Things You'll Need:
- Combination coarse/fine sharpening stone
- Light multi-purpose oil
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Step 1
Determine at what angle you will need to sharpen the blade. You should match the sharpening angle to the knife's bevel angle. Knives are made with different bevel angles depending on the use for which they were designed. As a general rule, large cleavers have a bevel angle of 15-20 degrees, all purpose knives about 10-15 degrees, and filet knives about 5-10 degrees.
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Step 2
Place a few drops of oil on the coarse side of the sharpening stone. This will provide lubrication for a smooth sharpening process.
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Step 3
Set the stone on a flat, non-slip surface and hold the knife to the stone at the angle determined in Step 1.
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Step 4
Run the knife along the stone as if you were slicing a thin layer of the stone off. Begin this sharpening stroke with the back of the knife edge and as you progress along the stone during the stroke, use all of the knife edge, finishing with the tip. Repeat this process with a dozen or so strokes.
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Step 5
Flip the knife over to its other side, and again hole the knife at the correct angle. Repeat Step 4 to sharpen this side of the blade.
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Step 6
Flip the stone over to the fine side, repeat Steps 4 and 5 to put a finer and sharper edge to the blade, and you are finished.
