How To Sharpen Kitchen Knife: Sujihiki Sharpening with Naniwa Chosera Stones

[watisewelbeschikbaar]

great videos Curtis!! nice technique!! I'm looking to buy a chosera 400 -1000 and 5000 grit.. is this ok or is it better to buy the 3000 grit instead? wat do you recommend?

also is this a 50/50 grind on the sujhiki?

thanks .. Ken

[OneQuickThought]

I have been sharping knives now for about 4 years, I am running the minso sereris going from 240 grit to 1000 grit to 5000 grit to 8000. I am looking into getting more stones and trying natural stones as well. Saw this video well surfing for new stones and i must say NICE EDGE :) looks flawless.

[powerlinegf]

I would like to see you work a curved blade.

[SillyEddyPhotography]

Doesn't this create a knife with a really sharp blade, but a blunter heel and tip? Just purely from the observation that the centre of the blade is spending more time grinding down than the rest of the blade? Any way to counter-act this? If the stones were longer than the blade, maybe?

[bbjagaa]

Coupla time sharpen like this and there will be no knife anymore

[powerlinegf]

People who think I keep a sharp knife should see this video. 10,000 grit!

[AWS137]

Dang all these sharpening stones used in this video cost nearly $250 in total!

[RebelWrestler45]

Awesome Curtis; I just picked up this knife from Mark over at chefsknivestogo, can't wait to put it on the shaptons and get a nice shave.

[viper2788]

thanks for the upload. after watching this, i realize ive been doing so many things wrong with my water stones! ive been using a concrete sidewalk to flatten the surface, with no care about the edges LOL will give my dear knife another try!

[ArtistBlade1972]

Nice video man. That's a fortune in stones ya have there. :)

[atokombeled]

Love your videos!

It's unbelievable what you can do with your hands, you're a machine, man! :)

And love the tracks you choose to your videos too!

[ThisIsATroll]

I find that changing the angle very slightly and the way I stoke the knife on each pass makes my knife insane. It talks to me at night. Sometimes it makes me sad... I should find my knife some help, but who would it talk to? The toaster is very cruel.

[seamusoseamus]

@eceipretsam During a busy day in a working kitchen on such a knife, do you ever need to align the edge or do any touch up work? If so, what do you do?

[radix7508]

This is very helpful information regarding a consistent process and technique.

[rores28]

How often do you sharpen your knives in this fashion. If I'm cooking a meal a day for two, how often would this sort of sharpening be necessary?

[yonatan11]

awesome video.. i just ordered my kikuichi elite carbon 240mm, so will be sharpening it with these steps. 

[CR4SHW1LSON]

you don't even need a quarter of those strokes. all for show. must got through a lot of knives lol with the gloves and the apron! so over the top

[eceipretsam]

@CR4SHW1LSON the gloves prevent grit contamination. i don't want grit and/or metal from a rougher stone getting onto a finer stone. realize that these are very fine stones and that a lot of the strokes are done with light pressure.

thank you for watching and commenting!

[donrau]

@TrashW1LSON: If you don't have something nice to say maybe you should shut it.

@eceipretsam: Thanks for posting.

[geeuuell18]

Curtis - thanks for putting these vids up - they are very helpful.

Question - when you're lapping your finer stones (5k, 8K) do you use a finer grit DMT plate, or still use the XXC? What I'm wondering is whether the XXC leaves deep grooves in the finer grit stones or not.

[eceipretsam]

@geeuuell18 thank you!

i still use xxc, even on finer stones, but a lot of people use finer dmt's. it does leave deeper grooves, but those go away fairly quickly. it doesn't bother me.

[cesim82]

@eceipretsam

You could solve this by rubbing the 3000 with the 5000

for a few seconds and the 5000 with the 10000 for a few seconds.

What I am wondering though is why you hold the diamond stone

horizontally, not covering the whole stone, whilst flattening.

Thanks for the video.

[conchita02]

One of the best videos on knife sharpening. Thanks for posting~ I am trying to learn how to care for my kitchen knives and sharpening is one of the skills that I have to (eventually) acquire and your video was a good introduction~ :-P

[eceipretsam]

@conchita02 thank you very much! 

[mts007]

exelente tecnica =]

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

I've always been curious, why angle the sides of the stone like that? Honestly, I've always seen people do it but I don't entirely know why. To track wear or something, or to make sure the edges don't bite into the knife?

Honestly I've never flatten the edges out on my stones, felt like they never really needed it and I've never experienced any problems.

[eceipretsam]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 the main reason for angling the corners off the stone is because when they're square, it increases the chances of the edges crumbling.

if they're square and you put pressure on the edge of the stone, this can cause a pressure point and make the edge crumble; that's why we shave them off.

thank you for watching!

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@eceipretsam

I figured it was because the edges biting into the knife. I know now, though, thanks for the tips and the wonderful video. ;-)

[jedirifleman]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 The term is "pressure flaking" and if you watch a vid where a whole corner is chipped out from a stone it is because the user didnt angle his edges.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@jedirifleman

I've never actually seen anyone do that on video to be honest. I imagine you'd have to really F up your angles in order to do that, because I've personally never beveled my stones especially when I was just teaching myself to sharpen, never had that problem.

[jedirifleman]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 watch the vid "snake razor" by mastri livi and watch the corners of the 2nd stone he uses (the yellow stone)...and this guy is a master razor maker.

[jedirifleman]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 usually it happens with chisels, plane blades and swords where higher pressure is often used because of 2 handed holds.

[jedirifleman]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 also watch "KATANA TOGISHI - Japanese Traditional Sword Sharpner part 1 " you see his (Togishi) stones edges are beveled in the very begining. Then at 1:14 they show him beveling his edges before begining his art. A professional Togishi who has apprenticed for 10 years then practiced his craft for decades usually knows quite alot more than you or I.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@jedirifleman

"A professional Togishi who has apprenticed for 10 years then practiced his craft for decades usually knows quite alot more than you or I."

Kinda odd in the phrasing,don't ya think? Not that I insinuated that I was more skilled than someone of that nature, comment seemed kinda odd. ;-)

Also, as for the Togishi video, I've watched that many times before but never caught the edge beveling, it has been over a year or two and at the time was not much of a stone sharpener.

[jedirifleman]

@JesusFuckingChrist84 Sorry if it sounded harsh or stand offish.That wasnt the intent.

I was merely trying to convey that even if I had zero examples of how a stone was damaged or chipped by not beveling I did have proof that wise men who did little for "no reason at all" and were known for total immersion in their craft and very deep thinking and knowledge on their area of expertise were beveling.

That in itself was good enough for me.

[JesusFuckingChrist84]

@jedirifleman

No worries, I understand what you meant though the comment bugged me a bit. That is all, no biggie. ;-)

I understand what you mean, though, even to say that a Togishi is immersed isn't good enough, lol. From the videos I've seen and books I've read, they are marvels when involved with blade craft, if only I could get that good but I haven't the ten years to study, lol, young but impatient I suppose.

[wolf5391]

wat are you using for flattening the stones? i know its a dmt but which grit and size

[eceipretsam]

@wolf5391 DMT XXCoarse

[sonusfaber808]

I just got some sharpening stones for my knives. I like the technique here but I have a question. Is the knife in contact with the stone through both directions of the stroke? I would be able to tell with the sound of the sharpening but the music doesn't allow that. thanks.

[eceipretsam]

@sonusfaber808 yes, but the edge leading stroke has slightly more pressure.

[kc2rgw]

Holy cow...fantastic!

[Dtmdeman]

Very good technique. Thank you for the video. 

[rozhin1980]

Great job and excellent music!

[MrGoodCookin]

i've been considering kikuichi knives and am looking at the tsuchime and the elite carbon line. the tsuchime is much more expensive- do you think it is worth it?

[eceipretsam]

@MrGoodCookin eh, i dislike kikuichi knives. there are plenty of good knifemakers. i just dislike kikuichi. try the website listed in the description. they've got a bunch of great knives. watanabe, takeda, moritaka, mizuno tanrenjo, murray carter are all great knife makers. i've owned knives from all of them and they're great.

[MrGoodCookin]

@eceipretsam thanks. are there any quality issues with kikuichi? sorry, i'm considering new knives and want to narrow down the selection. i bought the chosera stones btw, thank you! this video promotes the stones well.. you've sold me to them.

[MrGoodCookin]

is it okay to go from 1000 grit to 5000 grit?

[eceipretsam]

@MrGoodCookin yes. 

[eceipretsam]

@MrGoodCookin chosera's are higher quality. super stones are slightly softer, but have more 'road feel' or 'tactile feedback', but it doesn't mean chosera's have none. chosera's are superior, but it's up to you to justify the price.

[RebelWrestler45]

@eceipretsam What do you think of Shapton's ceramic/glass stones. Have you had any experience with them, if so, what are your impressions?

[SuperMangn]

Finish with 1200 grit DTM stone and then strop on leather with polishing compounds, saves alot of money and has almost same results...

[eceipretsam]

@SuperMangn no. not even close. yes, it would save money. yes, the results would be 'good enough' for a normal-duty kitchen knife chopping on onions or carrots or whatever. but for this knife, we NEED a very highly refined edge because the sujihiki slicing knife is used for slicing fish and/or meat, raw or cooked.

a new 1200 grit DMT stone will still leave a toothy edge. the 10,000 grit chosera stone leaves a very highly refined edge. there's a huge difference.

[SuperMangn]

@eceipretsam Sorry, I did not pay attention to the type of knife. Yes, you are right that 10,000 grit chosera is best for fish and meat.

[tastygarlic]

You should have the only stone-sharpening videos on YouTube, because all others live in your shadow. great video!

[duderdo]

Fantastic video. However, I'm curious how you're properly doing the tip of the knife with this method, are you changing the angle as you approach the tip?

[eceipretsam]

@duderdo thank you!

let's stop for a moment and think about the tip. you might even want to grab a knife and look at it while reading my response.

think about it. the tip is the thinnest part of the knife. the whole knife tapers up to the tip. if you lay the knife on its side, flat against the table, the tip doesn't touch. well, that's because there is less metal behind it.

with this said, how do we sharpen it? while sharpening the knife, raise the handle when you get close

[eceipretsam]

@duderdo raise the handle when you get close to the tip portion so that it makes contact with the stone.

how much should you raise it? as much as it takes. a good way to figure this out is to go slow and watch.  you might have to bend your knees so that your stone is eye level.

every knife is different, so it takes some time to be able to do this by feel alone. just take your time and visualize what you're doing. visualizing what's happening will greatly improve your sharpening skill!

[duderdo]

@eceipretsam Thanks so much! Can't wait to try it out.

[MsTigerseye77]

OMG this is the coolest thing I have ever seen! I just took a basic knife skills class at Viking institute today and my blade was so dull that even when I sawed I couldnt split the tomato skin. Here you just drop it. Seeing that water stones can get pretty expensive, what do you suggest for novices?

[eceipretsam]

@MsTigerseye77 thank you very much for the nice words!

novice or not, there are some very affordable water stones. please look at my mizuno tanrenjo sharpening video. in that video, i'm using king brand stones, which were less than 30 dollars each. you can get really good results.

sharpening is 95% skill and 5% equipment. just keep practicing your technique!

[MsTigerseye77]

@eceipretsam Thanks for your message. By the time I got it I had already ordered Steelex dual side 1000 & 6000 stone. I just used it for the first time yesterday. That's the sharpest I ever got my knives but I think I still have a long way to go to get them as sharp as yours. I will keep trying. Thanks for the encouragement! You rock!

[MsTigerseye77]

@eceipretsam Oh yeah!  I am definitely going to check out your other your sharpening video!

[sgwizdak]

Great video. Your technique is interest, I've only seen sectional sharpening done before. Is there a name for your particular technique?

[eceipretsam]

@sgwizdak thank you. i don't know if there is a specific name for this technique. i've been sharpening this way my whole life. people have referred to this way of sharpening as 'full stroke sharpening', 'full edge sharpening' and my personal favourite: 'the C-Dawg method', as my online moniker on some forums is 'C-Dawg.

[familyphotoshoot]

Also, are those Yoshi slippers?

[eceipretsam]

@familyphotoshoot yes.

[zsollose]

hi can you show how you sharpen a chinese cleaver

[eceipretsam]

@zsollose maybe chinese cleaver sharpening video is next!

[zsollose]

thank you for the x tip

[SSamson89]

How much time does it take to sharpen one knife progressively through 5 stones the way you do it?

[eceipretsam]

@SSamson89 it takes usually a few minutes at most per stone and most knives don't need 5 stone treatment. usually, if a knife is still sharp, it's a quick 2 stone job. if it's new (like this knife) or very dull, then it'll take the coarser stones. but generally, it's about 15-20 minutes to do all 5 stones.

something that isn't mentioned is that you should take breaks in between stones. sharpening with a fatigued hand is not a good idea.

[willhime]

hi, I was wondering if you do even pressure coming back towards you? Because some knife sharperners only give pressure going away and let up coming back....

[eceipretsam]

@willhime no, it's not even pressure. there is greater pressure on the edge forward stroke. but, with this in mind, there isn't very much pressure put onto the knife. let the stone work for you.

[rozhin1980]

Great Video!

Music is beautiful.

[sharpkifeuser]

which dmt was that the coarse of the xxcoarse?

[eceipretsam]

@sharpkifeuser xxcoarse.

[ChronicMist]

@eceipretsam nice skills, not like the other gimmicks who "sharpen" their knives with a steel rod rofl

[ihoppy]

cool slippers

[eceipretsam]

@ihoppy thanks : )

[familyphotoshoot]

Could you explain why you take the corners off the stones?

[eceipretsam]

@familyphotoshoot so check it, the sharpening stone is made of natural stone (rock) that's been powdered and mixed with some bonding agent and formed. because of this, if you crush the corner, there's a huge chance that it'll crumble.

[kurupi]

wow you really know how to sharpen knives, can you send video of showing a knife one side and global knives because then angle are diffenrent?

[eceipretsam]

@kurupi single bevel knives are easy because you just go flat against the bevel and flat on the back, but i think i might do a video on it.

[biguy525]

I love the way you drop the paper and slice it in half in mid air. Now that is sharp.

[eboi31]

good shit curtis. whens the next prime rib party?

[eboi31]

good shit curtis.  whens the next prime rib party?

[WizzHunter]

hey, i'm doing my knives like that since copple of mounths ago, and i wonder howlong it takes to perfect my work, i still have trouble keeping my angle,

i bought new japanese knives and i don't want to mess them up, i wonder if you have some hints for that, and thank you, your videos are great keep up the good work Grtz Wizz Hunter

[WizzHunter]

hey, i'm doing my knives like that since copple of mounths ago, and i wonder howlong it takes to perfect my work, i still have trouble keeping my angle,

i bought new japanese knives and i don't want to mess them up, i wonder if you have some hints for that, and thank you, your videos are great keep up the good work Grtz Wizz Hunter

[tkto13]

Awesome video Curtis, as always. Great choice of music, use of comments and editing. Congratulations on the new stones.

I started sharpening in sections. As time goes on, I'm realizing I have to change my methods to get a more consistent edge. Keep the videos coming!

[MrZotZot]

Awsome vid you have mad skills!!!

I agree with Mr.Bill you're AWSOME :D

[eceipretsam]

@MrZotZot thanks : )

[MrBillTroop73]

I was thinking of doing a video like this!

Great Job Curtis!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're still my favorite chef!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eceipretsam]

@MrBillTroop73 thanks bill!