How to Use a Whetstone

Sharpening your kitchen knives is essential to keeping them working as they should. An annual trip to a knife or kitchen shop for professional knife sharpening is always a good idea, but for regular at-home knife sharpening, the options include electric or manual pull-through knife sharpeners and whetstones. With proper know-how, whetstones can be an efficient way to keep your knives sharp.

The Basics

Whetstones, or sharpening stones, are abrasive stones used to sharpen knives and any tool with a bladed edge. These “stones” are made from a variety of natural and synthetic materials in a wide variety of “grit.” Grit refers to the abrasive particles in a whetstone that help sharpen the knife’s edge. The lower the grit number, the larger the particles in the whetstone and the more metal that is removed; these stones work best with duller knives. The higher the grit number, the smaller the particles and the finer the resulting edge; these stones are appropriate for finishing and polishing a knife’s edge.

While the grit-count for whetstones is not standardized industry-wide, whetstones generally fall into three grit categories:

• Rough 120-600 grit

• Medium 800-3000 grit

• Fine 3000-6000 grit

You’ll probably want more than one stone to work on your knives: a medium grit to tackle a dulled edge quickly and efficiently, and a fine grit for finishing and polishing. If your knives get very dull between sharpenings, you may consider adding a rough stone to the pair.

If you’re ready to invest in whetstones, it’s best to consult a professional to help you find the right stones for you depending on your knives and frequency of sharpening.