| There
are few tools more dangerous than a dull knife! It'll slide when you want it
to cut, and it'll cut when it stops sliding--usually when it hits your hand.
Ask ten different people how they sharpen their knives, however, and you may
get ten different answers. Not only that, but each of these ten methods are
all sworn to be the best by ten venerable trail guides from ten mountain towns
(who've all been sharpening knives since they were knee-high to a carpenter
ant and don't you forget it buddy). What's a poor soul with a dull knife to
do? You can start with this tutorial, which will lead you out of the tangled
thicket of knife-sharpening opinions. Choose
your stone
First,
there's the question of whether or not to use a liquid on the sharpening stone.
A fiery debate rages on this issue, and you'd better figure out which side
you're on, so you're not mistaken for the enemy and accidentally shot. Some
stones are marketed as specifically for wet and dry uses, so keep the following
points in mind as you shop around. - One
school of thought
insists
that using oil, water or saliva helps "float" the tiny metal shavings away
from the stone when the blade is being sharpened.
- The
other camp demands
that
using any type of liquid just clogs up the pores of the stone (which ruins
the stone forever) and only polishes the blade, rather than grinding it.
The
method below works with both dry and wet stones. Recreate
the basic edge
If
you were to peer at the point of a nicely sharpened, multi-purpose knife blade,
it would look something like Figure
1.
You'll notice that the blade is actually beveled to form the final edge, but
you won't create that bevel just yet. First, you'll form the basic edge, which
is a little simpler in shape, as we see in Figure
1A.
One
of the key points of knife-sharpening is maintaining constant angles between
the blade and the stone. There are two: the angle between the blade and the
edge of the stone, and between the blade and the surface of the stone. 
- Place
your flat, medium-grit stone
on
the table in front of you. Lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree angle,
as shown in Figure 2. This 45 degree angle is the first of two angles.
- Grasp
the knife by the handle.
With
your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface
of the stone at a 20 degree angle, as shown in Figure
3.
This is the second angle.
- Keeping
the edge of the blade in
contact with the stone, firmly
and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade
from hilt to point. Maintain the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've
raised the blade off the stone.
- Apply
medium to light pressure as
you're drawing the edge across the stone. (For the sake of comparison, zero
pressure
would
have the knife blade resting on the stone without you touching it.) Apply a
little pressure or a bit more, depending on how old the knife is, how many
times you've sharpened it, and the current condition of the edge. A very dull
edge will require more pressure.
Turn
the knife over, and repeat the process.
If
you keep the knife in the same hand, you'll be pushing the blade away from
you this time. It's important to maintain the same angles on both sides of
the blade. Go slowly and alternate strokes on the stone until each side of
the blade has been stroked several times. A very dull knife will need a few
more strokes than a better kept one. Create
the final bevel
Now
that you have a basic edge on the blade, it's a time to create the final bevel.
This will strengthen the edge, so that it stays sharp longer and is less prone
to be damaged by everyday use. You'll create the bevel simply by repeating
Step
1,
with two modifications: use a fine-grit stone, and raise the blade a bit higher
off the stone (the second angle) when you draw it across. - Place
your flat, fine-grit stone on
the table in front of you, and lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree
angle, as you did before.
- Grasp
the knife by the handle. With
your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface
of the stone at a slightly greater angle than before--maybe
25 to 30 degrees. See
Figure
4.
- Keeping
the edge of the blade in
contact with the stone, firmly
and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade
from hilt to point. Hold the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've raised
the blade off the stone, as constant as possible. Again, apply medium to light
pressure as you're drawing the edge across the stone.
- Turn
the knife over, and repeat the process.
Alternate
strokes again until each side of the blade has been across the stone several
times--about five strokes for each side should suffice. The pressure that you
apply while drawing the blade across the stone should get progressively lighter
with each stroke.
- At
this point you should have a pretty sharp knife. You
can test it
by
holding a piece of paper vertically, and drawing the blade across the edge
and down. A sharp knife will cut the paper.
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