Step 3 of the process
Raise a burr
The real sharpening happens on the first stone. Hold the angle and work one side until a burr can be felt along the full length of the other side, then turn the knife over. No burr means the stone has not reached the edge yet.
- Stone
- the medium stone, about 1000 grit; coarser for chips
- Done signal
- a burr from heel to tip, on each side in turn
A dull edge is a rounded one. The stone grinds each side back until the two bevels meet again in a line, the apex. You cannot see the apex, but you can feel the moment you reach it: a thin wire of metal, the burr, folds over to the side facing away from the stone. A burr along the whole edge is the only proof that this side is done.
Set the angle from step 1, keep the wrist locked and work the edge over the stone in sections, heel to tip. Check with a fingertip moved across the edge, from the spine outward, never along it. When the burr runs the full length, turn the knife over and raise it from the other side. Counting strokes does not replace the check: a very dull knife simply takes longer.
If no burr appears, something is keeping the stone off the edge: the angle is lower than the existing bevel, the angle wobbles, the stone is too fine for the job, or it is dished or clogged. Why won't my knife sharpen goes through the symptoms one by one, and the marker test from step 1 shows in seconds where the stone is really cutting.
Ready to move on when: You can feel a burr along the whole edge, heel to tip, first from one side and then from the other.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Stopping at a stroke count before any burr has formed.
- Raising a burr at the heel and the belly and missing the tip.
- Checking the edge by sliding a finger along it.