Knife Sharpening - Method

Method

Knife sharpening proceeds in several stages, in order from coarsest (most destructive) to finest (most delicate). These may be referred to either by the effect or by the tool. Naming by effect, the stages are:

1. sharpening – removing metal to form a new edge
   1. rough sharpening (using either water stones, oil stones, or medium grits of sandpaper in the scary sharp method of sharpening)
   2. fine sharpening (using the same tools as above, but in finer grits)
2. straightening – straightening the existing metal on the blade, but not removing significant quantities of metal
3. polishing (also called stropping)– giving a mirror finish, but not significantly altering the edge.
   • polishing may also be achieved by buffing a blade: instead of moving the knife against a flat leather strop loaded with fine abrasive, the knife is held still and a powered circular cloth wheel is moved against the knife.

Named by tools, the same three stages are:

1. grinding (on a grinding wheel) or whetting (on a whetstone)
2. steeling, using a honing steel
3. stropping, on a razor strop or buffing on a wheel

The word "honing" is ambiguous, and may refer to either fine sharpening (step 1.2) or straightening (step 2).

The finest level of sharpening is done most frequently, while the coarser levels are done progressively more rarely, and sharpening methods differ between blades and applications.

For example, a straight razor used for shaving is stropped before each use, and may be stropped part-way through use, while it will be fine sharpened on a stone a few times per year, and re-ground on a rough stone after several years.

By contrast, a kitchen knife is steeled before or after each use (and may be steeled during heavy use, as by butchers), and sharpened on a stone a few times per year.