How to Sharpen a Japanese steel knife
Learn how to sharpen your Japanese Steel knife from start to finish.
1 | Preparation :
Before starting the sharpening process, make sure you have all the materials at hand:
- Your Yuzu knife
- A 1000/3000 dual-sided whetstone (like ours)
- A container of water for soaking the stone
â—‹ To ensure the whetstone is ready for sharpening, you'll need to soak it in water for about 10-15 minutes.
â—‹ This soaking process saturates the stone and minimizes friction, providing a smooth surface for sharpening.
â—‹ Leave it to soak until bubbles have mostly stopped coming from the stone.
Secure the Stoneâ—‹ Place the soaked whetstone on a stable surface, such as a countertop or a table. Ours comes with a stable wooden base to keep it in place on countertops.
○ If yours doesn’t have a base, consider using slightly wet towel underneath the stone to prevent any unwanted movement during sharpening.
Stone prepâ—‹ Splash a little bit of water on top of the stone if it is feeling a bit dry, keep doing this throughout the sharpening process if it starts feeling dry and rough.
○ It is important to keep the residue that forms during the process on the stone, this helps with the sharpening, so don’t wash it off!
2 | Sharpening :
â—‹ Take your knife and hold the handle firmly with your dominant hand, and keep the blade at the right angle with your other hand, grabbing it roughly in the middle.
â—‹ Position the blade at a 15 degree angle against the whetstone. You can use the spine of the knife as a guide to help you maintain the correct angle throughout the sharpening process.
â—‹ This is about as high as two 20p coins stacked.
Start with the Coarse Side (1000 Grit)â—‹ Begin the sharpening process by using the coarse side of the whetstone (1000 grit).
â—‹ Apply light pressure on the knife and slide it across the stone, moving from the base to the tip of the blade.
â—‹ It is often easier to pull the knife towards you, with the sharp edge facing away. Repeat this motion 15-20 times on one side before switching to the other side.
○ Consistency is key to achieving an even edge, this takes practice so don’t get discouraged!
Perform the Burr Testâ—‹ To check if you've properly sharpened the knife, gently run your fingertip from the spine towards the edge of the blade (be careful!).
â—‹ If you feel a slight burr, it indicates that you've sharpened it correctly.
â—‹ Try to even out this burr as much as possible by switching between sides.
Switch to the Fine Side (3000 Grit)â—‹ Flip the whetstone to the finer side (3000 grit).
â—‹ Repeat the same process of sliding the knife across the stone, but this time apply even lighter pressure.
â—‹This step helps refine the edge further, creating a smoother and sharper finish.
3 | Cleanup :
â—‹ After sharpening, rinse the knife thoroughly under running water to remove any metal particles and residue from the sharpening process.
â—‹ Once clean, dry the knife with a clean tea towel.
Clean the Whetstoneâ—‹ Rinse the whetstone as well to remove any metal shavings and debris.
â—‹ Allow it to air dry completely before storing it for future use.
Paper testâ—‹ Test the new edge on your knife by holding a piece of paper in the air and slicing it by pushing the knife into the edge of the paper.
â—‹ If it slices cleanly without ripping you have successfully sharpened your knife, and it has a screamingly sharp edge again!
Shop whetstone
get the right tool for the job
Dual-Sided Whetstone
• This Japanese style dual sided Whetstone is the perfect tool to quickly and precisely sharpen and maintain your knives.
• Featuring a 1000/3000 grit dual-sided surface, the 1000 side is perfect for getting a sharp edge quickly while the 3000 side is ideal for polishing and obtaining a razor-sharp finish.Â
• Comes with a sturdy wooden base to fix the stone in place while sharpening.