The fuddy duddys who learned to sharpen on a norton stone blocked up with 3in1 oil from their uncles and won't let go of what little they know, won't agree but I am subscribed to this channel as it reflects my actual real experience sharpening. When I was younger I never stropped. WHAT A DIFFERENCE it makes! I have to admit though that I use a 1 by 2 by 24 inch piece of oak with green compound on it if I'm rushed. I also hold the knife still and run the oak over the edge like a file. AND this is the only video I have seen that mentions it is not good enough to grind a knife mercilessly against a stone till it is sharp but that the removal of the LEAST metal is the true sign of a craftsman. Good job Gage!
Nice video once again! Quick question about leather stropping. Which angle is it better to strop at for edge refinement? Are higher angles better for burr removal and same angle that you sharpened for edge refinement?
@@samuelprima Same here. I finish with Cerax 8000 and then strop with a cork strop at the same angle I sharpen with. I've been considering picking up some Shapton Glass for some time but I'm happy with what I've been using so I haven't so far. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but then again ---.
@@BarryKidd what grit Shapton Glass are you considering? I have the Shapton Glass 500 for repair jobs and really dull blades, and it performs very well. I love it. The other Shapton I have is the pro 1000. I have the Naniwa Pro 3000 and 5000 and I'm looking for an 8000 grit stone.
I use a steel rod on my German knives often For my Japanese blades, I'll use a rod from time to time, your 8000 grit in fact, for a quick and easy fix but not often. I prefer a strop. I use a cork strop with a 1-micron stropping compound and do it "almost" daily. I'm a home cook.
I appreciate that you have a clear rationale for your assessments on sharpening. It seems like for every food there might be a "dulling quotient" for every cut, and once you've reached a certain threshold (say, a tomato might be 0.1 and a beef chuck might be 1.0 and thus 1000 might be the honing stage and 10,000 might be the sharpening stone stage) a quantifiable scientific metric might be useful. Realistically, this is a pipe dream, I'm sure.
As a former straight razor shaver, that seems like a HUGE angle for the strop. It seems you take quite a risk of rolling the edge with that angle. Also, when changing direction on the strop try rolling the knife the other direction. It prevents tyros from dragging the edge across the leather if they lift too slowly.
I didn’t realize that honing took metal off the knife. I thought it just arranged the metal back to a point. But then again just how much honing would you have to do to take metal off? I would imagine a lot.
Never tried the vaccum pump, however I know that stones don't like fast changes so I would avoid that unless youre willing to possibly crack a stone. As for storing in water it depends on the stone. We have a couple at the shop that we perma soak including the Imanishi 220 and the Suehiro Rika 5k. The Imanishi is just so damn thirsty that without perma soaking water managment is a pain in the butt and the rika has better feedback and is much nicer for polishing bevels when perma soaked we find. Be advised that at the shop we run through stones a hell of a lot faster than home users will and the stones do get softer when perma soaked and run the risk of breaking into pieces if soaked for too long.
I don’t really get why we sharpen and polish our knives moving away from the edge but honing towards it. Wouldn’t it be better to hone away to not break the burr but just align it?
Which honing rod would you recommend for yu kurosakis r2 steel? The white or the black one? I am considering buying one that is best suitable for my yu kurosaki sg2 gyuto
you mentiones a 5000 grit stone for daily maintainance. I have a 1000 grit stone, should I follow up with a ceramic honing rod? I own both black and white
I wouldnt follow up with a rod after a stone regardless of the grit of the rod. You will not be able to maintain as consistent angle and pressure on a rod and will get better results from a 1000 grit stone. While ceramic rods do remove a bit of material (very minimal) they are just to realign the edge of the knife and if you rely on it to remove material and actually do any sharpening (more than 3-4 passes per side to hone the knife) you will mess up the profile of the knife over time which is a lot of work to fix, and you wont be able to sharpen it properly on a stone until it is fixed
Please let me slightly disagree. Honing rod never is the way to go. As you mention, later on, paddle with leather strop + compound is the only way to respect/maintain your knife, apart from super fine stone.
If I end my sharpening with a microbevel on a 5k stone then a leather strop, how would you recommend I hone? Would I hone at that high, microbevel angle?
The only time I really recommend microbeveling is to finish off a single bevel, on double bevels I tend to hone at the same angle I sharpen at. How far you're taking your knife during sharpening isn't as important as what you have time and space for when its time to hone! Even a coarse white rod is still finer than your last stone at 6k so I wouldn't worry about it too much!
@@SharpKnifeShop a des zas XX s XX z sa zazzaz XX XX zàzaa☺️😂😂☺️☺️😂☺️😂☺️😂😂☺️☺️😢💀😈😈😈😹😢😴😴😴😕😕😦🤤🤤🤤😴👈👈💋👈👿🖐🖐🧓👣👄🧕🫂🫂😹😹😈💋🧑⚕️🧑🍳🫂👄👄🦹♀️😈😹😯😳😳😈👈🏻👈🏻😳🧓💆😈😻😄😄😄😭😯😯😯😈😈👿🦹♀️🖐🏽
@@SharpKnifeShop The audio is so clear that I could hear that your smoke detector needs new batteries haha. But still great video I have a strop and was unsure if i needed a honing rod but will probably steer clear now thanks to this info.
The information in this video is incorrect. A steel straightens the blade, which is honing. To do this effectively, the steel needs to be softer than the blade. A diamond rod is a sharpening steel. Ceramic works the same. Japanese knives are beveled only on one side, to keep the relief on the outside, making the slicing motion smoother. That's all. It's at the expense of easy maintenance. Japanese style blades are a matter of taste, nothing more. Gordon Ramsay is a television personality. He's only a mediocre chef. Low mediocre. You can straighten the edge on the cutting board. I've done that quite a lot. A countertop works too, if you use the edge. All that's necessary is a way to bend the teeth back to straight. The finer the edge, the more often the edge needs to be straightened.
Thanks for the clarification on strops vs rods. Very helpful!
The fuddy duddys who learned to sharpen on a norton stone blocked up with 3in1 oil from their uncles and won't let go of what little they know, won't agree but I am subscribed to this channel as it reflects my actual real experience sharpening. When I was younger I never stropped. WHAT A DIFFERENCE it makes! I have to admit though that I use a 1 by 2 by 24 inch piece of oak with green compound on it if I'm rushed. I also hold the knife still and run the oak over the edge like a file.
AND this is the only video I have seen that mentions it is not good enough to grind a knife mercilessly against a stone till it is sharp but that the removal of the LEAST metal is the true sign of a craftsman.
Good job Gage!
Awesome! Thank you so much for taking my suggestion into consideration and making a video on honing steels! 🥳🥳🥳
Thanks for the idea!
My favorite honing rod is a smooth steel rod.
Nice video once again!
Quick question about leather stropping. Which angle is it better to strop at for edge refinement? Are higher angles better for burr removal and same angle that you sharpened for edge refinement?
Same angle as sharpening is what I lean toward. Light pressure.
@@samuelprima Same here. I finish with Cerax 8000 and then strop with a cork strop at the same angle I sharpen with.
I've been considering picking up some Shapton Glass for some time but I'm happy with what I've been using so I haven't so far. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" but then again ---.
@@BarryKidd what grit Shapton Glass are you considering? I have the Shapton Glass 500 for repair jobs and really dull blades, and it performs very well. I love it. The other Shapton I have is the pro 1000. I have the Naniwa Pro 3000 and 5000 and I'm looking for an 8000 grit stone.
@@samuelprima I was considering the 1000 and 8000.
Lol all the objects jumping around by themselves, that knife on the wall just disappearing and reappearing😂
I use a steel rod on my German knives often For my Japanese blades, I'll use a rod from time to time, your 8000 grit in fact, for a quick and easy fix but not often. I prefer a strop. I use a cork strop with a 1-micron stropping compound and do it "almost" daily.
I'm a home cook.
Never tried a cork strop before, have you also used leather to compare between the two?
@@SharpKnifeShop It's been years since I've used a leather strop. Been considering trying leather once again but no, I've never done a side by side.
@@SharpKnifeShop Just sent you an email.
I appreciate that you have a clear rationale for your assessments on sharpening. It seems like for every food there might be a "dulling quotient" for every cut, and once you've reached a certain threshold (say, a tomato might be 0.1 and a beef chuck might be 1.0 and thus 1000 might be the honing stage and 10,000 might be the sharpening stone stage) a quantifiable scientific metric might be useful. Realistically, this is a pipe dream, I'm sure.
If we were that good at math, we wouldn't be selling knives Ether ;)
As a former straight razor shaver, that seems like a HUGE angle for the strop. It seems you take quite a risk of rolling the edge with that angle.
Also, when changing direction on the strop try rolling the knife the other direction. It prevents tyros from dragging the edge across the leather if they lift too slowly.
I didn’t realize that honing took metal off the knife. I thought it just arranged the metal back to a point. But then again just how much honing would you have to do to take metal off? I would imagine a lot.
Could you possibly keep your whetstone stored in water? Or use a vacuum pump to quickly saturate your stone?
Never tried the vaccum pump, however I know that stones don't like fast changes so I would avoid that unless youre willing to possibly crack a stone. As for storing in water it depends on the stone. We have a couple at the shop that we perma soak including the Imanishi 220 and the Suehiro Rika 5k. The Imanishi is just so damn thirsty that without perma soaking water managment is a pain in the butt and the rika has better feedback and is much nicer for polishing bevels when perma soaked we find. Be advised that at the shop we run through stones a hell of a lot faster than home users will and the stones do get softer when perma soaked and run the risk of breaking into pieces if soaked for too long.
If you have a quality steel, you can hone. If you do it properly.
Amazing Video 👌👌👏👏👏👏
Agree in every way!!!
I don’t really get why we sharpen and polish our knives moving away from the edge but honing towards it. Wouldn’t it be better to hone away to not break the burr but just align it?
To properly sharpen you need to fully remove the Burr to reveal the apex. Most sharpeners "push and pull" the edge while sharpening.
Which honing rod would you recommend for yu kurosakis r2 steel? The white or the black one? I am considering buying one that is best suitable for my yu kurosaki sg2 gyuto
It's when I go out and smooch wit da honies...
you mentiones a 5000 grit stone for daily maintainance. I have a 1000 grit stone, should I follow up with a ceramic honing rod? I own both black and white
I wouldnt follow up with a rod after a stone regardless of the grit of the rod. You will not be able to maintain as consistent angle and pressure on a rod and will get better results from a 1000 grit stone. While ceramic rods do remove a bit of material (very minimal) they are just to realign the edge of the knife and if you rely on it to remove material and actually do any sharpening (more than 3-4 passes per side to hone the knife) you will mess up the profile of the knife over time which is a lot of work to fix, and you wont be able to sharpen it properly on a stone until it is fixed
Please let me slightly disagree. Honing rod never is the way to go. As you mention, later on, paddle with leather strop + compound is the only way to respect/maintain your knife, apart from super fine stone.
Coffee mug just appeared at 12:02.
You may also notice the Mazaki 270 comes and goes throughout ;)
If I end my sharpening with a microbevel on a 5k stone then a leather strop, how would you recommend I hone? Would I hone at that high, microbevel angle?
The only time I really recommend microbeveling is to finish off a single bevel, on double bevels I tend to hone at the same angle I sharpen at. How far you're taking your knife during sharpening isn't as important as what you have time and space for when its time to hone! Even a coarse white rod is still finer than your last stone at 6k so I wouldn't worry about it too much!
@@SharpKnifeShop a des zas XX s XX z sa zazzaz XX XX zàzaa☺️😂😂☺️☺️😂☺️😂☺️😂😂☺️☺️😢💀😈😈😈😹😢😴😴😴😕😕😦🤤🤤🤤😴👈👈💋👈👿🖐🖐🧓👣👄🧕🫂🫂😹😹😈💋🧑⚕️🧑🍳🫂👄👄🦹♀️😈😹😯😳😳😈👈🏻👈🏻😳🧓💆😈😻😄😄😄😭😯😯😯😈😈👿🦹♀️🖐🏽
you're right, audio's definitely better
Glad you gave it a chance!
@@SharpKnifeShop The audio is so clear that I could hear that your smoke detector needs new batteries haha. But still great video I have a strop and was unsure if i needed a honing rod but will probably steer clear now thanks to this info.
First here for Gage! =)
can I hone a VG-10 using ceramic rod?
You certainly can! Ceramic rods can also be used on german style knives as well!
What is happening with Gyuto in the right top corner all the time?🤨
It was the last 270 and we had to get it shipped out while we were filming the video, we don't always record in the proper order ;D
That must be the one I bought. Lol
The information in this video is incorrect. A steel straightens the blade, which is honing. To do this effectively, the steel needs to be softer than the blade. A diamond rod is a sharpening steel. Ceramic works the same.
Japanese knives are beveled only on one side, to keep the relief on the outside, making the slicing motion smoother. That's all. It's at the expense of easy maintenance. Japanese style blades are a matter of taste, nothing more.
Gordon Ramsay is a television personality. He's only a mediocre chef. Low mediocre.
You can straighten the edge on the cutting board. I've done that quite a lot. A countertop works too, if you use the edge. All that's necessary is a way to bend the teeth back to straight. The finer the edge, the more often the edge needs to be straightened.
Second.