Exposing the Fine Art of Sharpening Various Knives Using a Stone
A knife is one of the most common tools that we use in our daily lives without realizing this fact. There are many techniques of sharpening knives but none is as ancient as sharpening knives with a stone. The stone age of the human history saw stone knives being sharpened by stones, bronze age saw knives made of bronze that were sharpened by the humans by stones and even in the iron age, iron knives were sharpened with the help of stones.
The art of sharpening knives with a stone has always been there and will always be there. This is an art which has ascended from our ancestors and will be passed on by us to our future generations. The stones for sharpening knives have a wide range of variety as they come in different sizes and shapes, they also come in different material composition which can be natural or artificial.
Stones are also used by lubricating them with water or with oil depending on the type of finish. Stones have different grades as they are classified according to the grit size of the particles present in them. The finer the grit, stone will be denser and will provide a fine finish to the knife.
The best natural stones come from the quarries of Japan and so it is no surprise that the best samurai swords that are made there are still sharpened with the stones. Sharpening knives with a stone is a fine art perfected by these Japanese. The stones found in Japan have fine silicate particles bound in clay that is best for sharpening the knives.
When you are sharpening knives with a stone there are few things that you should know:
Now these two angles are very important for sharpening the knives, lesser is the included angle finer will be the edge. For the knives that require sharp tips the included angle is kept higher.
Sharpening knives with a stone requires several steps that are:
This art of sharpening knives with a stone is slowly finding its way to oblivion because of many reasons like non availability of good quality stones, lack of expert teachers and the modern tools that have come in the market which do the sharpening at a very high speed with excellent results.
But the art of stone grinding will survive as there is no comparison of a finely sharpened knife by a stone. Below you’ll find a handy guide on sharpening all sorts of knives using an oil stone.
Stones are also used by lubricating them with water or with oil depending on the type of finish. Stones have different grades as they are classified according to the grit size of the particles present in them. The finer the grit, stone will be denser and will provide a fine finish to the knife.
The best natural stones come from the quarries of Japan and so it is no surprise that the best samurai swords that are made there are still sharpened with the stones. Sharpening knives with a stone is a fine art perfected by these Japanese. The stones found in Japan have fine silicate particles bound in clay that is best for sharpening the knives.
When you are sharpening knives with a stone there are few things that you should know:
- The angle between the edge being sharpened and the stone also known as the edge angle should be adjusted to get the desired result. Smaller the angle finer will be the edge.
- Included angle is the angle at which the knife is held
Now these two angles are very important for sharpening the knives, lesser is the included angle finer will be the edge. For the knives that require sharp tips the included angle is kept higher.
Sharpening knives with a stone requires several steps that are:
- Sharpening- in this stage metal is removed with the help of coarse stone to give a coarse edge
- Straightening is then done to make the edge straight and perfect
- Polishing – this stage is the most delicate one and requires immense patient and skill to achieve perfect edge and mirror finish. Here the edge is polished with stones from coarser to very fine grit until the edge attains a mirror finish.
This art of sharpening knives with a stone is slowly finding its way to oblivion because of many reasons like non availability of good quality stones, lack of expert teachers and the modern tools that have come in the market which do the sharpening at a very high speed with excellent results.
But the art of stone grinding will survive as there is no comparison of a finely sharpened knife by a stone. Below you’ll find a handy guide on sharpening all sorts of knives using an oil stone.
The Proper Procedure to Sharpen Knives with an Oil Stone
Choosing the right knife sharpening agent from the many available ones is not a very difficult task but it can be quite overwhelming and confusing. This is especially so if you are not an expert in the kitchen or have good knowledge of knives. Back in the old days, when there were not so many choices available people sharpen knife with oil stone and they get the job done very quickly.
This task however requires much skill and dexterity so it is not for any normal person. That is why manufacturers’ s of knife sharpeners have introduced more time-saving and less complex machines to help the normal person accomplish this very important task. There are now electric knife sharpeners in addition to the manual and oil stone knife sharpeners we are more accustomed to.
Sharpen knife with oil stone and using a good lubricant and the right technique can give you the satisfaction of performing the job well. Though it may look and sound complicated, it is actually pretty easy. You may not get it right the first time but with some practice you can be a professional in no time.
There are different kinds of stones you can use when you want to sharpen knife with oil stone. The more popular ones are diamond stones, ceramic stones and Japanese water stones. You can use small stones to do the job but if you want to get it right and fast, a stone of at least 2 by 6 inches in dimension must be used.
When you are going to sharpen knife with oil stone, the most important thing to remember is the angle where you hold the knife. The knife must be held in such a way that it aligns with the bevel angle. There is not set formula for holding the knife because each knife has a different bevel angle, so you just need to find the one for the knife you are going to sharpen.
Before you start the process of sharpen knife with oil stone, the stone has to be lubricated first. The material used for lubrication will depend on the stone itself. For oil stones, machine oil is used so that the pores do not become clogged with grit. When using diamond stones, a combination of washing detergent and water is the best lubrication while water stones need water as the main lubricant.
The process of sharpen knife with oil stone is very easy once you get the basic right. The sharpening stone must be placed properly on a flat surface like a desktop. Once you get that, hold the knife in the right angle as described above and lock both wrists on the knife.
After that, just move the knife up and down the stone. This step should be repeated at least 7 or 8 times until the knife is sharp. The final step is just to hone the knife so that all the burrs that have formed as residue is eliminate.
This task however requires much skill and dexterity so it is not for any normal person. That is why manufacturers’ s of knife sharpeners have introduced more time-saving and less complex machines to help the normal person accomplish this very important task. There are now electric knife sharpeners in addition to the manual and oil stone knife sharpeners we are more accustomed to.
Sharpen knife with oil stone and using a good lubricant and the right technique can give you the satisfaction of performing the job well. Though it may look and sound complicated, it is actually pretty easy. You may not get it right the first time but with some practice you can be a professional in no time.
There are different kinds of stones you can use when you want to sharpen knife with oil stone. The more popular ones are diamond stones, ceramic stones and Japanese water stones. You can use small stones to do the job but if you want to get it right and fast, a stone of at least 2 by 6 inches in dimension must be used.
When you are going to sharpen knife with oil stone, the most important thing to remember is the angle where you hold the knife. The knife must be held in such a way that it aligns with the bevel angle. There is not set formula for holding the knife because each knife has a different bevel angle, so you just need to find the one for the knife you are going to sharpen.
Before you start the process of sharpen knife with oil stone, the stone has to be lubricated first. The material used for lubrication will depend on the stone itself. For oil stones, machine oil is used so that the pores do not become clogged with grit. When using diamond stones, a combination of washing detergent and water is the best lubrication while water stones need water as the main lubricant.
The process of sharpen knife with oil stone is very easy once you get the basic right. The sharpening stone must be placed properly on a flat surface like a desktop. Once you get that, hold the knife in the right angle as described above and lock both wrists on the knife.
After that, just move the knife up and down the stone. This step should be repeated at least 7 or 8 times until the knife is sharp. The final step is just to hone the knife so that all the burrs that have formed as residue is eliminate.