How to use a sharpening stone


 

Equipment Needed

  • Medium Whetstone #1000
  • Finishing Whetstone #4000
  • Whetstone Soaking Container (Used to rehydrate stones)
  • Clean Dishcloth
  • Newspaper
  • Pencil（Used to mark stones）
  • Flattening Stone #220

 

 

How to use a sharpening stone

 

1. How to Soak the Whetstones

  1. Prepare a container and fill it with clean water.
  2. Place all the whetstones—medium whetstone (#1000), finishing whetstone (#4000), and flattening stone (#220)—into the container.
  3. Let the whetstones soak in the water.
  4. Wait until bubbles stop appearing. This indicates the stones have fully absorbed water and are ready for use.

 

 

 

2. How to hold the knife when sharpening the surface

  • Grip the handle with your middle, ring, and little finger using your dominant hand.
  • Place your index finger on the spine of the knife.
  • Rest your thumb on the heel (near the base of the blade).

By firmly supporting these three points, the angle of the knife while sharpening will remain stable.

 

Secure the medium whetstone on the sharpening base. With the knife's edge facing toward you, place the knife at an approximately 45-degree angle relative to the whetstone.

 

Lift the spine of the knife slightly, and tilt it so that the angle between the edge and the whetstone is approximately 15 degrees.

Be mindful to maintain this angle throughout the entire sharpening process.


 

3. Sharpen One Side with the Edge Facing Toward You

Align the index and middle fingers of your non-dominant hand and lightly place them near the edge of the knife.

Using a push and pull method, move the knife in a back-and-forth motion from the base of the whetstone to the top.

Repeat this motion evenly across the edge of the blade until the entire side is sharpened.

 

 

Key Sharpening Points

The key is to sharpen without applying too much pressure while keeping the blade angle consistent.

Using the full length of the whetstone with long strokes makes the sharpening process more efficient.

As you sharpen the blade, a black sharpening slurry will form on the stone. Continue sharpening without removing the slurry.

If the whetstone begins to dry out, add small amounts of water to the surface while you sharpen.

Gradually shift your index and middle fingers along the blade, and carefully sharpen from near the tip towards the heel.

Once you have finished sharpening up to the heel, move on to sharpening the tip.

Since the tip of the blade is thinner, sharpen it with the handle slightly raised to maintain the proper angle.

 

 

 

4. Checking the Burr

After sharpening one side, check for a burr.

A burr refers to the metal that has been scraped off and bent over to the opposite side.

Lightly touch the blade with your finger; if you feel a slight catch, about the thickness of a single hair, it’s good to go.

Be careful when checking for the burr to avoid injury, and always pay attention to the direction in which you move your fingers.

 

 


5. Sharpening the Opposite Side


Sharpen the opposite side using the same method as before with the edge facing away from you.

When sharpening the heel of the opposite side, hold the blade at a right angle to the whetstone so that the handle doesn’t get in the way, allowing for smooth sharpening.

Once the entire opposite side is sharpened, check for a burr on the blade, just as you did with the front side.

 

 


6. Remove the Burr

Rinse the knife lightly under water to wash away the sharpening slurry then pat dry.

Place newspaper or a stiff cloth, then gently slide the blade horizontally across it to remove the burr.

Repeat this for the opposite side as well.

Avoid using soft cloths, as the fibers may tear — always use a stiff cloth.

 

 

7. Switch to the Finishing Whetstone

Set up the finishing whetstone on the sharpening base.

Same as the medium grit whetstone, sharpen one side at a time.

Use lighter pressure than with the medium grit,moving the blade smoothly across the stone.

Since the burr from the finishing whetstone is finer and harder to feel with your finger, aim to make 15 back-and-forth strokes in each area to ensure the entire blade is sharpened.

Once both sides are sharpened, remove the burr same as before.

 


8. Finishing

Perform a test cut using newspaper, flyers, or other similar materials, and check the sharpness from the tip to the heel of the blade.

If it cuts smoothly with no resistance, the blade is properly sharpened.

If you feel any rough spots or resistance, re-sharpen those areas only.

 

 


Whetstone Maintenance

When sharpening a knife, the part of the blade that makes the most contact will wear down the stone, causing the surface to become concave.

If you continue sharpening in this condition, the edge of the blade will lose its shape.

Therefore, perform maintenance to flatten the whetstone's surface and prepare it for the next use.


Lightly rinse the whetstone with water to wash away the slurry.

Use a pencil to draw lines across the entire surface of the whetstone, then use a flattening stone that has been soaked in water to grind the surface until no more lines remain.

Once the marks are gone, rinse the whetstone with water to finish.