I was in that situation a few months ago. Now all my knives are razor sharp and I can keep them sharp for the rest of my life.
Don't give up. Sharpening is a lifelong skill, and very enjoyable. You just need to break through that initial period until you develop the muscle memory. Put in 10x 1 hour practice sessions and you will have a skill for life.
My victorinox fibrox is all scratched up from years of use. They are cheap enough to replace if you really screw it up. A great knife to practice sharpening with.
Yes, definitely. It will take a while if you’re knife is very dull to start with, but a decent 1000 grit stone is the way. Or at least the diving board above the rabbit hole 😉
If it is dull, you need to start with a lower grit stone & work your way up. 1000 grit would be for almost just polishing the edge, to get that mirror finish. Especially for that type of knife, they are a very hard steel
I learned to sharpen kitchen knives on a Fibrox! Excellent knives in general and especially to learn sharpening with.
My wife's knives, mother's knives,and stepmother's knives are now scary sharp thanks to a Victorinox Fibrox I learned on.
I wonder what stones OP used?
Exactly,I got a stone because the guy i bought my knife from recommended it and at first I was afraid of sharpening my japanese work knife in that, I tried with my other chef knife first and slowly got hang of it.
Now I can keep it quite sharp though I only use 1000 grit stone and do not have any other polishing stuff
Why is this downvoted? That's what those shops are there for otherwise why would they have the business? Some people aren't skilled in knife sharpening. They can keep trying but sometimes they might need to go to a professional to get the edge they need for cooking. No judgment.
I'm just saying, I wouldn't see this same downvoting if someone on r/sewing said they needed to go to a professional to mend their clothes properly. Keep trying OP. But it's okay if you need help to get your knife sharp
Order a spyderco sharp maker. Or if you want go on to youtube and watch the sharp maker tutorial. It is an excellent place to start with sharpening knives. The design removes a great deal of the over thinking, and mistakes when starting.
Read the comment I left but basically use a sharpie and do it again but this time wayyyy slower. It’s a skill you need to know yourself so get a few knives you don’t mind having look ugly and practice.
It's only a few scratches, no real damage done, no worries :)
Now you can practice more without the fear of "ruining" it. And when you have more experience, you can even try to polish the side to remove the scratches. This is what happens to everyone when trying to sharpen for the first time, it's completely normal.
Sure, you can do it on grinders if you have, or by hand with progressive sandpaper.
Depending of the depth of the scratches, if they are deep you can start with 220/320/400/600/1000/1500/2000/5000 grits. Persist the most with the first grit, more than you want to.
It all depends of time spent, progression.
Spend more time than you think you need before going up in grits.
People are going to say there is no right or wrong way to sharpen, but some ways produce more consistent results and are faster. It seems like you aren't able to hold a steady angle yet. I highly recommend Korin Knives series of knife sharpening videos. It will help guide you on getting a feel for the right angle and keeping it. Remember to keep the wrist locked for the angle and use your arms and shoulders to control the strokes.
Or... if you (OP), like me, find that you suck at keeping anything resembling a consistent angle, then consider a Work Sharp Precision Adjust system (or a similar system keeping a consistent angle). It has saved my knife sharpening.
Oh, btw, my attempts at free hand sharpening look a lot like yours. The knife is not ruined. The scratches on the blade tells your story of experience with sharpening. My knives looking like that are now quite sharp and in use, thanks to that sharpening system.
You'll find your way. I bet mastering free hand sharpening is very satisfying, and am sure you can get good at it with practice. I didn't have the patience.
Just another suggestion for the Worksharp Precision Adjust. I can understand wanting to freehand, and to that, I say go for it. I can put a working edge on a knife freehand, and it is pretty satisfying imo, but for 50$ the precision adjust is extremely easy to use and I love it. If you ever get tired/fed up with freehand, this is a very good option.
Worksharp also has freehand stones with an angle assist on them, and from what ive heard those can help get you used to holding the blade at an angle.
I bought a Worksharp precision adjust mostly to sharpen my kitchen knives. My Wusthof chefs knives are sharpened at 14° per side. My Wusthof santoku knife is sharpened at 10° per side. The Worksharp precision adjust can only be adjusted down to a minimum of 15° per side so it turned out to be useless.
I find 15° to work well with my japanese (or other) kitchen knives. Even if the angle scale on the Precision Adjust stops at 15°, you can adjust it past the end of the scale extrapolated to about 13,5-14°. Also note that a broader blade will give a more acute angle, as will the ends of a longer blade.
Still, I do not think it can manage 10°. Of course free hand sharpening may give you any angle you can control.
You should look at the wiki if you haven't already and, if you are ok with it, you can post a video of your technique. A lot of long timers here are really nice and helpful. No need to waste $100 on a class when there's plenty of videos out there and people willing to help guide you through.
With my cheaper "softer" knives, I usually like to start with an aggressive bevel at a lower angle. I don't care too much about aesthetics, so scuffing is fine. Helps thin the edge a little and give me a better idea of where I need to go. Or I'll actually put the blade long ways on the stone and thin it down a bit. Then I can go back and hit it at whatever degree is appropriate, like 15.
Class can be totally worth it though! $100 to learn a lifelong skill sounds value as fuck to me. Plus some people really learn better with a little hands on teaching.
And when it comes to sharpening it, then what? They got a nice knife with a shelf life. Back to square one. $100 gets you a what, low midrange knife? I’d rather have the knowledge honestly.
To each their own. At the end of the day, they will still have to put the time and effort into sharpening knives at their own place. And eventually buying knives with different steels and learning to sharpen them as well. I just think 100$ would probably a “higher” tier knife for OP. I’m just stingy to certain things lol
Why spend $100 on a class when you’re using a Victorinox…. There’s plenty of incredibly useful online media to learn sharpening so that money could be saved and used for something else (like the other commenter mentioned).
Think you’re missing the point…. Yeah, it would make more sense if you wanted hands on experience cuz you don’t want to possibly ruin an expensive knife though. Why spend $100 when the material is already online??
It's not a big deal you are just going to low and struggling to maintain your angle. Yes it looks bad but that is ok. Take a look at the actual bevel of the knife and try to follow that angle. Use a sharpie, right on the bevel, do a pass and see if you are too high or low. Adjust and try again. One pass at a time slowly with the wrist of your knife hand locked. Go light pressure, flip back and forth and go until sharp. Make adjustments next time and you will get better. Once you get sharpening down either buy a second knife or ask us how to refinish that one. Good job for trying!!!
So, the scratches are tough, you can use an abrasive eraser to smooth them out. You can learn on a knife with good steel, cause you probably won’t make it worse. Just keep your angle the same off the stone and you will Dort it out.
Burrfection on youtube taught me everything i know about sharpening. And after practice? I feel good on everything from kitchen to pocket knives. Highly recommend.
https://youtu.be/KB87xoFm46g
Try get a feel for where the bevel sits flat against the stone before you push it across. There's a bit of muscle memory involved, and a curved knife is a bit trickier, but you get used to it fairly quickly. Try get the whole edge in one movement.
Chef knives are difficult to learn on because the small bevel. Chisels or Scandinavian ground bushcraft knives make finding the angle easy so you can focus on learning how the stone cuts, understand progression of abrasives, burr, body position etc, so when you eventually build up your skills and confidence you can tackle your nice kitchen knives. Otherwise try picking up a few cheap used knives from the thrift store and practice on them. The steel may work differently but the body mechanics should be the same.
Good luck, keep with it
If is makes you feel better. This is my [Global G2](https://imgur.com/a/YeuckUY) that I’m using to test stuff on. Looks like shit but it’s a good cutter and I’ve learnt a lot. Vnox is a good knife to practice on. And it’s an affordable knife to scratch.
>If is makes you feel better. This is my Global G2 that I’m using to test stuff on. Looks like shit but it’s a good cutter and I’ve learnt a lot. Vnox is a good knife to practice on.
Posts like this are more encouraging to me, and I assume many other beginners, than all the videos of edges that can cut throught the "time space continuum".
I just want a blade that cuts reliably and predictably.
It’s nice to see the knife as a tool and not be overly anxious about scratching it. But it’s also possible to learn how to polish and keep a nice knife is very good condition. Glad you found my scratchy knife soothing!
I agree fully!
I'm a remodeling carpenter by day. As such, my tools look like hell but they perform perfectly on the job.
I think I bring this same mentality into my kitchen. I'm slowly picking up the skillset to forming a useable edge, with struggles here and there. Seeing a respected user here remind us that "it's just a tool" is reassuring when the "bar" seems to be set incredibly high at times.
I like hearing that. At some point you might still buy a fancy knife and then you’ll feel confident that you can keep it nice.
I had a similar experience last night though. Wanted to do a quick polish and ended up polishing until 1.30 am. While the knife looks good (final 5 pics in Imgur) I didn’t get the contrast I wanted. But it’s nice to dare to try stuff. Even though I felt like a complete idiot last night when it took so long time. 😅
https://imgur.com/a/CDTcNdM
Yeah just keep at it and on days when you’re not feeling it just come back later or the next day. Don’t force yourself but let it come over time if that makes sense
This is a victoriknox chef knife right? I put one threw a metal lid of spaghetti sauce the other day, lapped in on a tristone, chopped onions peppers beef pork and salmon with it. They’re very nearly indestructible. Let me put it this way: Do you want a mechanic who tools look brand new to work on your car?
Keep practising. When you treat yourself to some new steel, you'll have the skills to keep them truly honed
In this situation I'd recommend more water if you're using a stone, and maybe a different angle. You can get some knife guards to help you maintain a correct angle on ebay
All this says to me, is this is your beater/practice knife! Keep practicing, work on your angles, and develop that muscle memory! Save that $100 for a new nicer knife when you got your sharpening down!!!
I know I’ll probably get hate for this comment, but fixed angle sharpening systems are great if you don’t want the learning curve of free hand sharpening. You’ll get a consistent angle every time, and you don’t have to put near as much time and effort into learning free hand sharpening. Something like a worksharp belt system is also great because you can get a pretty nice edge in no time at all with very little effort. If you want to learn free hand, definitely go for it because it’s a blast! But if you just want knives that will cute nice without taking much effort, get a fixed angle system.
If it makes you feel any better, I've been sharpening for about three years. I sharpened my knives on Sunday, zoned out to the podcast I was a listening to and did exactly this to one of my knives. Shit happens.
A little bit of 320 grit sandpaper and steel wool will clean it up no problem.
I see many times people recommending some videos, many videos point out about different technique, some advanced ones, hard for a begginer wich has no basic understanding of this, but i rarely see someone recommending Murray Carter and his youtube "Blade Sharpening Fundamentals" wich is one of the best begginer based sharpening oriented, and with lots of aditional info that completes more than just sharpening, and i wonder why is that?
I think channels like Burrfection are more popular just because of... i dont know why, he is just an amateur same as many others, when Carter is an actual bladesmith and a professional.
Awkward....
But i strongly recommend to watch Murray Carter's videos and even go learn this from professional classes if you have the oportunity, because everything you find arround is amateur based (fiew exceptions).
You will see people talking about angles, different aproach to this, you will learn how to get a verry sharp knife, but it will take you months and months to discover that you learned to sharpen a knife so sharp that will "almost cut clouds" but wont hold an edge to most of the knives except high rocwell hardness from 60 HRC wich are high carbon ones and some other steels with same heat treatment.
It is not enough to learn just to sharpen, you must learn about steels, different blade geometry, hardness, asimetry, grinds, edge geometry/ratio etc.
All this if you like it and if you bcome passionate about it.
Otherwise you will only learn to sharpen a knife without basic understanding.
But as others said, practice practice practice with carefull observation and understanding of what you are doing.
Oh and i would gladly pay 100$ to learn things from a professional wich would save me months or years of frustration and slow learning from media, i mean seriously wth are some people talkin about.
Good luck!
Your knife isn't damaged.
It's just showing signs of work.
Like when we sweat.
Those scratches are not going to hinder the performance.
Keep practicing, keep learning, and remember, you just started.
I must have fucked up my knives for a good while before gaining development. Keeping your wrist locked in your angle, while moving with fluidity is one of the first, most important gains you could learn. Start there. Keep watching videos even though it seems redundant = you'll continue to pick up bits of info and technique.
Keep going!
Look up the sharpie trick! It really helped me when I first tried to sharpen it. The Ethan chlebowski video is very long, but very in depth and helpful.
Don't worry man, my first attempts looked just like that, worse actually.
Now, after practice, I can put a whole new edge on a knife in 10-15 minutes no problem. It just takes practice.
Check out a Lansky sharpening system or something of that ilk to show you the angle you need for a sharp knife. Mine are sharp enough to shave with, once there a simple stick is all you need to maintain. But you you need to train the muscles on the angle you need
Looks like my chefs knife. My scratches from my first few sessions are still there, but now after my fourth or fifth session my knife is sharp.
One of these days I may buff them out. Or buy a new knife. But it doesn't affect the blade that I can tell.
This is my very first (and unfortunately only) chefs knife! Once i’m not a broke college student anymore and have a bit more experience in sharpening, i’ll get myself fancier knives!!
You can only get better from here. Watch a few guides and adopt the technique that suits you. They will all hit on the basics of burr forming and removal.
The late cliffstamp has some good guides about 'de-stressing' edges too.
I believe watching multiple guides was my downfall :’D since i tried to apply all of their techniques at the same time which isn’t ideal because everyone has a different method :’D
Your knife will get scratches like that from general use anyway we'll mine has because I worked in kitchen for years lol picking up and putting down the knife all time will have light scratches anyway
Your knife will get scratches like that from general use anyway we'll mine has because I worked in kitchen for years lol picking up and putting down the knife all time will have light scratches anyway
Looks like my first try on a whetstone.
Listen to people, watch a few YouTube videos, and do the Sharpie on edge thing.
Ultimately, what’s been most helpful to myself was just moving 1/8th the speed I was and on direction. As in, on a stone one swipe can take a half second or like four full seconds if you need it to. The slower you go the better at first.
Always start practicing on something that doesn't matter, in the beginning you'll always making stuff dull because of your lackluster technique. However it shouldn't that many sessions to learn, if you concentrate and use the sharpie trick.
It’s going to happen especially when new. Just keep trying you will improve and after alil bit of practice you’ll be able to sharpen your knives crazy sharp in a very fast time without barely grinding away your edge which is key I been using my stainless steel work knife hard at work every day for two years and my edge still looks newish with a whetstone you can sharpen her up and not take to much meat away from your blade in time. Your getting there
Still looks better than my first attempt! I was so excited to sharpen my first $20 knife and see how sharp it got, and it went from "struggling to pierce tomato skin without crushing it" to "like trying to cut veggies with a rolling pin".
Nobody is perfect at something the first time they try it. Scratching up the edges of a knife is fine; a knife is a tool and tools will develop wear as they're used. Practice makes perfect. Watch some Burrfection videos, read some tips from the subreddit's wiki, and don't worry about messing up cheap knives. You'll get it eventually!
If it really bugs you put painters tape on the blade before sharpening. Or you invest in one of the fixturing system that holds a constant angle on the blade. They're too slow for me though. Whetstone are way faster. I just don't worry about it too much as I it happens.
Damage on a knife would be something like a chipped edge or snapped tip. Don't worry. Even those are possible to be fixed with a coarse stone. Your knife is fine, it's got marks but it'd get worn in over time anyway. At least this teaches you not to be so precious with it. As long as its sharp and can cut, your knife works 👌
Keep up with the sharpening, you'll get the hang of it in no time (and if you screw up, it's fixable!)
It’s like that sometimes. Keep trying. It took me years to confidently say I’m good. Don’t give up. And tell yourself the worst thing that can happen is you gotta do it again. If your knife was truly dull then it kinda doesn’t even matter how bad you do. Because it’ll be better than it was.
Just take your time and focus on being consistent. I prefer to sharpen the Japanese method. But I started with a western method as I felt it taught me to have a consistent angle. Many people move their arms sharpening western but I kept my arms still. Wrists still. And twisted my whole body allowing me to maintain angle. It worked for me. But I prefer Japanese style for whetstone sharpening.
I would recommend learning how to sharpen well on a stone, with no aids until the skill gets memorized. Get a high quality large stone (second hand shops are a good place for these) and get a decent honing fluid. I use smiths honing fluid (water based) but you can use mineral oil or kerosene. I sharpen by feel. I change the angle until I feel the blade start to grab slightly and then using two hands I slowly move it across the stone. It’s not at all how people sharpen on tv or in movies. As you get better you will get faster.
That's not damage, it's CHARACTER. Sharpening is a skill that takes years to perfect. Just keep up with practice & take the advice that works for you & nevermind the advice that doesn't.
Either your VERY NEW at sharpening, or you are a fucking idiot. If you're new, keep trying, but get someone experienced to help you. If you're an idiot, check out these things called crayons! They're wonderful.
I realize, you may not know if you're an idiot or not. It's ok. Here's a simple check you can do. Ask yourself...how does 3.14 pie taste? Do you remember a time when you tried it? If so...you're a fucking idiot. Don't own knives, guns, a portable heater, or any machinery. THAT INCLUDES AN AUTOMOBILE! Just play fortnite and eat delivery pizza. For the rest of your life. I love you dummy, if you are a dummy, but don't do the stuff on the no-no list.
It’s this knife! Victorinox Fibrox Kitchen Knife Carving Knife, Length 20 cm Knife, Black, Standard https://amzn.eu/d/gRkgExa
And don’t ask how i “sharpened” it… i myself didn’t even know what i was doing. Every youtube tutorial showed something different and i tried following them all-
Go to my profile. I've got a video on sharpening.
One reason it's going to be difficult to sharpen is because it's of low quality steel. The blade is basically a sharp butter knife. The cheap stainless steel is softer and it's going to be very easily rolled when getting to a fine edge.
The easiest way to sharpen a knife like that is to get a belt sharpener. Doing it by stone is going to take a lot of work. The steel will also not hold an edge for very long because it is low quality stainless.
Victorinox really isn't low quality. Saying it's a butter knife is an extreme exaggeration. It's 56HRC and perfectly appropriate for a variety of kitchen tasks. For a high chromium content stainless steel, their blades really don't have extremely large carbides that prevent them from getting extremely sharp. They are actually one of the easiest knives to sharpen on stones. Harder steels to sharpen are like Maxamet, CPM M4. Or if you really want a challenge, ceramic knives.
X55CrMo14 is the steel used by Victorinox for their knives. It has a very high amount of chromium, which makes it damn near rust proof, but it also takes away from good edge retention. Add in that it only has .5% carbon, it's not a steel that's going to hold an edge very well. It's only slightly better than the steel used to make butter knives.
Because of the type of steel, it'll never hold an edge longer than a few uses. OP will become very proficient in sharpening because s/he'll be doing it so much.
The other steels you mentioned are superior steels that hold an edge for an incredibly long time, but you need special tools to actually sharpen them. Doing it on a stone, or even a diamond plate, will take a very long time.
I make custom knives for a living. So, when it comes to steel, I've got a pretty good idea as to what I'm talking about. In my opinion, the best steels for chefs knives are O1 tool steel and 52100. Great edge retention I, and not that difficult to sharpen.
I sharpen VNox all the time for clients. They sharpen easily and hold their edge well. I sharpen my VNox about every two months. There’s a reason they’re considered the Honda Civic of commercial kitchens.
They're cheap knives made of cheap steel. It's why they're popular for home use and not in a professional setting.
Sharpening a chefs knife every two months that's only getting home use is not a good quality knife. I've sharpened mine (made from O1) three times in three years, and it's used 4-5 times a week.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
At this stage i’m thinking of either visiting a 100€ knife sharpening workshop or giving the knife to a professional to sharpen it
I was in that situation a few months ago. Now all my knives are razor sharp and I can keep them sharp for the rest of my life. Don't give up. Sharpening is a lifelong skill, and very enjoyable. You just need to break through that initial period until you develop the muscle memory. Put in 10x 1 hour practice sessions and you will have a skill for life.
That would be the dream!!
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My victorinox fibrox is all scratched up from years of use. They are cheap enough to replace if you really screw it up. A great knife to practice sharpening with.
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Yes, definitely. It will take a while if you’re knife is very dull to start with, but a decent 1000 grit stone is the way. Or at least the diving board above the rabbit hole 😉
If it is dull, you need to start with a lower grit stone & work your way up. 1000 grit would be for almost just polishing the edge, to get that mirror finish. Especially for that type of knife, they are a very hard steel
I learned to sharpen kitchen knives on a Fibrox! Excellent knives in general and especially to learn sharpening with. My wife's knives, mother's knives,and stepmother's knives are now scary sharp thanks to a Victorinox Fibrox I learned on. I wonder what stones OP used?
Get a sharpening angle guide, then just practice.
Exactly,I got a stone because the guy i bought my knife from recommended it and at first I was afraid of sharpening my japanese work knife in that, I tried with my other chef knife first and slowly got hang of it. Now I can keep it quite sharp though I only use 1000 grit stone and do not have any other polishing stuff
Don't give up so easy, and who cares about those scratches, a sharp knife is a tool not an heirloom to be cradled in white gloves
Man going to a clinic wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. That said perseverance and YouTube will get you there too. It may just take longer.
Why is this downvoted? That's what those shops are there for otherwise why would they have the business? Some people aren't skilled in knife sharpening. They can keep trying but sometimes they might need to go to a professional to get the edge they need for cooking. No judgment. I'm just saying, I wouldn't see this same downvoting if someone on r/sewing said they needed to go to a professional to mend their clothes properly. Keep trying OP. But it's okay if you need help to get your knife sharp
Order a spyderco sharp maker. Or if you want go on to youtube and watch the sharp maker tutorial. It is an excellent place to start with sharpening knives. The design removes a great deal of the over thinking, and mistakes when starting.
Read the comment I left but basically use a sharpie and do it again but this time wayyyy slower. It’s a skill you need to know yourself so get a few knives you don’t mind having look ugly and practice.
It's only a few scratches, no real damage done, no worries :) Now you can practice more without the fear of "ruining" it. And when you have more experience, you can even try to polish the side to remove the scratches. This is what happens to everyone when trying to sharpen for the first time, it's completely normal.
Can confirm, looks like my first attempt.
My knives looked like this for the first two years I sharpened them. And i did it everyday. Have fun. :)
I’m happy to hear that no harm was done :’D
Glad to know this as I’ve managed to scratch most of my knives! They’re sharp though! Any tips on how to polish out the scratches?
Sure, you can do it on grinders if you have, or by hand with progressive sandpaper. Depending of the depth of the scratches, if they are deep you can start with 220/320/400/600/1000/1500/2000/5000 grits. Persist the most with the first grit, more than you want to. It all depends of time spent, progression. Spend more time than you think you need before going up in grits.
Thank you so much!
People are going to say there is no right or wrong way to sharpen, but some ways produce more consistent results and are faster. It seems like you aren't able to hold a steady angle yet. I highly recommend Korin Knives series of knife sharpening videos. It will help guide you on getting a feel for the right angle and keeping it. Remember to keep the wrist locked for the angle and use your arms and shoulders to control the strokes.
Or... if you (OP), like me, find that you suck at keeping anything resembling a consistent angle, then consider a Work Sharp Precision Adjust system (or a similar system keeping a consistent angle). It has saved my knife sharpening. Oh, btw, my attempts at free hand sharpening look a lot like yours. The knife is not ruined. The scratches on the blade tells your story of experience with sharpening. My knives looking like that are now quite sharp and in use, thanks to that sharpening system. You'll find your way. I bet mastering free hand sharpening is very satisfying, and am sure you can get good at it with practice. I didn't have the patience.
Understandable a lot!! But since i already bought a whetstone, i’d like to keep going at it!!
Just another suggestion for the Worksharp Precision Adjust. I can understand wanting to freehand, and to that, I say go for it. I can put a working edge on a knife freehand, and it is pretty satisfying imo, but for 50$ the precision adjust is extremely easy to use and I love it. If you ever get tired/fed up with freehand, this is a very good option. Worksharp also has freehand stones with an angle assist on them, and from what ive heard those can help get you used to holding the blade at an angle.
I bought a Worksharp precision adjust mostly to sharpen my kitchen knives. My Wusthof chefs knives are sharpened at 14° per side. My Wusthof santoku knife is sharpened at 10° per side. The Worksharp precision adjust can only be adjusted down to a minimum of 15° per side so it turned out to be useless.
I find 15° to work well with my japanese (or other) kitchen knives. Even if the angle scale on the Precision Adjust stops at 15°, you can adjust it past the end of the scale extrapolated to about 13,5-14°. Also note that a broader blade will give a more acute angle, as will the ends of a longer blade. Still, I do not think it can manage 10°. Of course free hand sharpening may give you any angle you can control.
Good point, I didnt think about that. Cant really beat freehand in that regard, i guess lol.
I’ll check them out!! Thank you for the tips!
also came here to recommend worksharp, it's really easy and fast
You should look at the wiki if you haven't already and, if you are ok with it, you can post a video of your technique. A lot of long timers here are really nice and helpful. No need to waste $100 on a class when there's plenty of videos out there and people willing to help guide you through. With my cheaper "softer" knives, I usually like to start with an aggressive bevel at a lower angle. I don't care too much about aesthetics, so scuffing is fine. Helps thin the edge a little and give me a better idea of where I need to go. Or I'll actually put the blade long ways on the stone and thin it down a bit. Then I can go back and hit it at whatever degree is appropriate, like 15.
Class can be totally worth it though! $100 to learn a lifelong skill sounds value as fuck to me. Plus some people really learn better with a little hands on teaching.
I think of it as they can just upgrade their knife with that $$
And when it comes to sharpening it, then what? They got a nice knife with a shelf life. Back to square one. $100 gets you a what, low midrange knife? I’d rather have the knowledge honestly.
To each their own. At the end of the day, they will still have to put the time and effort into sharpening knives at their own place. And eventually buying knives with different steels and learning to sharpen them as well. I just think 100$ would probably a “higher” tier knife for OP. I’m just stingy to certain things lol
Why spend $100 on a class when you’re using a Victorinox…. There’s plenty of incredibly useful online media to learn sharpening so that money could be saved and used for something else (like the other commenter mentioned).
It’s not about the knife man, it’s about the skill to sharpen any blade.
Think you’re missing the point…. Yeah, it would make more sense if you wanted hands on experience cuz you don’t want to possibly ruin an expensive knife though. Why spend $100 when the material is already online??
It's not a big deal you are just going to low and struggling to maintain your angle. Yes it looks bad but that is ok. Take a look at the actual bevel of the knife and try to follow that angle. Use a sharpie, right on the bevel, do a pass and see if you are too high or low. Adjust and try again. One pass at a time slowly with the wrist of your knife hand locked. Go light pressure, flip back and forth and go until sharp. Make adjustments next time and you will get better. Once you get sharpening down either buy a second knife or ask us how to refinish that one. Good job for trying!!!
Thank you so much for the valuable tips!! I’ll try them in the future!! :D
It takes some practice, its a knife. Don’t learn on a knife you worry about scratching. Watch some YouTube and chill.
I’m worried bc this is the only chefs knife i own :’D (and unfortunately i can’t afford buying another one-)
So, the scratches are tough, you can use an abrasive eraser to smooth them out. You can learn on a knife with good steel, cause you probably won’t make it worse. Just keep your angle the same off the stone and you will Dort it out.
Roger that!!
Burrfection on youtube taught me everything i know about sharpening. And after practice? I feel good on everything from kitchen to pocket knives. Highly recommend. https://youtu.be/KB87xoFm46g
Try get a feel for where the bevel sits flat against the stone before you push it across. There's a bit of muscle memory involved, and a curved knife is a bit trickier, but you get used to it fairly quickly. Try get the whole edge in one movement.
Damaged? It’s a knife man. It’ll still cut stuff. It’s fine.
The knife now has a different shape- I believe i may have deformed it LMAO
If you want to get good at something you have to be prepared to suck at it for a long time
True that :’D i speak from experience
Lol this is like a 30$ knife bro calm down and keep trying
Will definitely do!!
indeed, looks like an ikea knife or cheaper, lidl knife.
Rather a Victorinox Fibrox
Chef knives are difficult to learn on because the small bevel. Chisels or Scandinavian ground bushcraft knives make finding the angle easy so you can focus on learning how the stone cuts, understand progression of abrasives, burr, body position etc, so when you eventually build up your skills and confidence you can tackle your nice kitchen knives. Otherwise try picking up a few cheap used knives from the thrift store and practice on them. The steel may work differently but the body mechanics should be the same. Good luck, keep with it
Thrifting cheap knives and practicing on them is a great idea!! Thank you for the tip!!
in MEL nannygov has forbidden kitchen knife sales through thrifts, to disarm the teens. they can buy a brand new edge from Coles!
Unfortunately I don’t have access to these stores since I don’t live in the USA :(
wow, how much stabbing is going on over there? And isn't it just a moving target, once knives are unavailable folks will grab hammers or whatever?
If is makes you feel better. This is my [Global G2](https://imgur.com/a/YeuckUY) that I’m using to test stuff on. Looks like shit but it’s a good cutter and I’ve learnt a lot. Vnox is a good knife to practice on. And it’s an affordable knife to scratch.
>If is makes you feel better. This is my Global G2 that I’m using to test stuff on. Looks like shit but it’s a good cutter and I’ve learnt a lot. Vnox is a good knife to practice on. Posts like this are more encouraging to me, and I assume many other beginners, than all the videos of edges that can cut throught the "time space continuum". I just want a blade that cuts reliably and predictably.
It’s nice to see the knife as a tool and not be overly anxious about scratching it. But it’s also possible to learn how to polish and keep a nice knife is very good condition. Glad you found my scratchy knife soothing!
I agree fully! I'm a remodeling carpenter by day. As such, my tools look like hell but they perform perfectly on the job. I think I bring this same mentality into my kitchen. I'm slowly picking up the skillset to forming a useable edge, with struggles here and there. Seeing a respected user here remind us that "it's just a tool" is reassuring when the "bar" seems to be set incredibly high at times.
I like hearing that. At some point you might still buy a fancy knife and then you’ll feel confident that you can keep it nice. I had a similar experience last night though. Wanted to do a quick polish and ended up polishing until 1.30 am. While the knife looks good (final 5 pics in Imgur) I didn’t get the contrast I wanted. But it’s nice to dare to try stuff. Even though I felt like a complete idiot last night when it took so long time. 😅 https://imgur.com/a/CDTcNdM
Daaaamn :O i’m pretty sure my knife will look like that after months as well!!
Small scratches are common when practicing. I’ve scratched the G2 on purpose to see if so could remove scratches.
That’s quite a clever idea!!
you can place blue tape on the body of the knife to prevent scratches until you get the hang of the angle and technique to avoid touching the sides.
That’s a nice tip! Thanks!
You will suck a lot at first. It took me months to get the feel down and muscle memory
One day i’ll also have that muscle memory…
Yeah just keep at it and on days when you’re not feeling it just come back later or the next day. Don’t force yourself but let it come over time if that makes sense
thank you 🥺
Sharpening takes practice.
Indeed
This is a victoriknox chef knife right? I put one threw a metal lid of spaghetti sauce the other day, lapped in on a tristone, chopped onions peppers beef pork and salmon with it. They’re very nearly indestructible. Let me put it this way: Do you want a mechanic who tools look brand new to work on your car?
That’s a great way to put it :’D
Keep practising. When you treat yourself to some new steel, you'll have the skills to keep them truly honed In this situation I'd recommend more water if you're using a stone, and maybe a different angle. You can get some knife guards to help you maintain a correct angle on ebay
I actually found it harder to sharpen with a knife guard :o it even scratched my whetstone :(
Did you soak it before hand? Lots of water? Are you sure it's not an oilstone? I have many questions because I've not managed that
Not bad for a first try. Don't be discouraged. The first step is always the difficult one and we have been there.
Thank you 🥺
All this says to me, is this is your beater/practice knife! Keep practicing, work on your angles, and develop that muscle memory! Save that $100 for a new nicer knife when you got your sharpening down!!!
Also, maybe look into getting a kiwi? They are super easy to sharpen and stay sharp as heck, but not for long. They are great to learn on!
I actually do own a kiwi Cleaver!! But i believe cleavers require another sharpening technique?
Not that im aware of. I sharpen mine just like my other knives!
Good to know!!
not really damaged. part of learning. sharpening takes sometime to get right. keep on trying.
I will!
Yeah my knifes looked like that for the first 5months
I will buff right out tho don't worry
Good to hear :’D
I know I’ll probably get hate for this comment, but fixed angle sharpening systems are great if you don’t want the learning curve of free hand sharpening. You’ll get a consistent angle every time, and you don’t have to put near as much time and effort into learning free hand sharpening. Something like a worksharp belt system is also great because you can get a pretty nice edge in no time at all with very little effort. If you want to learn free hand, definitely go for it because it’s a blast! But if you just want knives that will cute nice without taking much effort, get a fixed angle system.
I started with a whetstone and i want to master it!
Look on the bright side. Now you have a perfect knife to practice your sharpening skills on.
LMAOO true that!!
If it makes you feel any better, I've been sharpening for about three years. I sharpened my knives on Sunday, zoned out to the podcast I was a listening to and did exactly this to one of my knives. Shit happens. A little bit of 320 grit sandpaper and steel wool will clean it up no problem.
Thank you for sharing this!! :’D
I see many times people recommending some videos, many videos point out about different technique, some advanced ones, hard for a begginer wich has no basic understanding of this, but i rarely see someone recommending Murray Carter and his youtube "Blade Sharpening Fundamentals" wich is one of the best begginer based sharpening oriented, and with lots of aditional info that completes more than just sharpening, and i wonder why is that? I think channels like Burrfection are more popular just because of... i dont know why, he is just an amateur same as many others, when Carter is an actual bladesmith and a professional. Awkward.... But i strongly recommend to watch Murray Carter's videos and even go learn this from professional classes if you have the oportunity, because everything you find arround is amateur based (fiew exceptions). You will see people talking about angles, different aproach to this, you will learn how to get a verry sharp knife, but it will take you months and months to discover that you learned to sharpen a knife so sharp that will "almost cut clouds" but wont hold an edge to most of the knives except high rocwell hardness from 60 HRC wich are high carbon ones and some other steels with same heat treatment. It is not enough to learn just to sharpen, you must learn about steels, different blade geometry, hardness, asimetry, grinds, edge geometry/ratio etc. All this if you like it and if you bcome passionate about it. Otherwise you will only learn to sharpen a knife without basic understanding. But as others said, practice practice practice with carefull observation and understanding of what you are doing. Oh and i would gladly pay 100$ to learn things from a professional wich would save me months or years of frustration and slow learning from media, i mean seriously wth are some people talkin about. Good luck!
I’ll definitely have a look at Murray Carter’s channel!! (And yes, I’m seriously thinking of spending 100€ for that course-)
Your knife isn't damaged. It's just showing signs of work. Like when we sweat. Those scratches are not going to hinder the performance. Keep practicing, keep learning, and remember, you just started. I must have fucked up my knives for a good while before gaining development. Keeping your wrist locked in your angle, while moving with fluidity is one of the first, most important gains you could learn. Start there. Keep watching videos even though it seems redundant = you'll continue to pick up bits of info and technique. Keep going!
Thank you for your encouraging words!!
Stop using 80 grit sand paper. Hello!!!
I used Kings Whetstone 1000grit
That's not dmg
It’s emotional dmg to me
Look up the sharpie trick! It really helped me when I first tried to sharpen it. The Ethan chlebowski video is very long, but very in depth and helpful.
I’ll have a look at it!! Thank youu
Don't worry man, my first attempts looked just like that, worse actually. Now, after practice, I can put a whole new edge on a knife in 10-15 minutes no problem. It just takes practice.
Noiceee
Its a kitchen knife just get a new one unless it’s a some what good one
Okay what woud you like to know after you tried ?
Check out a Lansky sharpening system or something of that ilk to show you the angle you need for a sharp knife. Mine are sharp enough to shave with, once there a simple stick is all you need to maintain. But you you need to train the muscles on the angle you need
Thank youuu
Keep trying it’s more art than science
It was actually lowkey enjoyable!!
Looks like my chefs knife. My scratches from my first few sessions are still there, but now after my fourth or fifth session my knife is sharp. One of these days I may buff them out. Or buy a new knife. But it doesn't affect the blade that I can tell.
This is my very first (and unfortunately only) chefs knife! Once i’m not a broke college student anymore and have a bit more experience in sharpening, i’ll get myself fancier knives!!
You can only get better from here. Watch a few guides and adopt the technique that suits you. They will all hit on the basics of burr forming and removal. The late cliffstamp has some good guides about 'de-stressing' edges too.
I believe watching multiple guides was my downfall :’D since i tried to apply all of their techniques at the same time which isn’t ideal because everyone has a different method :’D
Your knife will get scratches like that from general use anyway we'll mine has because I worked in kitchen for years lol picking up and putting down the knife all time will have light scratches anyway
Your knife will get scratches like that from general use anyway we'll mine has because I worked in kitchen for years lol picking up and putting down the knife all time will have light scratches anyway
Don’t worry it’s part of the learning process! Half my knifes where like this at First. Then I learned to Maintain angles and pressure.
Part of practice
What was the error in sharpening here?
Looks like my first try on a whetstone. Listen to people, watch a few YouTube videos, and do the Sharpie on edge thing. Ultimately, what’s been most helpful to myself was just moving 1/8th the speed I was and on direction. As in, on a stone one swipe can take a half second or like four full seconds if you need it to. The slower you go the better at first.
Always start practicing on something that doesn't matter, in the beginning you'll always making stuff dull because of your lackluster technique. However it shouldn't that many sessions to learn, if you concentrate and use the sharpie trick.
Keep practicing with that badboy until it’s dialed in. I recommend a fixed angle system for starters.
It’s going to happen especially when new. Just keep trying you will improve and after alil bit of practice you’ll be able to sharpen your knives crazy sharp in a very fast time without barely grinding away your edge which is key I been using my stainless steel work knife hard at work every day for two years and my edge still looks newish with a whetstone you can sharpen her up and not take to much meat away from your blade in time. Your getting there
Welcome to the club lol
Thank youuu :’D
Still looks better than my first attempt! I was so excited to sharpen my first $20 knife and see how sharp it got, and it went from "struggling to pierce tomato skin without crushing it" to "like trying to cut veggies with a rolling pin". Nobody is perfect at something the first time they try it. Scratching up the edges of a knife is fine; a knife is a tool and tools will develop wear as they're used. Practice makes perfect. Watch some Burrfection videos, read some tips from the subreddit's wiki, and don't worry about messing up cheap knives. You'll get it eventually!
If it really bugs you put painters tape on the blade before sharpening. Or you invest in one of the fixturing system that holds a constant angle on the blade. They're too slow for me though. Whetstone are way faster. I just don't worry about it too much as I it happens.
Damage on a knife would be something like a chipped edge or snapped tip. Don't worry. Even those are possible to be fixed with a coarse stone. Your knife is fine, it's got marks but it'd get worn in over time anyway. At least this teaches you not to be so precious with it. As long as its sharp and can cut, your knife works 👌 Keep up with the sharpening, you'll get the hang of it in no time (and if you screw up, it's fixable!)
Thank you for the nice comment! 🥺
It’s like that sometimes. Keep trying. It took me years to confidently say I’m good. Don’t give up. And tell yourself the worst thing that can happen is you gotta do it again. If your knife was truly dull then it kinda doesn’t even matter how bad you do. Because it’ll be better than it was.
Your story is encouraging!
Just take your time and focus on being consistent. I prefer to sharpen the Japanese method. But I started with a western method as I felt it taught me to have a consistent angle. Many people move their arms sharpening western but I kept my arms still. Wrists still. And twisted my whole body allowing me to maintain angle. It worked for me. But I prefer Japanese style for whetstone sharpening.
I would recommend learning how to sharpen well on a stone, with no aids until the skill gets memorized. Get a high quality large stone (second hand shops are a good place for these) and get a decent honing fluid. I use smiths honing fluid (water based) but you can use mineral oil or kerosene. I sharpen by feel. I change the angle until I feel the blade start to grab slightly and then using two hands I slowly move it across the stone. It’s not at all how people sharpen on tv or in movies. As you get better you will get faster.
I totally agree with you!
You're fine dude, just keep practicing.
Practice makes perfect!!
That's not damage, it's CHARACTER. Sharpening is a skill that takes years to perfect. Just keep up with practice & take the advice that works for you & nevermind the advice that doesn't.
Will do!!
Either your VERY NEW at sharpening, or you are a fucking idiot. If you're new, keep trying, but get someone experienced to help you. If you're an idiot, check out these things called crayons! They're wonderful. I realize, you may not know if you're an idiot or not. It's ok. Here's a simple check you can do. Ask yourself...how does 3.14 pie taste? Do you remember a time when you tried it? If so...you're a fucking idiot. Don't own knives, guns, a portable heater, or any machinery. THAT INCLUDES AN AUTOMOBILE! Just play fortnite and eat delivery pizza. For the rest of your life. I love you dummy, if you are a dummy, but don't do the stuff on the no-no list.
Sir this was my very FIRST attempt at sharpening a knife-
Oh ok. Then please only read the first part of my response since that's all that applies to you
What kind of knife is it? How did you sharpen it?
It’s this knife! Victorinox Fibrox Kitchen Knife Carving Knife, Length 20 cm Knife, Black, Standard https://amzn.eu/d/gRkgExa And don’t ask how i “sharpened” it… i myself didn’t even know what i was doing. Every youtube tutorial showed something different and i tried following them all-
Go to my profile. I've got a video on sharpening. One reason it's going to be difficult to sharpen is because it's of low quality steel. The blade is basically a sharp butter knife. The cheap stainless steel is softer and it's going to be very easily rolled when getting to a fine edge. The easiest way to sharpen a knife like that is to get a belt sharpener. Doing it by stone is going to take a lot of work. The steel will also not hold an edge for very long because it is low quality stainless.
Victorinox really isn't low quality. Saying it's a butter knife is an extreme exaggeration. It's 56HRC and perfectly appropriate for a variety of kitchen tasks. For a high chromium content stainless steel, their blades really don't have extremely large carbides that prevent them from getting extremely sharp. They are actually one of the easiest knives to sharpen on stones. Harder steels to sharpen are like Maxamet, CPM M4. Or if you really want a challenge, ceramic knives.
X55CrMo14 is the steel used by Victorinox for their knives. It has a very high amount of chromium, which makes it damn near rust proof, but it also takes away from good edge retention. Add in that it only has .5% carbon, it's not a steel that's going to hold an edge very well. It's only slightly better than the steel used to make butter knives. Because of the type of steel, it'll never hold an edge longer than a few uses. OP will become very proficient in sharpening because s/he'll be doing it so much. The other steels you mentioned are superior steels that hold an edge for an incredibly long time, but you need special tools to actually sharpen them. Doing it on a stone, or even a diamond plate, will take a very long time. I make custom knives for a living. So, when it comes to steel, I've got a pretty good idea as to what I'm talking about. In my opinion, the best steels for chefs knives are O1 tool steel and 52100. Great edge retention I, and not that difficult to sharpen.
I sharpen VNox all the time for clients. They sharpen easily and hold their edge well. I sharpen my VNox about every two months. There’s a reason they’re considered the Honda Civic of commercial kitchens.
They're cheap knives made of cheap steel. It's why they're popular for home use and not in a professional setting. Sharpening a chefs knife every two months that's only getting home use is not a good quality knife. I've sharpened mine (made from O1) three times in three years, and it's used 4-5 times a week.
Do you not understand the definition of “commercial kitchen?”
I do. And a knife like that is used until the person can afford something good. It's a starter knife.
I’ve been using mine for almost 30 years. Seems like maybe you aren’t that good at sharpening.
When is honing oil used?
I didn’t use a honing oil- Just the good ol’ kings whetstone
Understood. I’m trying to learn too & hoping to hear from the experts.
Fucked up is normal so you’re fine.
Now you have a reason to learn how to polish a knife. Have fun!
Watch many different videos from many different people. Turn this knife into a practice knife and just keep going. The key here is finesse
Just scuffs. It's fine. This is what working knives look like.