In brief: Here’s how to sharpen a knife on a 1000/6000 stone: soak the stone, hold the blade at a constant angle (20° for SARACEN knives) and sharpen it on the coarser 1000 side until a burr appears along the entire edge on the other side. Repeat on the other side of the blade, refine the edge on the 6000 side, then remove the burr. The first time takes about half an hour; with practice, about 15 minutes. A knife used daily only needs sharpening once every few weeks.
Article contents
- When a knife needs sharpening
- What the numbers on a stone mean
- What you’ll need
- How to find and maintain a 20° angle
- Step-by-step guide
- How to sharpen a curved blade
- Most common mistakes
- Whetstone, honing rod, or pull-through sharpener?
- How often to sharpen and how to care for a whetstone
- Frequently asked questions
When a knife needs sharpening
You can tell a knife is dull when it stops “gripping.” It slips over tomato skin instead of cutting through it. It tears paper. And it crushes the onion rather than slicing it, so it weeps under the blade and stings your eyes more, as shown in the article How to finely chop an onion.
Distinguish between two things. An edge that is simply bent to the side can be straightened with a ceramic rod in a few strokes. An edge that is worn and rounded needs a stone: it removes a thin layer of metal from the blade to create a new edge.
What the numbers on a stone mean
The higher the number, the finer the grit. For maintaining household knives, a combination stone with two sides is enough, such as the SARACEN® 1000/6000 whetstone. The 1000 side restores the shape of a dull edge, while the 6000 side refines it to a fine edge.
What you’ll need
- A 1000/6000 whetstone.
- A container of water large enough to submerge the stone completely.
- A non-slip mat or a damp cloth under the stone.
- A permanent marker. It will help you check the angle.
- A cloth and a sheet of paper to test sharpness.
How to find and maintain a 20° angle
The angle determines the result more than anything else. All SARACEN knives are sharpened to 20° on each side. The article Blade Sharpening Angle explains why. You can find and maintain it in three ways:
- Halving the angle. Hold the blade perpendicular to the stone, at 90°. Tilt it halfway down to 45°. Then halve the angle again to 22.5°. From there, tilt it just a little lower to reach 20°.
- Spine height. At 20°, the spine is raised above the stone by about a third of the blade’s height, since sin 20° ≈ 0.34. So for a blade that is 45 mm tall, raise the spine about 15 mm above the stone.
- Permanent marker. Color in the narrow bevel near the edge with a marker and make a few strokes. If the color disappears across the entire width of the bevel, the angle is right. If it disappears only at the very edge, you’re holding the knife too high. If it disappears only at the top of the bevel, you’re holding it too low.
You don’t have to get exactly 20.0°. It’s more important to maintain the same angle throughout sharpening, because varying it by a few degrees between strokes rounds the edge.
Step-by-step guide
- Soak the stone. Combination 1000/6000 stones are usually left in water for 10–15 minutes, until bubbles stop rising. If your stone has different manufacturer’s instructions, follow them.
- Place the stone with the 1000 side facing up on a nonslip mat or damp towel, with the long side facing away from you. Sprinkle it with water as needed while sharpening; the surface must not dry out.
- Set the angle to 20°. Hold the handle with the hand holding the knife, and lightly press two or three fingers of your other hand on the blade close to the edge.
- Sharpen the first side in sections: the heel, the middle, and the tip of the blade. Make 10–15 back-and-forth strokes on each section, applying light pressure, about as if you were slicing bread.
- Look for the burr. Carefully run your thumb across the edge from the other side of the blade, perpendicular to the edge, never along it. A burr is a tiny, rough lip of metal bent over to the other side. Switch to the other side of the knife once you can feel it along the entire edge.
- Turn the knife over and sharpen the other side at the same angle and with roughly the same number of strokes, until the burr appears on the first side.
- Turn the stone over to the 6000 side and sprinkle it with water. Make 10 light strokes on each side, then 5, 3, and finally one stroke at a time, alternating sides. This smooths the edge and reduces the burr.
- Remove any remaining burr. Just make two or three very light alternating strokes on the 6000 side, or a few strokes spine-first on leather, newspaper, or a piece of hardwood.
- Test the sharpness on a sheet of paper or a tomato. Then wash and dry the knife, rinse the stone, and leave it to air-dry.
The first time, it will take you about half an hour. For subsequent sharpening, you’ll usually only need a shorter session on the 1000 side and a touch-up on the 6000 side.
How to sharpen a curved blade
SARACEN knives have a blade curved like a saber. With a curved edge, part of the blade lifts away from the stone during a straight stroke and remains unsharpened. The solution is simple: as you approach the tip during a stroke, slowly raise the handle so that only the part of the edge you’re sharpening touches the stone. Keep the angle between the blade and the stone the same; only change the height of the handle.
It helps to sharpen in shorter sections and check for a burr after each section. The tip is most often the part that remains dull. You can find a video showing how to sharpen SARACEN knives on the Knife sharpening page. The article Why the SARACEN® knife has a handle unlike other knives explains why SARACEN knives have a curved blade and a handle positioned above the edge.
Most common mistakes
- Changing the angle. Your hand tires after a few strokes and the angle rises, rounding the edge. A marker and shorter sets of strokes can help.
- Too much pressure. Pressing hard quickly wears a hollow into the stone and creates a large burr on hard steel that is difficult to remove.
- Moving to 6000 grit without raising a burr. Without a burr, you can’t tell whether both sides of the edge have met, so the finer side just polishes a dull edge.
- Sharpening only one side. The edge shifts off the centerline of the blade, and the knife starts veering to one side when cutting.
- Dry whetstone. Without water, the stone’s pores become clogged with metal and it stops sharpening.
- Uneven whetstone. Over time, the stone wears down in the middle, forming a slight dip, so the blade edge doesn’t run straight across it. Now and then, flatten it with a flattening stone or 220-grit sandpaper laid on a flat sheet of glass.
Whetstone, honing rod, or pull-through sharpener?
The article HRC steel hardness in kitchen knives explains what a hardness of 60 HRC means and why hard steel needs gentler handling.
How often to sharpen and how to care for a whetstone
For knives you use every day, the manufacturer recommends sharpening about once every few weeks, or as soon as you feel the edge is no longer cutting effectively. Between sharpening sessions, a few strokes on a ceramic rod are enough. The right cutting board and storage also help preserve sharpness: cutting on glass or stone and storing a knife loose in a drawer dulls the edge faster than cutting on wood.
Rinse the stone after sharpening and let it air-dry at room temperature. Don’t dry it on a radiator or in the sun, as rapid drying can cause it to crack. Put it away in its case only when it’s completely dry.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you sharpen a kitchen knife?
For a knife you use every day, about once every few weeks, or when the edge stops cutting effectively. Between sharpening sessions, a few strokes on a ceramic rod are enough.
What is the right sharpening angle?
Use the angle at which the knife was sharpened by the manufacturer. SARACEN knives have edges sharpened at 20° per side. Japanese knives are usually sharpened at a narrower angle, around 10–15° per side, while European chef’s knives are traditionally sharpened at around 20°.
How long should you soak a whetstone?
Combination 1000/6000 stones are usually soaked for 10–15 minutes, until bubbles stop rising from them. If your stone has different manufacturer’s instructions, follow those instead.
What is a burr, and why is it important when sharpening?
A burr is a tiny strip of metal that bends to the other side of the edge when you sharpen one side. It shows that you’ve sharpened all the way to the edge itself. Move to the other side of the knife once you can feel a burr along the entire length of the edge.
What is the difference between the 1000 and 6000 sides of a whetstone?
The 1000 side is coarser and restores the shape of a dull or slightly damaged edge. The 6000 side is fine and refines the edge to a smooth finish that stays sharp longer.
Can I sharpen a Damascus knife on a honing rod?
Yes, on a ceramic rod, using light strokes. We don’t recommend a grooved steel honing rod for hard knives around 60 HRC, as the hard edge may chip on the grooves.
How can I tell if a knife is sharp?
A sharp knife slices through a sheet of paper smoothly and cuts through tomato skin without pressure. If the paper tears or the knife slides over the tomato, the edge isn’t finished yet.
Is the SARACEN whetstone suitable for other knives too?
Yes. The SARACEN 1000/6000 whetstone is suitable for Damascus steel and most common kitchen knives used at home.
You can tell a knife is well sharpened when you don’t have to press down while cutting. For SARACEN knives with a 20° edge and a hardness of 60 ± 2 HRC, the edge lasts several weeks with daily cooking before it’s time for another session on the whetstone.
Introductory photo: original SARACEN product gallery, composition adapted to a 5:2 format.