Hi, I'm Mara, and welcome back to Quill Workshop.
Today we're sharpening a kitchen knife on a whetstone.
First, soak the whetstone in water for about ten minutes, until the bubbles stop.
Hold the blade at roughly fifteen degrees. Two stacked coins under the spine is a good guide.
Push the edge across the stone, from heel to tip, with light and even pressure.
After ten strokes, feel the other side of the edge. That small rough lip is the burr.
When you can feel a burr along the whole edge, flip the knife and repeat on the other side.
Finish on the fine side of the whetstone, then strop the edge on leather to remove the burr.
Test it on a sheet of paper. A sharp knife slices cleanly, without tearing.
That's it for today. If this helped, the full guide is on the Quill Workshop page. See you next week.
