ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Cooking Equipment › Cooking Knives › Stones for soon to be new knives
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Stones for soon to be new knives

post #1 of 5
12/15/08 at 11:27pm
Thread Starter 
Ok so I my wife is getting me a Tojiro DP 240 and a Tojiro Petty for Christmas and I want to get into sharpening them on my own. I have heard that the only way to go is with waterstones.

I have no idea where to get them and what grit to get them in some some help would be greatly appreciated
Reply
post #2 of 5
12/16/08 at 11:43am
I am a fan of Shapton Glass Stones because they cut fairly quickly and dish slowly, a nice combination. Initially you can get by with a 1k and a 2k. You should also get a ceramic sharpening "steel". When the edge begins to lose its sharpness, about three passes per side on the ceramic steel will bring 90% of the original edge back. You can do this several times before you will have to go to the stones and grind the bevel.

Eventually you will need a GS 220 or some other more coarse stone to prevent the edge from getting too "fat". Also, the stones will eventually dish and you will need to flatten them.

There is a ton of information on free hand sharpening available on the Internet, both from various knife oriented forums and YouTube.
Reply
post #3 of 5
12/16/08 at 2:19pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Buzz for the information. I am trying to see what everybody uses and then their likes and dislikes when it comes to different manufacturers.
Reply
post #4 of 5
12/18/08 at 7:34pm
i use glass stones, i have sharpen that much but have used diamond stones to sharpen, tri stones at school, and a random waterstone i bought off of amazon. i like the glass stones the best, but are also the highest quality stone iv used. they work great and are easy to use.
Reply
post #5 of 5
12/18/08 at 8:08pm
Shapton Glass Stones are great, but not the best choice for a beginner IMO. At that level of quality, Naniwa Super Stones give a little more feedback, cost less to buy, come with their own (adequate) stands, and are cheaper (if not easier) to maintain. Shapton stones can be something of a can of worms in terms of care and feeding.

Also, you haven't told us what your budget is. Both the GS and the SS choices are excellent stones, and more expensive than those a DP usually sees. Most people start with less expensive stones like King or Norton. A benefit to these stones is that they give a lot of feedback which will be a little help in learning to sharpen.

At least the "steel" isn't much of a problem. Check out the "Idahone" rods at Japanese Knife Sharpening.

BDL

PS. I don't want to dissuade you from freehand sharpening, it's a great way and what I do; but you may be more comfortable with a rod guide system like the EdgePro Apex. Much flatter learning curve.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cooking Knives
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Food and Cooking Forums › Cooking Equipment › Cooking Knives › Stones for soon to be new knives