How To Sharpen A Knife By Hand

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When it comes to knives, there is nothing like a nice edge. Sometimes we run them to the point of being a butter knife, but then it is time to bring them back. Today I am giving a quick tip on how I "knock an edge on".

As a custom knife builder I like my knives to have an edge. Not always razor and shaving sharp, but I would like them to gracefully cut paper. The knives I make of an "everyone" kind of knife. I want to make a good knife that people aren't afraid to work.

When it comes to sharpening the knife you have to consider the angle of the bevel. Each knife will be a bit different and have a slightly different angle on the cutting edge. I try to stick with the same angle on all of my knives, but in truth it is like a micro bevel.

I love a scandi grinds. I like they way it looks and performs, but I don't always like sharpening all the way to the top of the grind. So I use a stone that I hold in my hand, and run the knife across it.

I know there are many methods for sharpening a knife, but today is just about getting it back to usefully sharp. I use a smaller stone that I hold with my left hand. I make sure to draw and push the blade from the plunge line all the way to the tip, while at the same time taking it the entire length of the stone.

This process is something that may take more time to learn. It takes a bit of practice to hold the blade at the same angle for both sides. When you are sharpening the blade make sure to think about what is actually happening, and it will make the process make more sense.

On the cutting edge there is a very fine burr that is rolled to one side. As you are running the knife across the stone, you are rolling the burr from one side to the other. So as you are sharpening back and forth you are folding that burr over and over again. Eventually the burr will either get very fine or even come off.

When I am done using the stone to sharpening, I use my belt. Yep, just my belt. I have a regular old brown leather belt. I undo my belt and just lay the end of it across a flat surface, and then run my knife across it. I mean it a dragging motion back and forth on both sides. Never push the knife edge first...you will cut your belt haha.

I like to get the knife to comfortably cut paper with just using the stone, and then run it across the leather. This helps to move that burr back and forth some more.

With a bit of practice it can become something that can be done pretty quickly. I should said efficiently. Don't rush and hurt yourself. It can become something that you can do in a short amount of time, and have a good edge.

Thanks for joining me today.
Be well
~The Yeti

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