until the burr forms. The duller your blade, the more it passes.

Step 7

Now that the burr has formed, you can move to the fine grit slot and repeat steps 4 and 5. Do this until you have gotten rid of all the burr and the blade is smooth.

Step 8

Gently clean the knife with mild soap and water. Rinse and dry to eliminate any metal filings that might have remained on the knife.

Using a Guided System or Knife Sharpening System

If you are looking for a fast and simple sharpening method, the guided system is not the way to go. A guided sharpening system is the most complicated and complex sharpening method. Also, it is a pretty hectic manual knife sharpener since it might need assembling.

However, if you are into knives that proposes keen on precision and perfection, you will enjoy using the guided system. Here is a step-by-step guide on using a guided system when sharpening your knives.

Step 1

Carefully secure the blunt knife in the system clamp. Have the edge facing away from you and the dull blade facing you.

Step 2

Attach the clamp to the system stand if you use a guided system with a separate stand.

Step 3

Choose a coarse grit stone from the wide range of stones with the knife sharpening system. Then, insert the angle rod for an accurate angle guide.

Step 4

Depending on the motion you prefer, you can pass the stone on the blade from tip to heel or heel to tip. You can do this in long strokes or use circular motions.

Step 5

Keep on doing step 4 until the burr forms on the length of the blade. You can feel this with the tips of your fingers.

Step 6

Once the burr has formed, flip the knife and repeat steps 4 and 5. However, you can skip the flip if your guided system allows you to work on the other side without flipping.

Step 7

When the burr is raised on both sides, you can now switch to a medium grit stone. Simply repeat steps 4, 5, and 6. At this step, you should go against the motion that you used with the coarse stone.

Step 8

Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you feel a subtly raised burr along the blade length. Next, flip the stone and have the fine grit side facing upward and the course side downwards. This step might take more time if you work on a very dull knife.

Step 9

Repeat steps 6 to 8 on the fine grit side until the burr is gone and the edges are clean and sharp.

Step 10

Clean the blade with mild dish soap, rinse properly with water, and dry to get rid of any metal filings. Repeat all these steps to sharpen knives in your house.

Step 11

Clean the sharpened blade using mild soap and water. Make sure to dry it to get rid of any residual metallic filings.

Using a Sharpening Steel

If you have watched any clips of Gordon Ramsay cooking, then you must have seen him using a steel sharpener before he starts using his knives. Knife sharpening steel, a handheld sharpener, is used to remove the burr after using any manual sharpener or keeping knives sharp.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use a sharpening steel to sharpen a knife.

Step 1

Using your non-dominant hand, hold the steel sharpener point down. Make sure its tip is on a dry board and firmly rests on it.

Step 2

With your dominant hand, hold the blade perpendicular to the steel. Ensure that the heel of the knife is touching the steel sharpener.

Step 3

Tilt the knife blade to position the cutting edge and the steel at a 22 and a ½ -degree angle.

Step 4

Maintaining the 22 and a ½ – degree angle, gently run the blade along the shaft of the steel sharpener. While doing this, make sure that the entire length of the blade comes into contact with the steel shaft. You can do this for 10 to 15 strokes. Then flip the blade and work on the other side, and repeat.

Step 5

Rinse the blade to eliminate any residual metal filings, dry it and get to chopping away.

Importance of Sharpening Knives

sharpened kitchen knife

Sharpening your kitchen knives is not just for upkeep purposes but also for the user’s safety. Using a dull or blunt knife will require you to give more pressure, leading to accidents. Of course, you would choose to slice a tomato skin easily instead of getting your knife pushed against the product, which will likely slip, leading to injury.

Say No to Dull Knives

In essence, honing a knife is important, and if done right, it can be fun. If you want to try your hand at sharpening, this article on how to use a knife sharpener will help. You can sharpen your kitchen knives using a whetstone, an electric knife sharpener, a guided system, or sharpening steel.

However, if you feel like the steps of sharpening knives are overwhelming and felt like risky, you can always have a professional do it.

Please remember that these guides will work for most knives, including cheap and expensive knives, simple kitchen knives, and even hunting knives. Remember, a little elbow grease will go a long way, with most sharpeners being manual sharpeners. All in all, keeping your knife sharp is key to its maintenance and safe use.

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