How to Sharpen a Knife with Japanese Whetstones, with Naoto Fujimoto

Knifewear: How to Sharpen a Knife with Japanese Whetstones, with Naoto Fujimoto. How do you sharpen a knife with stones? Naoto Fujimoto, resident sharpening wizard at Knifewear, is here to show you the basic techniques of how to sharpen a kitchen knife. He covers how to sharpen a Japanese kitchen knife, as well as how to sharpen a western kitchen knife.

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[zoharflax]

Thank you for sharing your traditional wisdom, you are a very good teacher.

[JSWAGIN]

I've been sharpening knives for ~3 years now and have basically just been doing my own thing. My knives have always come out sharp... but in hindsight, its probably just becasue it was just trial and error where I just sharpen until it's sharp and the first half of sharpening I was probably not doing anything/hurting the knife! This is so helpful!!!

[eugenevictortooms]

Ive just found your channel & im finding your sharpening videos very helpful. Thanks Naoto.

[bruceesterline]

A really good instructor on how to properly sharpen a knife correctly.

[philgoogle]

Naoto, thank you for this excellent tutorial. I've learned so much!

[noe]

just did my first knife sharpening and actually had fun doing so! Thanks so much for the video, I felt nicely guided through the process. Though just the moment when you mentioned to be careful not to cut the leather strap, that's exactly what happened with the tip of my knife 😂

[dstrix]

Naoto is awesome, I like all of the presenters though :) Knifewear is one of the coolest companies for us blade nerds.

[GrantHendrick]

Thank you Naoto - Very helpful. I look forward to your Friday sharpening chat.

[nicmckenna]

This is a very informative video - thank you. I really appreciate the simplicity of the presentation.

[mikebrisebois]

Amazing video! You are a fantastic teacher. Very detailed

[yeagemk]

Thanks for this - I just bought the Nigara AS/S Tsuchime Kiritsuke Gyuto from you guys. I love it but wouldn't think to throw it through my 3 stage electric sharpener. I have a good whetstone set but always got discouraged when I tried to use it. I will try the quarter and thimble trick on some of my beater knives to see if I can get a nice sharp edge. Thanks for all the content and for your great customer service. I will be a return customer for sure!

[davesmith]

A burr is like steel peanut butter. The grit of the stone drags metal off the bevel, and it hangs on at the new apex you are forming. Some guys with a SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) photographed two types of burrs which form, one for softer steels, and one for harder steels. The softer steel is easier to de-burr. If you think of peanut butter clinging to the edge of a butter knife as you spread it, that's what the steel does when you grind a knife on a whetstone: it clings to the apex. If you have a USB microscope, and want to see a big burr, to form a picture of what one looks like, take a knife and grind it on a sanding belt. That will leave a huge burr for you to inspect.

[Sam-rfyh]

Extremely helpful video. Thank you so much.

[-Patroit.]

I’ve have many knives but I’ve yet to master to stone. I practice on cheap knives to learn the angle

[nitrorsfour]

Been watching for a few weeks now and very pleased to actually learn something. Love the format and your teaching skills.

[Boerseun]

Great video. Up to what grid stone are you using the stone fixer?

[SparkleinSac]

I will practice with my Japanese knife. Should you only use wood for chopping on? Wood chopping board?

[MikeJustice]

Do you always need to start sharpening with a coarse stone like a 220 grit or can you start with a 1000 grit then move to 6000 grit for finishing? I only ask because I bought a combination stone and was wondering if I needed to get another. Thanks!

[SparkleinSac]

What type of wood cutting board? Acacia like Matsumoto Sakari or Hinoki wood ? My mother says hinoki feels too soft.

Also is 220 grit too harsh for Shun knives?

[SparkleinSac]

What is a better cutting board for Japanese knives- hinoki wood or acacia ?