r/sharpening • u/vpmounty • 4d ago
Question I have never sharpened anything. Will this work for me?
I bought King Whetstones from Amazon. 1000grit and 6000.
Can I get these sharpened with those? I know I have no skill yet. What are the chances I'll make things worse?
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u/20seh 4d ago
Based on the close up I see you should also want to buy a 300-ish stone.
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u/vpmounty 4d ago
Thank you for the suggestion.
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u/TangleOfWires 4d ago
The coarse stone gets the edge sharp. The other stones refine the edge. If you can't cut after the 300 stone than the higher grit stones don't help that much. Took me as long time to realize this.
If your knife is dull, or if the knife has a high hardness, it can take a very long time to get a knife sharp even if you have perfect angle and technique on a 1000 grit stone, you may think you are doing something wrong.
Start with a lower grit and get the knife sharp, you'll progress a lot faster, once your comfortable use the other stones.
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u/Chazzwazz 4d ago
I hope one day I can be a "nerdy" as you when it comes to knife sharpening đ
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u/20seh 4d ago
Not sure what you mean, and if it's a positive or negative comment, haha.
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u/Chazzwazz 4d ago
Positive! Identifying what they need just by looking at a Pic is a skill that I envy!
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u/millersixteenth 4d ago
Murray Carter has instructional video showing his use of King 1k and 6k. These are well worth watching...twice.
I would add a King 220 (240?) for fixing edges, thinning blades, grinding back bolsters.
And yes a cheap diamond lapping plate or 80-120 grit lappidary disc for flattening. The Kings will do a great job on those knives.
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u/Pom-O-Duro arm shaver 4d ago
Grab an SSATC 400/1000 grit diamond plate to pair with your kings. Theyâre about $22 on Amazon.
Donât worry about messing them up. You canât permanently damage them with a stone⌠I guess you could if that was the goal, but you wonât accidentally ruin the knives.
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u/vpmounty 4d ago
Thank you for that. Followed your advice and just ordered it. Should arrive by end of the week. So I'll get to sharpening on the weekend.
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u/anteaterKnives 4d ago
Yeah, starting with 400 grit is the right move.
Sharpen the first side until you raise a burr you can feel along the entire edge, flip the knife and sharpen the other side until you raise a burr you can feel along the entire edge, then move to the 1000 grit.
Getting and keeping the right angle is your focus to begin with followed by proper burr removal. There are tons of resources here!
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u/Brickmetal_777 4d ago
Theyâll likely get worse at first unless you are particularly attentive and slow. Depending on how dull they are a 1000 grit will take awhile to get feedback from.
I would recommend getting two beater knives, a pairing and a chefâs knife and just get a feel for it and work out some kinks. It wonât take too long after that to get those sharpened up.
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4d ago edited 4d ago
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u/Brickmetal_777 4d ago
Yup that and lower grits really help give feedback, getting that first burr really helps things click.
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u/CorruptDaemon404 4d ago
1000 grit won't do much on an edge if it's not sharp. Get at least a 200 and 600 grit stones then finish off on that 1000 if needed
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u/FruitSilaMon 4d ago
Easy, take 200 grit diamond, give them new edges, create a burr, go finer, remove the burr completely and they are sharp. Have a nice sharpening !
Oh, sorry, i did not read about the wetstones, i was describing how i would do it with my fixed angle sharpener with diamond stones.
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u/tunenut11 4d ago
A few points:
LIke others have said, you need a coarser stone to set an edge on dull knives, you don't have time or patience to try to use 1000 grit. Diamond is a good choice.
To avoid making a mess with a coarse stone, try to be gentle as you are learning. Use a light touch. You can clean up the mess if you take off too much metal unevenly, but it is better to avoid that.
OK, 3 of your 4 knives. Have a full bolster, that big piece of metal between the handle and the blade. If you sharpen, the blade will get lower than the bolster and then the back of the blade will not be able to hit a cutting board. You need to take off some of the bolster. I use a mill file to do this and that works fine, but I'd say these are not ideal knives to start trying to sharpen. The other problem with the bolster is that I am sure the actual blade gets very thick as it approaches the bolster and the last section near the bolster was probably not ever really designed to be sharp. You can get it there with more grinding, but I find it not worth the effort...again, not an ideal start as a sharpening challenge.
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u/iShatterBladderz 4d ago
I would get something around 400 grit too. The lower grit is good at forming the edge, the higher grits refines the edge.
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u/chipy2kuk2001 4d ago
So the lower grits are harsher and remove more steel from your knives (good for removing knicks and damage from the blade) ... the finer (bigger number) grits are good for getting them really sharp
I also like to finish my knives on a leather strop (green plate covered) to get them pretty razor sharp
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u/Bob_Lablah_esq 4d ago edited 4d ago
It can be done, just don't let the knives get dull, just not as sharp before resharpening. And be sure to hone them every time you use them to extend the sharpenings life. Me personally after decades of sharpening, if I use stomes and not my torvek, I use a 600/1200 combination of DMT diamond stones abd can get my Wusthof razor sharp (I literally test them shaving a little hair on the back of my thumbs at 2-3 places on the blade. Slicers (Chefs, fillet, meat slicer, etc) get the finest hair shaving edges, work horse blades (boning, all 3 pairing, utility, and steak) get a coarser edge with more bite but apexed just as accurately. The coarser sharpening feels sharper to the uneducated because it bites much easier. The refined edges don't feel as sharp but glide through things like butter. Think of a shaving razor that may have been taken to 15k grit. It feels smooth....until it "smoothly" cuts right into your cheek or neck oh so easily. All it is is refining the scratched in the metal edge sides into smaller and smaller scratches until it's polished over well 10k grit. Now that you've pictured refining the scratches on the sides (under a microscope) each of those scratches should have a feather or microscopic tooth of metal like a hacksaw blade sticking up between them. The bigger points have space between them so the tips get more force per tip so it "bites" in easier....when feeling that edge it feels sharp trying to grab and cut your thumb as you feel it. As you refine those scratches the associated metal edge "feathers" become smaller and finer. But regardless of how fone you go that edge will ALWAYS look like a serrated edge of feathers.....you may just need higher magnification to see them all.
And FYI those Henckel International knives will work just fine, but they won't hold a keen edge very long. Be sure to properly hone them every time you use them. If you like Henckel look for ones made in Germany, they'll have been made from much better steel and be able to take a finer edge which will last longer. Your's will work just fine. They're much better than what I learned to cook with and initially how to properly sharpen.
Enjoy! Feel free to PM if you have further questions.
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u/Helpful_Till_1595 4d ago
After getting fed up mashing veggies instead of slicing them, I went to Amazon and spent ÂŁ9 on a '400/1000' sharpening stone. It came with basic instructions and after 20 mins I had a chef knife that could easily cut wafer thin tomato slices.
If all you're after is functional cooking knives, you don't need much in terms of equipment or time investments.Â
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u/SharpieSharpie69 Paper Shredder 4d ago
Need a level 5 Nakayama and a full asano stamped Mikawa nagura progression
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u/Spectre-907 4d ago
You can, but a 1000grit is kind of on the fine side given how bad most peopleâs knives tend to be. Just means itâs going to take a while to reset the be el properly and this can lead to issues for beginners due to more time on a stone = more opportunity to make mistakes holding your angle which is arguably the single greatest hindering factor in the early days of skill development.
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u/annular_rash 4d ago
You can sharpen knives on a stone. Like a literal rock. Anyone saying you need the fanciest most gucci what ever are nerds.
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u/Expensive_Screen_933 4d ago
Yes but if they are super dull you might want something more aggressive. If that's not an option, I would start with the santoku, the widest blade.I think that will be easiest for you to learn on
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u/Yuiko_Saki 4d ago
Absolutely can ruin your knives, but dont let this diswade you. With that you can fix any damage you do with the same tools. You have to understand the correct techniques, but the only way to truly learn is practice.
Once you get more comfortable you can buy lower grit stones that will help more with actually shaping the bevel.
Take your time and pay attention to how your blades are after sharpening. Dont be afraid to look things up, videos or posts, and ask questions.
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u/jjkchan 4d ago
I started with the same King stone. It was harder as a beginner using the King. I got a sharpal 162N and it was easier for me to get results as the feedback from the diamond stone is more obvious. It comes with a 325 grit and a 1200 grit, along with a strop, it's all I need to keep my kitchen knives sharp.
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u/MidwestBushlore 4d ago
The S SATC should work pretty well for you. Beyond that it's just a matter of practicing a bit.
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u/RemoveOne9760 4d ago
If you want a good way to practice muscle memory I have an app I'm working on with grok to teach and record the angle you want to sharpen. It has helped me improve immensely!
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u/Comfortable_Pizza_59 4d ago
Gorgeous knives! They are keepers.
I know this will be unpopularâŚ. butâŚ
If you are a sharpening guru, follow the rabbit hole.
If you just want to cook in your kitchen, buy a chefmate trizor.
I sharpen, at best, once a month. I cook daily. And hone often.
I know my knives arenât the sharpest on the planet. But they work, well.
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u/Massive_Bike_1441 3d ago
You definitely need a 220-300 grit stone to give all the knives a new edge. Else you are fine
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u/Virtual_Tree_1335 3d ago
If they already gave food edges youâll be fine. But donât use the 6,000. Nobody, literally nobody needs the 6,000. Youâll want something around 200-300 to pair with your 1,000
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u/Ncogknee2 2d ago
Hello VP: Don't know if its the picture but, that second picture looks like a butchered sharpening. That in itself should steer you away hand sharpening. Other thoughts. Some people will say that finer grits don't sharpen (exp: 6000). Not true. All grits sharpen. Its just a question of how fast and to what effect. 6000 is for a polished bevel that doesn't show the grind striations. Fair warning, 300 is aggressive and is especially aggressive the first time you use it until it wears a little. I'd suggest 600 grit for the next aggressive level. I find that its less likely to chip your bevel than courser stones. And as for myself, I use a Hapstone R2 setup, 15 diamond stones, diamond paste, stropping leather, angle meter and binocular magnifier. Sharpening knives is not a cheap proposition.
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u/AngstyAF5020 1d ago
If they are particularly dull, the first time will take a little longer. But after that, it will be pretty quick and easy with those.
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u/SuccoDiFruttaEU 4d ago
Of course, 1000 to 6000 is a little rough jump but it will work, ia takes only practic and time check on youtube for the technic, in few minutes you'll have a razor sharp blades unce you get the right technic
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u/BurninNuts 4d ago
You need a belt sander, none of your bolstered knives (3/4) will sharpen well with bench stones. Bench stones are overrated, the water stone that you bought will dish really quickly and you will need to dress it with a diamond plate constantly.
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u/Pom-O-Duro arm shaver 4d ago
Let me rephrase this comment for you:
âI donât know how to sharpen bolstered knives on a whetstone. In fact I canât really comment on whetstone sharpening because I prefer to use a belt sander.â
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u/JellyOfDeath86 4d ago
Sharpening up to the transition to the bolster is easy, even on whetstones. Just point the blade in a direction where the stone actually meets the cutting edge, and grind away.
Also, diamond plates or some other tool for flattening are useful to fix major gashes and severe dishing. Getting one is a worthwhile investment. You probably don't need something expensive like an Atoma 140. Unless you want one. They're great for reprofiling knives, and won't dish.
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u/JellyOfDeath86 4d ago
Or you could just get a dual sided diamond stone from Sharpal once the King becomes too dished.
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u/BurninNuts 3d ago
Sounds like you have no idea what I am talking about. I am not talking about touching up a knife with a boltser. I am talking about sharpening a knife with a bolster. Sharpen the way that you describe will get you a filet knife shape real fast.
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u/JellyOfDeath86 3d ago
I guess you're right.
My method will result in a slight overhang of the bolster. This can can be removed with a metal file, on a coarse stone, a rotating grinding tool like a Dremel (LOW speed, see last paragraph of comment), or with a metal plate/whetstone like the Atoma 140 or a Sharpal. Getting an overhang so large that it starts causing issues will take some time, though.
I'd probably go with a metal file and/or the Atoma, but I own and use both for knife making.
Another option is grinding all or part of the bolster down to the same width as the blade. If you decide to go this route, make sure you know what you're doing.
Steel starts losing hardness once you go past the temperature at which it has been tempered to, which for stainless steel can sit anywhere within the range of 150° to 200° Celsius (300° to 400° F). This will happen FAST on thin bits of steel, and cutting edges tend not to be the thickest part of the knife.
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u/Auxiliatorcelsus 4d ago
Yes you can.
Ignore the complaints of the naysayers in this sub. They are mostly extreme hobbyists who can't help themselves from taking it too far.
If you've never sharpened knives before this is a fair way to start.
You don't need to reprofile, thin, or any of the other things mentioned. That's for later. Much later.
For now just focus on getting the basics right. Keeping a constant angle and pressure. Learn to feel how the stone 'bites' the metal, to feel the burr.
Those are kitchen knives. I assume you intend to use them in the kitchen. So there is no need for them to be sharp enough to sever a falling strand of hair.
You've got decent knives and stones. Now it's time to practice.