How to sharpen and polish the knife
The difference between strengthening and grinding
It is a common misconception that you can sharpen a knife with a sharpening steel. A sharpening steel does not sharpen the knife, it strengthens it. This means that you remove microscopic particles that come loose during normal use of the knife. Etgrinding steel straightens the edge, but removes almost no metal and therefore has no grinding effect.
- Traditional sharpening steels fit the European knives, but are too soft to have any effect on the Japanese knives.
- Ceramic grinding steels are harder and are used on Japanese knives.
- Diamond sharpeners are effective for Japanese knives, but the knife edge is coarser than with a ceramic sharpening steel.
When the knife edge does not become sharp enough with a knife steel, you must sharpen the knife and get a new raw egg. That's when the grindstones come into the picture.
Use of grinding steel
A good sharpening steel is always a great way to maintain the knife wall. A steel should not be used to sharpen the steel, but should straighten the edge of the knife. There are many techniques for just this, but the most important thing is to keep the knife at the right angle; 15
°-16.
Use of grindstone
Grinding stone is a tool for sharpening the knife by sanding the steel until you have a new knife wall (raw egg) or maintaining the existing knife wall. Grinding stones come in several "degrees of roughness" from 60 and all the way up to 10,000 where the higher the number, the finer the stone. For a smoother result, you are welcome to go through 3-4 different stones where you start at 200, 800, 1200 and finish with 8000 or finer. Here there are also many techniques but again the same tip; keep the same angular degree of 15
°-16. A good tip for beginners is to use a "knife holder or grinding support"as one puts on the back of the knife and ensures a steady angle all the way.
Soak the stones before you start grinding. A medium coarse stone must lie in a water bath approx. 1520 minutes before use. A fine stone does not need to lie for more than 5 minutes..
How big should the angle be Our Japanese knives have a sharpening angleå
15°-16°.
It can be difficult to find the right grinding angle. Our grinding stone comes with a practical grinding support that you can use until you get the feeling. The support is easy to step on and off the knife blade. Just remember to place it parallel to the edge and not directly against the back of the knife.
Once you have found the right sharpening angle, take a good grip on the knife. We recommend holding the shaft with your right hand and placing your left middle finger and index finger at the front of the knife blade. Pull the knife back and forth over the grindstone while pressing lightly with your fingers on the blade. Make sure that the whole edge comes into contact with the stone when you grind.
Keep the grindstone moist by dripping water on it at regular intervals. Do not rinse away the clay that is created on the stone. It helps with grinding. After a while, the knife blade will have a rough edge, so-called raw egg. When you can feel the raw-egg layer throughout the blade, the page is finished grinding. Turn the knife over and release on the other side.
Once you have sharpened the raw edge on both sides, it is time to switch to a finer grindstone. Repeat the process, but with less pressure on the blade. Polish the blade until you have a mirror-shiny surface and there are no raw eggs left.
Help the knife maintain its sharpness by maintaining it properly. Wash the knife by hand, wipe it off after use and store it in a safe place, away from hands and rattling cutlery. For example, on our magnet holder that you will findhere.