Sharpening A Kitchen Knife, Beginner-Style

You mention, that a Spyderco Double Stuff is even harder to use. If you have that Medium-Fine-Combination, this stone is very fine (although it is called medium). It is a stone for honing and not for setting a bevel. Meaning: If your knife is not sharp already, it most likely won't get sharp with that stone.
And the Double Stuff is quite small. 13 cm x 2,5 cm, right? Your knife has a 19cm blade. It is possible to sharpen even longer blades on pocket stones, but this needs some practice. For a novice not an easy task, because on smaller stones it is not easy to keep the angle.
 
P Papilio : Yes, the small size of the Double Stuff makes it challenging. And hones that are hand-held, like the Double Stuff or a ceramic rod, are more difficult than a bench stone.

I have to decide if I'm going to keep trying with the stones that I have or buy larger ones. All it takes is money, right?
 
M Mister Coffee

Do you have some smaller knives, like a paring knife you can practice on? Something 4" or below would be ideal for you to hone your skills on.
(See what I did there?)

Seriously, part of the education process is not trying to jump in to the deep end of the pool until you learn how to float / swim first.

A small blade will help you get to the "aha!" moment more quickly.

And the 6x2" plates will be fine for that size as they will accommodate much of the blade. Much easier to hold a steady angle that way. Leave the Double Stuff for now. It's great, but not what you need at the moment.
 
The Double Stuff is an excellent stone. I don't know if it is already time to buy other stones. Sharpening needs practice. In my case: Years. And there are still those days...nothing works. I dull a knife that I have sharpened many times. To a shaving sharpness. Then I want to through everything out of the window. Literally.
Maybe you try other techniques? There are many. Edge trailing, edge leading, circular motions. In my experience - especially on pocket stones - it is much easier for me to keep the angle when I use circular motions. From heel to tip. Just a thought.
 


(You don't have to do back and forth scrubbing...you can do single strokes as well. But this shows you what you can do on the small plate and with a harder steel than your kitchen knives.)
 
Blues Blues : I started with smaller knives. One of them was a cheap-o super market purchase made of unknown steel. One of them was this Zwilling Henckels.

I've watched most of Jdavis882's videos. Following his suggestions, I bought two DMT stones, the Double Stuff, a Spyderco ultra fine ceramic stone, a green compound stropping block. I think I got everything but the "We Love Jdavis882" t-shirt.
 
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Okay...then there's no substitute for practice at this point but I will make the following suggestion.

The easiest way that I can recommend to you to get a good edge would be to raise a small burr on both sides with your diamond hones...(first one side, followed by the other)...

...and finish on a Spyderco Sharpmaker by alternating light strokes on the 20 degree (40 degree inclusive) side to clean up and set your edge, (and perhaps create a micro-bevel).

You can do the same thing as the Sharpmaker if you just prop a hone at the 20 degree (from vertical) angle, but the Sharpmaker makes things so easy, and is great for maintaining the sharp edge you've created with very little effort.

I don't know of a simpler method to both sharpen and maintain...so that will conclude my remarks unless you have a question directed to me.
 
Zwilling Henckels is a Manufacturer from the german "knife city" Solingen. Their knives are not bad, Friodur ice hardened steel. I own a similar knife. This is one of my most used knives. Doens't stay sharp very long, but gets super sharp.
DMT, Spyderco Double Stuff + UF...that is a very good set, in my opinion. I don't think that your stones are the reason. Sorry, I don't want to insult you. Practice. With the right technique and those excellent hones you should be able to get your knives razor sharp. It takes time to reach that level. Don't throw in the towel (if that's the term).
 
Another thought: Do you clean your stones regularly? When a stone clogs (metal), it does not work anymore. Ceramics (Spyderco) are quite prone for clogging quickly.
 
Mister Coffee said:
One thing I have noticed: Everything gets worse when I go from Course to Fine.
Click to expand...
That is a strong indication your angle control might be the prime culprit, with too much pressure a possible second.

Work on making the best coarse edge you are capable of, it can be finished off on a finer stone, with that knife you could even just elevate the angle slightly and 'steel' it on the glazed rim of a coffee cup or bowl and be shaving armhair cleanly.

Getting a consistent edge off the coarse stone is the backbone of hand sharpening skill. In reality that is the bulk of the craft, finish work becomes almost an afterthought if the initial stage is spot-on.

Use a Sharpie often, study the grind area for multiple facets, excessive convexing, signs that your angle control is poor.

As with coarse stone work, angle control is fundamentally important as it allows you to do whatever needs doing with a minimum of time and fuss and increasingly better results.

Look at your hands and the knife, watch for shifting of the knife at start and end of the stroke.

On a personal level I found ceramics and diamonds to be very difficult when I was learning compared to combination silicon carbide bench stones or trusty King waterstones (which really elevated my sharpening consistency). Diamonds and ceramics tend not to have as good tactile feedback off the surface, make burrs far more readily and be less forgiving when removing them.

With some skill and experience this matters less and less, but when starting out can give you fits.
 
Posted this up before but here is a very short video demo'ing coffee cup sharpening on a Vic utility kitchen knife. Very basic, reset the edge by grinding, check for both sides reaching the apex, check for burr -brush it off if one is there, finish with expedient means. Not a super duper edge but plenty good for utility. I like a finer edge on my choppers, but have used this exact method on my Chef's knife and it gets sharp enough to drop through a tomato under its own weight with a pull, or stick an olive from only a few inch drop.
 
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