Whetstone Sharpening - what went wrong?

D

drew4392

Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
4
Hi all--

Let me first say, I've read a TON and watched many videos before attempting my first sharpening. I thought I had it all figured out, but something went awry. Hoping you might be able to shed some light on my little issue.

Before taking my Shun knives to the Shun (1000/6000) stones, I bought a crappy $6 santoku from Target to practice on. Stones soaked, did my best to maintain the angle, sharpened each side for ~4 minutes on #1000 stone, and this thing was just as dull as before I started.

Ugh.

So... either I wasn't applying enough pressure (about 2-4lbs), didn't do it long enough on 1000 stone, or this knife is too crappy to be sharpening on a stone (packaging said it was high carbon steel). In the numerous videos I watched, chips were remedied with #1000, so I thought this was more than fine for a new blade.

One other thought is that I didn't feel a burr after completing the one side. Not sure if that's an indicator of anything.

Should I use a "proper" kitchen knife that is dull, or was the cheap-o santoku not tahe culprit?

thanks, all!!
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I'm moving this to the correct forum where you'll get the most help.
 
Did you work on raising a burr on one side?

Most likely you weren't hitting the very edge so it wasn't being sharpened. Did you use a sharpie to see where you were removing material? That, or you have a wire edge/burr that is flopped over and needs to be removed.

Edit: already been moved to correct forum
 
drew4392 said:
Hi all--

Let me first say, I've read a TON and watched many videos before attempting my first sharpening. I thought I had it all figured out, but something went awry. Hoping you might be able to shed some light on my little issue.

Before taking my Shun knives to the Shun (1000/6000) stones, I bought a crappy $6 santoku from Target to practice on. Stones soaked, did my best to maintain the angle, sharpened each side for ~4 minutes on #1000 stone, and this thing was just as dull as before I started.

Ugh.

So... either I wasn't applying enough pressure (about 2-4lbs), didn't do it long enough on 1000 stone, or this knife is too crappy to be sharpening on a stone (packaging said it was high carbon steel). In the numerous videos I watched, chips were remedied with #1000, so I thought this was more than fine for a new blade.

One other thought is that I didn't feel a burr after completing the one side. Not sure if that's an indicator of anything.

Should I use a "proper" kitchen knife that is dull, or was the cheap-o santoku not tahe culprit?

thanks, all!!
Click to expand...

Doubtful it's the "cheap-o" knife. Most likely not hitting the edge... if you can't feel a burr.

dhaman just posted a good picture on checking where you're hitting the edge using a Sharpie...

b8d5ba8ec7.jpg

(credit to dhaman)

... check out his post (and thread that's covering a similar problem)...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...oing-wrong-sharpening?p=16793360#post16793360

p.s. If you haven't seen it by now... (Sharpening a $1 knife)...

[video=youtube;7dFFEBnY0Bo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dFFEBnY0Bo[/video]
 
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Drew,

I think you started on too high of a grit stone for that knife if the edge was that bad. I have a number of stones, including a Shun 300/1000. The Shun isn't a bad stone. Fairly average 2-sided Japanese water stone, just typically priced higher than some better stones.

I was using my (brand new) Shun 300/1000 to refine the factory edge of a new Zwilling Pro knife I bought recently. I used the 300-side first to get a nice even bevel on both sides and clean up the factory burr before switching to the 1000 side. I noticed that the 1000 side seemed rather smooth and wasn't doing much cutting of the steel until I had been at it a bit, and it wasn't very thirsty after the initial 20 min soak. It was acting more like a splash-and-go stone.

It wasn't until after I decided to flatten the Shun using a diamond plate that it started to have a really good feel and start to work well with the knife edge. Now it has a much better feel that the factory surface is gone and it's using fresh abrasive.

So I think the issue is that the Shun stones need a little break-in time, or at least could benefit from an initial flattening or use of a slurry stone before first use. I wouldn't really increase pressure much - it's a softer stone and you can gouge it.
 
2-4# pressure is plenty, like many tools, forcing does more harm then good, let the the tool(s) do the work.

My guess,
A) your angle wasn't the best. Take your time, go slow, and watch what you're doing, making sure you are in fact getting the edge.
B) you rushed it... on a (very) dull knife, starting at 1000 grit is doable, but may take much more time to get a good, even, clean - "bite". 4 mins. can fly by when sharpening, if as a newbie (take note of (A)) going slow, it'll take more time: and rushing, as a newb, at the wrong angle, will do you no good whatsoever
C) if that dull to begin with, start with a lower grit that will bite more right off the bat. For very dull knives, you are essentially reprofiling the edge but on a smaller scale.

My advice - a+b+c
Get a lower grit stone, do exactly what you did but much slower, paying close attention to what you're doing, (since you're just starting out and don't have a natural feel for it yet), to help ensure you have, hold, and keep your angle.
DON'T PRESS HARDER THOUGH. you'll risk warping your stone. The natural weight of the knife with minimal pressure to guide it at angle should suffice.

Keep practicing on those cheapo knives...

Best daily applicable advice I've taken with me from my time in the military is, "slow is smooth and smooth is fast!":(
 
Try starting with a coarser hone, then work up to the finer grit. I've found a slightly coarser/toothier edge works better on fibrous materials -- veggies, meat.
 
Thanks everyone! After some thought, I will definitely try the sharpie method and most certainly use a courser stone. I'll report back with results!
 
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