# trying to learn how to sharp



## guga (Apr 14, 2011)

hi, I am back again but now with a couple of questions about sharpening, As I said in another post, now I will focus on learning how to sharp my knives and later i will get a j-knife. 
I currently own a few Wusthof Ikon knives and want to learn how to sharp them properly (dont worry I also have a few $5 to practice on)

My questions are:

- which stone should I get?? I cant really spend a lot of money on this
- the stone that I buy, can be also used on my future japanese knife?
- what angle should I use on the wusthof? (I saw a video on youtube and they were using a 20 +/- angle
- where can i get a good basic sharpening tutorial?

and last

- i have notice that one of mi knives has tiny marks from getting it in and out of the "plastic knife protector", is there a product to polish this marks of?


thanks everyone who has help me on this forum.

guga


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## aaronsgibson (Apr 14, 2011)

Well since you don't want to spend a lot I would suggest getting a King 1k and 6k stone they sell them for about 40$ and they are a good combination. 
Second is yes they can be used on just about any Japanese knives that you will buy. 
I haven't owned a wusthof for many years but 20-22 sounds about right, if you go to about 15 where most Japanese knives are sharpened the edge probably won't last long.
As for basic sharpening here is a hell of a good place to start. Lots of knowledge and friendly people. Dave sells a dvd that covers both basic and advance so you might want to look into that. Others will chime in on this but that is my .02$ I've been sharpening for 6 years and that is the stone I started with and was happy with my results. It isn't all about what types of stones you have but most about technique and learning. Hope this helps.


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## mainaman (Apr 14, 2011)

the easiest sharpening tutorial is called youtube, just search for sharpening kitchen knives and watch all you can find soon you will have an idea what to do, it is not a rocket science really.


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## Citizen Snips (Apr 14, 2011)

i agree with the glorious site called youtube. i also agree with the combo king stone. i think once you get the king stone you will be able to get some hands on experience on what people may be talking about in videos. i would just find some videos and watch them a few times paying attention to where the fingers are placed on the method they use, the angle of the knife to the stone and the angle of the blade touching the stone. 

i wouldn't go as far as to say that it is not rocket science as there are quite a few things you can do "wrong" that will hinder your experience and learning curve but if you do something wrong and learn to do it right, you are learning and that is the key. 

as far as the scratches from the plastic, that is strictly aesthetics and as you sharpen there will be more and more. over time your blade will have quite a few because nobody is perfect when it comes to sharpening. i kinda like that the blade is not perfect looking because it gives each knife character and shows that you use them. also i would steer away from putting your knives into plastic holders


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## FryBoy (Apr 14, 2011)

From what I've seen, many of the YouTube knife sharpening videos are terrible; following the advice of these sell-appointed gurus could quickly destroy a good knife, and I ere call seeing a couple that suggest outright dangerous techniques.

How about some specific recommendations for the better sharpening videos on YouTube?

You might want to start here: 
http://www.**************.com/vitu.html

And here: 
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen.html 
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HowToSharpen2.html


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## JanusInTheGarden (Apr 14, 2011)

Couldn't hurt to mix in some classic bits of info from Dave and a technique that helped me learn (though I now use Dave's method). 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MezIEKGk9T0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duwt8oMZRaA

Between the cktg, Dave (get his DVD!), and C-Dawg, you can learn a lot. I'm still very new to all of this, but in a matter of months I've learned to grind some pretty awesome edges. Note that the link to the videos with Dave is part of a series.


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## guga (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks for the advice.

I've just order the king 1k/6k combination stone for $60 +/- shipped to Argentina, it will take 2-4 weeks to be delivered, so I have plenty of time to watch videos and keep on reading. 

Anything else that i may need??? I dont want to wait 4-6 weeks for then stone and the realized that I had to order something else.


Thanks

guga


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## Lefty (Apr 14, 2011)

What's the going price on amazon, for patience while learning?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Apr 14, 2011)

Lefty said:


> What's the going price on amazon, for patience while learning?


 
It's actually quite reasonable, but will be held up for weeks by customs.


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## FryBoy (Apr 14, 2011)

Just make sure you have a good supply of Band-Aids available -- you will probably cut your fingers more than a few times.


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## aaronsgibson (Apr 14, 2011)

The only other thing that I can think of is something to flatten your stone with, most people here use a DMX extra extra coarse plate but they cost about 75$, you can get away with using 220 grit drywall screens or sand paper. Just make sure when you flatten to do it on a already flat surface. But if you also have some wine corks around they are very good for de-burring your knives when you are ready to go from the 1k to the 6k. If I forgot anything else some of the others might chime in and add to it but I'm thinking you'll be good to go. Just practice and take your time. Don't go fast and check your work to make sure you are hitting the edge. Hope this helps.


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## SpikeC (Apr 14, 2011)

If you check out Murray Carter's videos you will see that all you really need is a big chunk of cement and a piece of cardboard!

oke1:


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## Eamon Burke (Apr 14, 2011)

King 1k/6k for stones.

The internet taught me to sharpen, it can do the same for you. If you have some extra dollars, Dave(from JapaneseKnifeSharpening.com) has a DVD, and so does Murray Carter(From Murray Carter knives by Murray Carter, a trademark of Murray Carter, Carter Cutlery Industries).

Your next purchase after a knife and a simple coarse/fine soaker type stone should be a basic strop. But there's no need to fiddle with that until you get working the stones down.


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## TB_London (Apr 15, 2011)

Colouring the bevel with a marker pen will help you to see where you're hitting, which is really useful when learning. I started on a 1k/6k and it's the stone I always loan out when people want to learn. If you're starting with a blunt knife make sure you stay on the 1k side for long enough. Until it's sharp at 1k, 6k won't do anything except make it look prettier


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## guga (Apr 15, 2011)

"Thank you for your purchase and quick payment. I have shipped your whetstone to you via SAL. Japan Post said yours would arrive there in 2-6 weeks. "

Well, I only have to wait now


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