Things You'll Need:
- Sharpening stone kit Honing oil Sharpening steel Paper towels Sheet of paper
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Step 1
Determine sharpness of knife. Holding the paper in one hand and the knife in the other, slice down vertically through the paper. Pull the knife toward you as you cut to check the edge along the length of the blade. If the knife bends the paper and does not cut, start sharpening with the coarse stone. If the knife cuts but hangs and tears the paper, start with a medium stone.
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Step 2
Place the stone on the bench and lubricate with honing oil. Holding the knife at an angle of 20 to 25 degrees, push the knife away from you while trying to slice off a layer of the stone. Ensure that as you slice, the blade travels from the tip to the base of the blade so that the knife will have an even, and consistently sharp, blade.
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Step 3
Repeat the above procedure with the other side of the blade, this time pulling the blade toward you. Hone the knife 8 to 10 times on each side and then check the sharpness as in Step 1. Move to the next grit stone as the blade becomes sharper.
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Step 4
Work though all the grits stones until the knife cuts smoothly and consistently through the paper. The fine stone will not appear to domuch, but it is actually polishing the edge for a razor-smooth edge.
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Step 5
Periodically make a few strokes with the knife blade against the sharpening steel. This will help keep the blade sharp without having to use the stones frequently.
