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I have a Japanese Shun chef's knfve, and I've been bad about sharpening it. I haven't sharpened it since buying it in August and now it takes a bit of effort to slice through a potato or carrot.

I just bought a Japanese Water stone on recommendation from my butcher, it's dual sided with 1,000 grit on one side and 4,000 on the other. The advice I was given, was to sharpen it on the fine side (4,000) weekly and the coarse (1,000) ever few months. Given, that I've never sharpened it since buying it months ago, should I start on the 1,000 side and then give it a go on the 4,000 side ?

AfterWorkGuinness
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    Also... if this is your first time sharpening a knife with a water stone (sounds like it), practice on something cheap. Getting it wrong (e.g., wrong angle) can do some serious damage to the knife. – derobert Dec 19 '16 at 14:28
  • How do I find the right angle? – AfterWorkGuinness Dec 19 '16 at 15:16
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    Start with the courser (smaller number). Many guides and videos on the Internet. http://www.knifeplanet.net/how-to-sharpen-knife-on-japanese-water-stone/ You should practice with the finer stone. – paparazzo Dec 19 '16 at 16:31
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    Also include stropping in your knife maintenance regime - a supply of clean whole newspapers is all you need, but flat leather with or without polishing paste will work too. .... Was the "fine side weekly" recommendation given for professional-duty use? – rackandboneman Dec 19 '16 at 16:55
  • Regarding the angle: Assuming it is a VG10-cored knife and has reasonably symmetrical geometry: 14-18 degrees per side if going for a simple "V" edge, 10-12 if you intend to put a very minute, less steep bevel on top of it (a so called microbevel. For VG10, recommendable.). Mind that going back from a higher angle (18 degrees) means a lot of grinding work! Also, doing a big angle change on too fine a stone tends to leave you with a convex edge (sometimes desirable, sometimes not). – rackandboneman Dec 19 '16 at 17:01
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    Ask the manufacture for their recommendations. – Optionparty Dec 20 '16 at 03:55

1 Answers1

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Yes. The coarser grit removes material faster, but leaves a rougher finish. The finer side then allows you to bring the edge to a fine polish. The most important thing to remember when sharpening is to keep the blade at a constant angle relative to the stone -- don't change the tilt of the blade as you move or you'll just make a mess of it.

Ernest Friedman-Hill
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    Also look at how the knife's edge is currently bevelled - some knives only have a bevel on one side. If that's the case, don't sharpen both sides. –  Dec 19 '16 at 14:32