Use a fine or superfine diamond stone, the edge you get will generally suit all purposes. Lay the blade flat on the whetstone, raise the ridge of the blade by its own thickness and move the blade in circles or figures of eight. Alternatively, try cutting thin slices from the whetstone! Impossible, of course, but now you are holding the knife at the right angle and making the right movement. Start with the diamond whetstone, and finish with the ceramic whetstone.
Same procedure here, try cutting thin slices from the sharpening rod. See the illustration below.
Try for yourself to shape the edge which fits your wishes best by grinding and honing the edge to different thicknesses. Keep in mind that a thick edge will last better than a thin one, but doesn’t feel as sharp nor does it cut wood like a thin edge will – find out what suits you best. Always keep the knife sharp, as a proper knife will be used with respect and will do the job perfectly well, a dull one might cause injury.
It can be difficult to see where on the edge the whetstone is working, but the following trick can make it much easier. Colour the edge with a felt-tip pen or similar, and it will immediately be easier to see exactly where the sharpening occurs.
The best way to test the sharpness is to draw very lightly the edge on a fingernail. You can feel directly whether the knife is sharp or not, and it is a fairly safe way to test the sharpness.
Several of our knives have a convex edge (axe edge). This kind of edge can seem difficult to sharpen. However, if you use a handheld diamond whetstone and the above mentioned felt-tip trick, it is fairly easy to sharpen the convex edge, but as with everything, practice makes perfect.
After some years’ active use, the edge finally becomes so thick that the blade needs to be re-ground, that is, slimmed down so that you can continue to use a whetstone or steel on your knife. If you do not have access to machines or the know-how to do this, you can send the knife to us for regrinding. We grind the knife in-house, restoring it practically to the original form and finish.
