One for the STW collective…
My Mrs has just brouhgt me back an offensively sharp chefs knife from Japan and i want to keep it keen. I normally use a steel at home to keep my other knives in shape but now want all my knives to be this sharp.

Does anyone have any experience of whetstone sharpenning and have any tips? Also are there much differences between brands? Should i get rough, medium and fine grade stones?

Cheers

Theres loads of difference. Buy a cheapish double sided stone and practice on knives that you dont mind messing up so you can perfect your technique before sharpening the good ones!

I’m interested in this too. Tried a whetstone but struggled to create an edge. Any tips or guides available for technique? I appreciate it’s going to take practise, but a few tips and pointers can only help!

ah cool, what would you say as a cheapish one? I’ve seen ranges from a fiver up to 100 odd pounds? I have some rubbish knives that i can practise on which is fine, them getting proper sharp would be a bonus but they don’t really get used anyway.

Have used my dads whetstone when i was a kid to sharpen up my camping knife but it’s been a while. Do you use a knife guide thing or just do it by eye?

You’ll need a coarse and fine to keep it super-sharp apparently, my local butcher was very informative when I was speaking to him about it

Start with a cheap one marp, and keep practising.

thered talked to his local butcher, good idea. I was one for more than 20 years, no point trying to explain, you need a demonstration if possible as there are as many techniques as there are whetstones to choose from.

Buy a decent steel and learn how to use it properly, thats the secret, sharpening a knife is one thing but keeping the edge keen with a steel is the difficult bit!

Start with coarse (lower grit less than 1,000 grit) to finally polish (higher grit 4,000 or 6,000 onwards).

Most of the Japanese waterstones are fine.

Japanese waterstone from here

I get my knives and stones from here:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen.html

ok probably dumb question but how much different is a decent whetstone as opposed to a decent knife sharpener

Japanese waterstone or Arkansas stone is the badger unless you use a steel.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syvvxx3eGpI[/video]

I’ve got a small Arkansas stone which gives a lovely polish to an edge, but the best thing I’ve found that really works every time is the Spyderco Sharpmaker sharpening kit. I’ve had one since ’93 that I bought in LA, and I absolutely swear by it for giving a serious edge on pretty much any knife. The brown ceramic sticks get a usable edge, the white ones a proper honed edge, and it’s a doddle to use from the start.
http://www.handyniknaks.co.uk/spyderco-sharpmaker-204mf-knife-sharpener-spyderco-204-121-p.asp
Certainly not cheap, but the use mine has had over the last nineteen years makes it worth every single penny. (Mine was about $35, back then).

Go on nisbets online and a stone will only cost you a fiver, it will be more than good enough for you, unless you want to buy one by Shun and that will be about £80.

I’m completely useless as sharpening knives with a proper whetstone even though I spent much time practicing as a kid, my incompetence probably saved me some fingers! I got a Gerber Pocket Sharpener a while ago with a multiplier tool and now have a house full of ridiculously sharp knives, it’s virtually impossible to use it incorrectly and gives a nice smooth sharp edge which I’ve not found with any other knife sharpeners. Not as cool as doing it the proper way but the end result is good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gerber-04307-Pocket-Sharpener/dp/B0001WOTEU

Steel @ ~22.5 degrees and a bit of practice, super sharp knives.