Step 6 of the process
Hone and maintain
Between sharpenings a honing rod or a strop keeps the edge cutting. Honing straightens and lightly refines the edge; it does not replace the stone. Stones last when they are rinsed, flattened and dried slowly, strops when they are cleaned and reloaded.
- Honing rod angle
- the knife's own angle, about 14 to 20 degrees
- Back to the stone
- when honing no longer restores the edge
A honing rod does not sharpen a dull knife. A steel pushes a bent edge back into line; ceramic and diamond rods also take off a little metal. Hold the knife at its own edge angle and make a few light passes per side. Some makers of hard Japanese knives, Global among them, tell owners not to use a traditional steel and to use a ceramic or diamond rod instead. See strop vs honing rod.
When a rod or a strop no longer brings the edge back, it is time for the stone again, usually the medium one, and the process restarts at step 3. How often that happens depends on the knife and the use: makers say to hone regularly and sharpen occasionally, and leave it at that. After any sharpening, wash and dry the knife to remove metal dust and stone slurry.
Stones need care too. Rinse off the grey swarf, clean a glazed stone, flatten water stones often, and let them dry slowly at room temperature, away from direct sun, before putting them away. A loaded strop that has turned black and shiny is scraped and reloaded: see how to clean a leather strop.
Ready to move on when: A few light passes on the rod or strop bring the edge back; when they stop working, return to step 3.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Using a honing steel to fix a knife that needs a stone.
- Putting stones away wet in a closed box.
- Drying a water stone on a heater or in direct sun.