Wednesday 29 February 2012

How Do I Sharpen a Knife?

I follow the steps below for every single knife:
1. I examine the edge for any little nicks and chips under magnification. I repair the edge if there as damage at all. This is a crucial step prior to commencing the actual sharpening process.
2. I determine the factory angle on the knife or I choose one myself depending on what your knife is used for and I then lock in the angle.
3. If the knife is quite dull or I had to repair it, I commence profiling the edge with a diamond plate. This plate is perfectly flat and will establish the perfect working angle and is the initial step in actually sharpening the knife.
4. I now start with the water stones and I select a coarse stone, the first of up to eleven stones. This first stone is the key, I will get your knife as sharp as it has have ever been on this first stone. (These are exquisite stones and work fast).
5. Once I am satisfied that the knife is now very sharp, I progress through the stones from medium to fine to ultra fine grit. Depending on what I am doing with the edge, I will either stop at the 2,000 grit range or go as high as 5,000 grit. This stone will leave a beautiful mirror finish and an edge that many people have never seen or felt.
6. If I am creating a Relief Face on the bevel (basically a second bevel) I will go as high as 15, 000 grit to achieve the polished bevel I seek and you will enjoy.
7. Once I am satisfied that your knife is at the very least as sharp as it was when purchased I move to the stropping stage. (Your knife will most often be sharper than when new by now.)
8. I strop the knife edge on either leather or balsa which has been laden with special formulas. This is the process that really takes the knife to another level.
9. Now that the knife is sharp, I polish the blade with a series of polishing compounds. This is final step.
Start to finish time varies from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours.

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