Mirror Finish with Sharpening Stones

There’s a sharpening stone called ‘Kitayama.’ This stone offers a gentle touch on the blade and, in my personal experience, allows for sharpening with a convex edge. When sharpening knives with a resilient steel or soft iron, this stone tends to clog, reducing its sharpening effectiveness. However, if you continue sharpening even when it’s clogged, the knife starts to shine.
*Be cautious as friction with the stone can heat up the knife.
The Kitayama stone gradually brings out the shine even without clogging, but I find that starting with a clogged surface speeds up the shining process. When sharpening Kasumi knives with a hard soft iron core, the soft iron also starts to shine! It’s more like polishing than just sharpening.

It’s essential to completely remove clogs and refresh the sharpening surface when creating an edge; otherwise, you’ll end up with a slippery blade with no real sharpness.

hibishugyo

• 2010-06-10