How to Sharpen a Knife to Scrape Oboe Reeds

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Place the stone vertical to your body

   It is important to get and keep the entire edge in contact with the stone at this stage.
   
   You may need to angle the handle somewhat in relation to the stone in order to achieve this. , If your knife has previously been sharpened, you may need to tilt the blade a significant angle (45+ degrees).
   
   While an angle of about 20-25 degrees is the preferred bevel for knives, the critical angle is determined by the current status of your knife's bevel. , Try to keep the angle of the knife constant.
   
   If you are trying to reduce the angle of your knife's bevel, you made have to spend some time (30-40 minutes) grinding the blade in this manner until the front part of the edge starts to make contact with the stone.
   
   Only then will a burr begin to form. ,, You may have to repeat steps 5 and 6 one or more times if your knife needs serious attention. ,,, Tilt the back of the knife up slightly and very lightly draw the blade diagonally toward you along the length of the stone about 3-6 times so as to allow the entire edge to come into contact with the stone.
   
   Lift the blade each time you retake a stroke.
   
   Adjust the angle of the blade until you feel the burr "pull" against the stone. **I cannot emphasize enough how lightly you must lay the blade on the stone for this and the following steps.
   
   No pressure beyond virtually the weight of the knife is required. , **Remember, use only the weight of the knife and be careful not to sharpen at an angle higher than necessary: the burr will "pull" slightly. ,, If, without hardly any pressure, the edge "sticks" or "grabs" immediately, then you have a good scraping edge.
   
   If it slides across your nail or you need to apply some pressure, then you need to repeat some steps.
2. 2

   Step 2: one short side closest to you

3. 3

   Step 3: one short side furthest from you.

4. 4

   Step 4: Take your knife in your sharpening hand (right-handers in your right hand

5. 5

   Step 5: lefties in your left) and lay the knife flat on the stone with the edge facing toward you.

6. 6

   Step 6: Tilt the back of the knife up until the front-most part of the edge makes contact with the stone.

7. 7

   Step 7: With the knife in the position described in the previous step

8. 8

   Step 8: rub the knife back and forth across the stone until a slight burr begins to form.

9. 9

   Step 9: Turn the knife over so the edge faces away from you and grind exactly the same as in the previous step.

10. 10

    Step 10: Repeat step 4 but continue grinding until a visible and significant burr is formed along the entire edge of the knife.

11. 11

    Step 11: After the burr is formed

12. 12

    Step 12: repeat step 4 but this time use a fine honing stone India Sharpening Stones

13. 13

    Step 13: Repeat step 5 until the burr is completely flipped over to the scraping side.

14. 14

    Step 14: Now position the blade perpendicular to and flat on the stone with the tip of the blade hanging over the side of the stone and the edge of the knife closest to you.

15. 15

    Step 15: Turn the knife over and repeat the previous step

16. 16

    Step 16: this time with the edge of the knife away from you; the stroke also going away from you.

17. 17

    Step 17: You may need to repeat steps 9 and 10 one or more times to get just the right edge.

18. 18

    Step 18: Test the edge on your thumbnail.

Detailed Guide

About the Author