Finding the Right Angles

210 Takamura Gyuto, 165mm Masamoto Nakiri, Nenox Carbon Fiber S1 Petty

One of my main objectives is to allow people to experience sharpening the right way. I have taught a handful of people on how to sharpen their knives and the main reason why most of them think that hand sharpening knives is a difficult task is because they find it hard to get the angles right. The main problem is that people tend to listen to tutorials that tell them to strictly abide by the specific degree the manufacturer or the seller tells them to sharpen their knives at. When they are told that their knives are sharpened to a certain degree, be it 15, 20 or so degrees, they panic and just sort to  buying the most economical manual sharpener they can get. This is the first way of actually ruining your knife and your skill as a sharpener.

It is impossible for a device to tell you that a specific degree of angle is suitable for your knives. It might work on one, but not all. It might work once, but not always. A sharpening jig does not, in any way account the geometry, thickness or asymmetry your knife has. It cannot by any means compare to what you can do by hand sharpening them. Of course you need time to practice and hone your skills but that is the fun part.

By hand sharpening your knives, you get to feel and decide the right type of sharpening process you would like on your own knife. The manufacturer's angle advice is only a guideline. The angle is determined by you feeling out the knife's bevel flat on the stone. In other words, every knife will tell you what angle it needs to be sharpened.They aren't all the same. All you have to do is listen to your knife and feel where the right angle touches your edge and form your burrs. This takes practice but isn't that hard. The most important thing about this is to stick to a certain angle for a specific knife. Whatever ratio the bevel on your knife is, be it 50/50, 70/30/ 80/20, you have to stick to a certain angle all throughout your sharpening process while keeping in mind your knife's bevel ratios. Consistency is the way to go. Practice maintaining that certain angle of yours throughout your process never paying critical attention to the specific degree people tell you to do.

Once you get the hang of it, you will notice how your knife reacts to that specific angle and then you can adjust by hand. Don't worry, you won't ruin your knife that easily as long as you stick to medium grit stones at a standard pressure. Always stop and look at what part of your knife you're taking away steel from. Never just abrade steel without knowing what part gets thinned. Feel the burrs and strive for consistency all throughout the blade. Know how your knife cuts and adjust the thickness (this is if you're ready to try coarser stones, of course).

It pays to sharpen your knives by hand. There is no other way. Do not listen to other people telling you to use manual sharpeners. Not all knives are the same. If you value your knife as much as your craft, learn how to sharpen. I believe that this is one of the most important skills to learn in the kitchen. If the only problem is you finding the angle, I hope you get the courage to follow my advice and start using your sharpening stones.