How to Sharpen a Knife With a Stone (9 Steps)

The number one question I have been asked as a knife maker - for decades now - is how to sharpen a knife.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say, "I'm so bad at sharpening knives!" or, "I don't know how to sharpen a knife!"
But I have to be honest with you: if you're struggling to sharpen a knife, it may not necessarily be you or your skills that are lacking. It might be the knife itself that’s the problem.
Take edge geometry, for example. When you feel the edge from the top of the spine downward, you might notice a lot of thickness or heaviness behind the edge. That much steel will get in the way when sharpening.
Also consider the hardness and type of alloy of the steel. Let’s say it's 67 HRC on the Rockwell scale - an extremely brittle level of hardness. To keep the blade from breaking, the manufacturer will have to have made it really thick, meaning that blade will resist sharpening on a stone.
Edge geometry, steel hardness, and heat treating may be out of your control, but what you can control is the type of knife you choose.
That's why our blades are so popular. I make our blades with thinner edge geometry, and I use the right type of steel. And yet, I know every single knife that's ever been made is going to go dull, including ours. In that case, send it back to us - we'll resharpen it for free through our Generations program.
But the real question is, can you resharpen it while you're out in the field? Can you get that edge back with a quick touch up? I want you to be able to resharpen your blades to keep going in the field, and that comes down to whether you know how to sharpen a knife with a stone.
Learn more: www.montanakni...
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[@slik560]

Your method makes more sense than ANY other presentation that I’ve seen. Thanks for this!!!

[@MontanaKnifeCompany]

Thank you for watching!

[@airiksknifereviews9548]

Wow I'm not the only crazy person who sharpens backwards . This is the first video I've found that shows my method of sharpening. I personally like convex grinds and for me this is the best method for doing so.

[@loganweber7488]

Not a bad video about sharpening. Only a couple of suggestions. Super hard super steels really don't take that much more to sharpen provided you have the right abrasives. A good diamond stone around that 800-1000 grit will get you where you want to be quickly, whether you're using a softer more budget steel or fixed blade steel, or a crazy hard steel like maxamet or cpm 15v. I personally use Spyderco ceramic bench stones, and had no problem sharpening these sorts of steels. Also, you don't want to align the burr with the apex. It will get you the illusion of a very sharp knife, but as soon as you cut anything with it, it will fold over making you think it is dull. Rather, your finishing passes on the stone should be alternating and very light pressure. This will fold the burr back and forth, abrading it down and breaking it off. Finishing it on the leather cleans up any burr left over, leaving you with a truly sharp apex that will hold up to use.

[@WorkSharpOutdoor]

Great Whetsone tutorial Josh! 👏👏👏

[@graydonwilkinson1458]

Awesome tutorial thku I'm always sharpening my pocket beater and I still suck however watching the video always inspires and keeps me motivated to keep my knive sharp. Still not using my good blades yet lol to much till I get a sharpening system 😅 great video thks again 😊

[@robertnevarez7599]

Thank you my friend, I don’t know too much about steel, but hopefully aeb-l is not too hard to sharpen. This is such a helpful lesson here, thanks again!

[@lddtyrone]

Wow one of the best in you tube

[@MontanaKnifeCompany]

Thanks so much!!

[@larrymessier2196]

Thank you,, I really enjoyed your video,,, you had a very good presentation,,, and i learned alot,,,

[@EmmettReese-nh9lg]

Great tutorial would the water on the stone ever absorb the burr?

[@sonofablitch]

Great video, Josh!

[@Azzafudd]

Great technique 👍

[@saldomino1639]

Thank you ! Great video thanks for the great 👍 advice !

[@MontanaKnifeCompany]

Thanks!!

[@TonyMerritt-63]

Excellent show 1000 likes 😊😊😊

[@PlimptonNed]

For the stropping portion do you use any wax or oil or is the leather dry? Also, do you have strops for sale or recommend certain features to look for when purchasing? Thanks for the great tutorial and thank you for making a fantastic product!

[@chrishallnyc]

You need to put something called green jewelers rouge on it.

[@cliffguthrie7530]

Hey thanks! Good video!

[@tahoe829]

Excellent tutorial Josh thank you! One thing I have learned about 52100 is that it can , with proper heat treatment, take a wicked edge with not alot of work. I frequently touch up my neck 52100 with my dmt 1200 hone and a car window or bathroom tile😂 the tip portion is the challenge so im gonna try it your way. Now i know why you use it in your blades ;) What is the HRC of the speedgoat if i may ask?

[@larosity]

Got this for Christmas; too me 30 minutes to get an edge on 2 kitchen knives. This tutorial has helped a bit but I just can't seem to master the technique. Just be aware that this way to sharpen knives is not for everyone.

[@trevermccall6762]

👍

[@glenschmeisser6633]

( steps? shit I have a2 step process. 1) give it to a guy that already knows how, 2) pay him and pick it up.

[@MontanaKnifeCompany]

Nothing wrong with that!

[@jeffhicks8428]

Hard and wear resistant are two totally different thing. 45 HRC 10v is more wear resistant than 65 hrc 1095. Why? Because wear resistence isn't primarily factored on hardness. Hardness only modulates wear resistance about 1% to 2% for each HRC. But to be clear the hrc scale is not linear, meaning the higher you go the more each point is actually worth in terms of hardness of the material. Second. Sharpening isn't about grinding away metal. It's mostly about two things. Apex formation and burr removal. And the fact of the matter is that both apex formation and burr removal is generally much easier on harder steels. So... you're wrong again, shocker. Harder steels might be more difficult to grind but they are EASIER to sharpen. Everyone knows that.

[@Cbow406]

He's a master bladesmith. What's your resume?

[@chrishallnyc]

This man went for the jugular

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... apex formation and burr removal are* easier on harder steels.

[@jeffhicks8428]

@ Yes. But obviously it depends on a proper heat treatment. That should be a given. Both harder and/or finer/smaller grain makes steel easier to sharpen in terms of forming an apex and removing the burr. Hardness doesn't have nearly as much impact on abrasion resistance or grinding difficultly as people assume. The ingredients/contents of the steel itself matter more than the hardness. Stainless steel is a lot more difficult to grind that carbon or low alloy steel because of the chromium carbides. Basic 56 HRC stainless steel will be more difficult to grind than 65 HRC carbon steel. Steels with vanadium carbides are even more difficult to grind than chromium. Generally, it's best to use super-abrasive like diamond when grinding steel with a high vanadium. It really doesn't matter if it's 50 hrc or 65 hrc, vanadium steel is going to be harder to grind than other steels because of the vanadium carbides which are themselves a harder material than traditional abrasives like alumina.

[@johan081257]

👍🔪

[@SteelonStoneSharpening]

Still True in 2025

[@Jises_Kristos]

Что точно, так это то, что вы не умеете точить. Заусенец может легко сломаться и попасть в вашу еду. Он плохо удерживает край. Кушайте металл

[@geraldblack6101]

Any truth to the harder the steel the stone should be softer?