Starting Out

Hi,

Ok you want to learn to sharpen and all you need is a water stone. You already have some dull knives, we all have those.  The fact that you are reading this means you have the most important ingredients, the desire to learn, and an interest that may develop into a Passion.

You don't need to go out and spend a lot of money to get started, in fact, you easily get your knives sharper than new with one stone and a flattener of some type so less than $100.00

Which stone to get first you ask?

1, 000 Grit Japanese Water Stone

If you are just learning a coarse stone, which is in the 400-600 range can be a little dangerous. This stone will remove metal quickly, it is a wonderful stone to own, but when first learning free hand sharpening, play safe and start with something in the 800-1200 range. Now if your knife is very dull, it will take some time to raise a burr, the process of removing metal to expose that fresh edge, your target, will be slower but safer. Use this medium grit range to get comfortable with your angle and start on a PRACTICE knife. Don't take out your favourite knife and start.

Ideally, you will want 3 stone, coarse, medium and fine,  400, 1000, 4000 for example or even up to 2,000 grit is perfect for just about all your needs in the kitchen.

So you could go to Lee Valley and pick up a King 800 or King 1200 for about $30.00 and start your journey.

Next I will explain how to keep those stones Flat.

Thank you for being here.