First sharpen (with the right angle) your knife using a medium
For the first step in sharpening undamaged and regularly maintained knives, stones with 800-2000 grit are a good choice. For basic sharpening, it is best to use a 1000-grit sharpening stone. Stones with grit sizes above 3000 are suitable for final, smooth sharpening and for removing the burr.
Because of this, the sanding process usually involves starting with lower grits and advancing to higher grits. Each increasing grit number will smooth the scratches left by the former grit, resulting in a surface that's smooth to the touch and without visible scratches.
Start with your lower grit whetstone. For kitchen knives, a good starting point is 1000 grit for the first sharpening, and 6000 grit for finishing/honing, so they're the numbers we'll use in this guide.
If your knives are very dull or have nicks and chips, start with a coarse grit, such as 200 to 400, to remove the imperfections and reshape the edge. Once you have achieved the desired shape, move on to a medium grit, around 1000 to 3000, to refine the edge and remove any remaining scratches.
Sharpening Knives
To sharpen a very dull knife, use first the coarse and then the fine side of the whetstone; to sharpen a blade in better shape, use only the fine side. Have badly chipped or serrated knives professionally sharpened.
Coarse grits (120-400): Ideal for repairing damaged blades or addressing severely dull edges. Medium grits (700-2000): Commonly used for routine sharpening, with 700-1200 being particularly effective. Fine grits (2000+): Serve to refine the edge and remove scratches left by coarser stones.
Most pros would agree that pulling the blade edge across the whetstone produces the best results. Not only will it bring the knife to its sharpest but it's also a much more effective way to remove chips and imperfections from the blade.
Generally speaking, you'll want to use coarse grits (P8 - P80) for stock removal and the stripping of paints and varnishes. You'll then want to use medium grits (P100 - P220) for prepping and shaping materials followed by fine grits (P240+) for sharpening and polishing.
If your knife is simply dull and doesn't require repair, like fixing a chipped tip or nicked blade, a good starting point is between 800 and 1,000 grit.
Using a stone to sharpen a knife is a simple process that's easy to learn but difficult to master. For most knives that fail the tomato test we recommend using a series of three stones to bring your knife back to an excellent edge. The 3 grits we recommend are roughly 400, 1000 and 3000.
What Does the Grit Number on Sandpaper Mean? The grit of sandpapers is a rating of the size of abrasive materials on the sandpaper. The higher grit number is equivalent to a finer abrasive, which creates smoother surface finishes. Lower grit numbers represent coarser abrasives that scrape off materials much quicker.
Whetstones will crack or break from too much weight being placed on them. If you store multiple on top of each other, the lower ones have a high chance of cracking.
Common mistakes include twisting, pressing down or pausing the stroke of knives as you pull them through the sharpener slot. This can cause oversharpening (the loss of too much metal) or result in an uneven edge.
While some stones – like those made of diamond or ceramic – can be used dry, they still usually benefit from a little water. Soaking the whetstone is important because it helps protect the stone from damage and wear. Sharpening your knives with a dry stone won't hurt the knife, but it will damage the stone over time.
You want to start with a more abrasive grit and then use successively finer grits.
It's worth noting that on most projects, you will start off with a coarse sandpaper then work your way up to a fine one.
Start with a fine sharpening stone ranging from 1000 to 3000 grit, followed by an extra-fine sharpening stone ranging from 3000 to 5000 grit.
Short answer is whatever feels comfortable and works for you. I tend to do back and forth while gradually moving up and down the blade. On my cheap utility knives, this works fine all through the grits, then I finish with edge leading on the steel.
A whetstone can help you to keep the blade of a knife nice and sharp with just one or two strokes, which saves time in the kitchen.
Pressure should be firm, but gentle. The blade should glide smoothly across the stone as you pull. If you need help maintaining your angle, you can use an angle guide.
To begin, select a stone in the middle of your grit options. This may be a 1000 Grit water stone, a fine DMT Diamond Stone, or a fine Norton India Stone. This really is guesswork at first, but with experience, you'll get better at it. Using your chosen grit, give your knife a dozen or so strokes on one side.
Soak the whetstone: Soak your coarse grit whetstone for 15 to 20 minutes. Soak your fine grit whetstone for 5 minutes. 3. Remove the whetstone and set on a towel: After soaking, place your whetstone in the center of a kitchen towel.