Master the Art of Sharpening: Bob Kramer's Secrets Revealed

[@Burrfection]

latest updates and content burrfection.com/ my trusted knife store bur.re

[@The_RC_Guru]

10:50 that’s exactly been my problem 😂. Thanks 3 years later and you’re still helping people.

[@capnsean8365]

Watching this man work is like watching Bob Ross paint. Very tranquil.

[@crattis]

I really enjoy listening to the sound of the metal on the stone too.

[@kevincasimiro1684]

Doesn't it make you eager to try on a paper?

[@skeetorkiftwon]

John Ross?

[@baby-shane]

I do garage doors for a living. You need to get that thing insulated, put some nylon rollers in it, and lube up all the hinges. Now I feel like I've paid you back for all the lessons I've learned from you.

[@jpulidol]

Best comment!

[@Burrfection]

Nylon rollers.... time to up my garage game

[@ronm2970]

This site is so full of information!!! Just ordered nylon rollers!!

[@baby-shane]

@@ronm2970 That's awesome! Glad I could help, be safe changing them out.

[@cassieb4162]

I love your videos. It’s taught me how to better care for my knives. I have a set with some chips in the edge that I plan on tackling when I get my sharpening stones.

[@capnsean8365]

Watched this video last night. This morning my wife asked why we replaced all the butter knives with katana swords.

[@Burrfection]

Make it happen

[@Sundrop2204]

😂😂👍👍👍

[@traestorm]

THAT made me laugh out loud! TY!

[@Duca4]

Almost split my morning coffee 😂😂

[@clairebordeaux]

cap'n sean Sounds like you were successful 👏🏻. Well done! Did you watch then sharpen, or sharpen while following along with the video? Or both?

[@cwsaxx]

I just got my first whetstone set up and have watched dozens of videos. Yours is the most complete and informative by far. Thank you.

[@Burrfection]

Thank you!

[@oldoutdoorsguy3238]

I have practiced sharpening various types of edged tools for most of my life, starting around age 9 when my father gave me an his old Barlow 2 blade folding pocket knife and showed me how to sharpen it on a double sided oilstone. this started a journey for me that has never ended and I hope that it will continue for me until I am but a memory to others. One lesson, I learned somewhere in my latter 20's or early 30's, was taught to me by a master woodworker during a tool sharpening workshop I was privileged to attend. He told the small class of woodworkers that each and every challenge which one faces in life is simply a task to do from beginning to end with some kind of result as a product of that task. All tasks have a number of steps in them and all of the steps lead to the accomplishment of that task which in turn provides a solution, to one level or another, to the challenge at hand. Now, the key to becoming a "master" at finding a "solution" is the key to learning anything worthwhile in a person's life. and that key is the "level" of the "solution" that you reach in finishing the task! My point to this story is this, you can "sharpen" a knife on a flat rock and make it cut something. But the level of "sharp" that you have reached is much lower than what you may be capable of reaching with the proper time, practice, and minimizing the experiences at "doing it wrong" or not understanding the different steps in making that knife really sharp. Pushing that blade over a flat rock is a one step task which will make the blade "sharp". But, if you take enough time to learn all of the little steps and sub-steps which are not included in the basic one step task, you will find much higher levels of sharpening that you may not have realized were also part of the task of sharpening that knife. I would encourage you to continue with your "detailed" videos and talk more about the whys and wherefores of sharpening than the end result of being able to imitate a mechanized paper shredder on camera and smile while you are happily slashing paper into little strips of confetti. During this video, I have learned no less than a half dozen things of which I either had not realized or had no clue I was doing improperly or not doing at all. So, in the span of slightly more than a half hour, I increased my education of the "fine" art involved in sharpening by steps which hadn't occurred to me or had never been shown to me before I watched your video. I am 77 years old with over 50 years of rather high level sharpening experiences under my belt and you have shown me more than I ever expected to learn from a young man in a half hour sharpening demonstration! Please accept my humble thanks for the time and thought you put into your content of this short film and hopefully you will continue to provide a full explanation for those small "steps" which many sharpening videos either fast forward over or skip entirely in their content. It is the difference between learning something new or simply receiving part of the experience of the video's focus which, for me, was an addendum to the "solution" I thought I had to making a knife scary sharp with a minimum of time and effort. If a person has prepared their blade to a level of up to 1000 grit, this presentation will make it really easy for that person to find out what "hair splitting" sharp really means! But please do me a favor, just do a single page of paper if you must use that technique to demonstrate sharpness I find it counterproductive to putting all that work into an excellent sharpening job and then dragging that finely tuned blade through a layer of coarse grade paper of any kind considering what may be included in that coarse content of fiber and floor sweepings!! 🙏

[@hoffmancapote]

Learned some good tips. Your comment is so true about feeling the grip of the blade against the stone to get the right sharpening angle. For a long time I measured the angle and could never get a consistent level of sharpness, but as soon as I followed the feel of the blade grip the stone my sharpening improved

[@jetobey5656]

I like the long form video. It allows for spotting details more than once, and then I can embed them in my memory and put them into practice. Thank you.

[@Viewsonic61]

Excellent tuition. First video I’ve seen that breaks it down into easy to learn step by step chunks.

[@andrewblomberg3479]

You can't stop giving can you. I started watching your videos to learn how to better sharpen my own knives. Then I realized you love knives even more than me and have been enjoying your channel ever since. I volunteer to teach cooking classes in a undeserved neighbor hood in my area, since we can't do that right now we have been making lunches every day to help keep people in the area fed. That honey comb handle, ebony handle, or either kramer shaped would sure make food prep easy and sexy.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

"... you love knives more than I*". He does not know you personally, so it should be a given that he prefers his knives over you😉.

[@xsez2]

Wow, I have watched this couple times, Still one of the best Knife Sharpening videos in Dec 2022

[@ramonrojo5033]

When first started watching your videos a few years back my edge came out consistent through out the blade length, a few months ago it became smaller as it approached the tip and although baffling because it wasn't intentional, my technique changed over time, it was aesthetically pleasing to play around it, couldn't find any video where you would explain something regarding this until you made this video. Love your passion towards knife making and maintenance.

[@Burrfection]

Glad it helped!

[@crominion6045]

I salute you guys who can sharpen freehand. I tried to learn for many years and never could get the hang of it. I ended up giving away or selling my stones and other gear and buying an Edge Pro Apex. Now I actually get decent edges, but it's not quite the same as being able to do it on your own without a mechanical guide.

[@sanctufilms]

I hope you will continue with this kind of instruction/demonstration as you did a few years ago. Some things you taught back then need to be visited again in light of things you learned later or changes in materials and companies since then. If you have a heart for it, this is a good time to touch base with what you used to teach.

[@PatMende]

Regarding your protip: this is actually something I noticed, and wanted to figure out how to ask you about on one of your videos, so thanks for bringing it up It's possible to realize that the bevel will get wider without adjusting how the knife is tilted simply by examining the geometry when you're finding the angle initially. If you find your starting angle, look at the tip: it's not touching the stone *and never would* if the flat portion of the blade is touching the stone. If you hold the knife horizontally, and pull it horizontally in the direction of the handle, *then* the curved portion of the knife will start to touch the stone. Now consider the extreme case where you have a knife with a completely flat blade *except* that the tip is a quarter circle. This is actually much easier to think about than a regular knife. If you wanted to keep the bevel the same along the whole tip, you wouldn't just need to lift your hand as you were moving toward the point of the tip during sharpening. You'd *also* have to roll the spine toward the stone as you pulled your hand upwards. I don't know if that explanation made any sense xD. But the key take away is that: to fully correct for the curved portion of the knife, you have to both pull your hand up, *and* move the spine towards the stone as you sharpen closer to the point of a curved tip. Obviously this is *wayyy* more difficult than the suggestion you gave, and requires *even more* control.

[@haisamjab]

It's remarkable how well communicative you are. Teaching is not simple and it seems to be natural for you. Thank you for everything you share with us "learning people". Bye from Rome :)

[@steveogle8942]

Still learning to hand sharpen. I've watched this video several times and I pick up something new everytime.

[@kevincasimiro1684]

That smile when the blade cut through the paper so smoothly, anyone else had the same feeling? when your knife did the same thing or tried it in a plastic bag???

[@toddburdick1]

Thank you RyKy! I appreciate your teaching. I've been spreading the love. I sharpen knives for others and try to share the knowledge.

[@francispaulmichaelmejia4103]

Hi Ryky, Would you create a second camera positioned in a first person view from your perspective for future videos? Thanks!!!!

[@salvation_by_hisblood_alon417]

Agreed, great idea.

[@Wvk5zc]

i believed he did that before in the older videos

[@jaaxxone]

Love this channel! Keep in mind that you don't have to be a master to have sharp knives. You can go as far down the rabbit hole into hobby territory as you like, but these tutorials are a service to home cooks, pro chefs and the knife hobbyist. Relax and have fun knowing whatever camp you are in you will benefit.

[@firmian]

Really love the the way you are moving your body in the sharpening motion. Getting the to-and-fro out of your legs helps a lot staying focused on angle and knife movement on the stone ...

[@frp05]

just got wet stones and have been watching a lot of vids on sharping most say do not put pressure on the push but a little on the pull back some say lift knife off stone and reset to pull knife with blade facing away from you . i do like yours or the Kramer method so ill probably watch this another 20 times and i like this video would like to see more like it

[@undrachevr]

So much nostalgia from this video. It brings me back to those early days. 👍

[@jsvedjefalt]

Hahaha same here

[@pavolfedor9681]

Thank you for this video, I like to watch you sharpen knives and I started myself, mainly due to your videos. Finally you mentioned the tip on sharpening the tip of the knife, as I have seen you doing it, but you never mentioned something in this regard. Great you have addressed it now. As already mentioned in the comments before me, would be nice to see you sharpen a pocket knife.

[@brandonhoffman4712]

Sharpened my first knife today! I'm trying to prepare myself for some Miyabi knives that are coming @ Christmas. I scratched the paint on the Cuisinart knife and sharpened one side harder than the other. The knife still cuts better than it did, and I learned a lot in the process. Now I need to sharpen every knife I can find lol! My mom wants her Cut Co. knives sharpened but I need the skills first... Also, I wouldn't want to do what I did to any of my Miyabi's. Thats what learner/beater knives are for.

[@claresinclair8030]

Thank you for showing me this. I ended up blunting my Japanese knife when following another video and this method has helped me to get my knife sharp, Maybe not as sharp as yours but it cuts tomatoe without me having to hold it on the board so its sharp. I used 1000, 3000 and 8000 wet stone.

[@garywelch12]

You have taught me how to sharpen my knives and my clevers razor,razor,sharp.knowing your different types of steel is very important.thank you very much for your mastery in sharpening these blades. Gary.

[@Burrfection]

Wow, thanks!

[@jetobey5656]

The full length videos are best. They are complete. For those who have a deep interest in fine knives, the time invested with you has real value. Please keep this format.

[@Swolimandius]

I recently started sharpening knives as a way to make a little extra money since my business has been shut down. Thank you for your informative videos, It has really shown me how much more there is to learn and practice.

[@Burrfection]

Best of luck!

[@di9it4l]

This is super informative! I love your teaching style and long format is very much appreciated.

[@tytorubio3271]

Sharpening knifes and chisels is the most meditative thing i have ever done.. i get so relaxed every time

[@Burrfection]

i agree

[@yousseftemmam2317]

It's been one year that I sharpen my chef knife alone. And today, I have just finished sharpening my knife and I realised how much important to know the right angle. In fact my knife seems sharper than the other times but I would like you to make a short video to show how to find the best sharpening angle. Thanks !

[@yousseftemmam2317]

@Mother Algorithm but how can I measure it ?

[@yousseftemmam2317]

@Mother Algorithm Thanks :)

[@suleimanshaik]

I dont get many whetstones in South Africa. As a complete newby to sharpening my kitchen knives, I love this video tutorial. Thanks a million Sir.

[@joshcoulson7659]

i just got my first set of stones as a gift, two double sided stones, 4 grits total, i am really glad i found this video thank you!

[@Lindrake]

Learned to sharpen knives with this video. Now my veggies cut edges are silky smooth. Nice work.

[@vietdadirt]

Missed these longer vids ryky. Amazing as usual, can't wait to sharpen my new knives like this

[@Burrfection]

you will get there

[@xmateinc]

I sharpened my knives last night for the first time every, and definitely had a hard time with the first blade keeping an angle. Knives are sharper then when I started but feel I could improve A LOT more. This is a great video for a beginner like me just trying to get a good technique.

[@roundtree3936]

The way I learned to sharpen in Japan is similar to how Vincent Lau @Korin does it, in sections and with much lighter pressure on the stones. Applying so much pressure to the point of flexing the knife prematurely wears out stones, knives, and your wrist.

[@Burrfection]

Vincent knows his stuff

[@tomacana]

I have always had a good knack with sharpening knives. The main thing I rely on is the sound of the stroke. Your strokes are really consistent.

[@jemmscrew]

@burrfection thank you for making these videos. We've never met. But I've learned a lot from you keep rocking!

[@Burrfection]

My pleasure!

[@Jimbonj]

I enjoyed the video I was needing a refresher course on sharping from you

[@chrischerry2787]

I've never sharpened a knife properly before but REALLY need to learn as this will make fish filleting so much easier. This video is excellent & it gives me the confidence to try it for myself. Thank you 😊

[@easyaussietarget3355]

When you practice the ability to feel and hear the burr between the knife and sharpening medium of choice becomes quite noticeable. Great tutorial

[@garywelch12]

May love and light be with you and your family always.thank you again,for your help. Gary.

[@Burrfection]

So nice of you

[@billymkirkwood4956]

I really like this explanation.. God knows I have watched enough knife sharpening technique videos now to fully understand, but this for me has galvanised and fine tuned my understanding, also I love the fact you use two fingers rather than three, which makes perfect sense and a more natural feel with the counter balance... brilliant thank you 😊🙏👍

[@Burrfection]

thank you for your kind words

[@meaty109]

TY...my skills are getting so much better because of your tutorials!

[@alfredvigil8394]

Thank you for this video, I learned a lot. It was worth the time you took.

[@LegacyHam]

I just have witness your channel by searching sharpening knife. I must say everything you explained have been so easy to understand. 💯 I'll definitely stay for more & also excited to get my first japeness knife In your store, a Bunka perhaps.

[@Burrfection]

Welcome and thank you!

[@JeffSmith-eq3kc]

I sharpen so much like you. Wait a minute, you basically taught me to sharpen. I don't even think about it anymore, I just use whatever method the knife dictates.

[@Burrfection]

You are too kind

[@JeffSmith-eq3kc]

@@Burrfection Definitely not you've helped a great deal and found me a passion and hobby. I have a side business sharpening knives on stones now and did almost 700 knives in 2021. I charge between $12-$16 per knife and do repairs and such as well. Almost all the knives I do are high end knives where the owner had a bad experience with other sharpening services. Thanks again!

[@jillhooper8199]

This was a really useful video. I've been trying to copy the Bob Kramer video from Sur La Table and this video provides a better explanation of how to sharpen like Bob. It would be awesome if you were able to do a video from above...like if you were looking down at your hands. Thank you.

[@johnwhitney5627]

In one of your videos you said that you don't really care for flattening stones. Would you explain, please? I'm just getting into knife sharpening. Thank you. really like how informative and unbiased your videos are.

[@Dave-nm3xc]

This is what I've been looking for. You are a master!

[@michaelrelaz4808]

HOLY CRAP! This video was great timing for me. On my second sharpening on the wet stone this video took me 100 levels better than what I was doing. 😂🤷‍♂️🔪

[@gregmccormack5709]

Love the longer sharpening videos with technique breakdown. Thanks for another great Video.

[@hongman24]

Just watched the video while sheltering in place for dah COVID .. fantastic explanation.. and the "Pro Tip" at the end was worth the wait !! The curved section of the blade leading to the tip is always the most difficult for me to sharpen, so I am looking forward to using this technique next time I get around to sharpening Keep it up Ryky, your work is really appreciated... and... hope you picked up your kids on time too..!

[@brianbell3849]

Thank you! Love getting back to basics. Few years ago that Bob Kramer video inspired me to start sharpening our knives. But soon after found your channel. Tip of the knife is so tricky.

[@shelbyglazer3948]

Best sharpening video on youtube period!

[@HR_sailor66]

You should really visit Bob's shop. Incredible stuff he's making there.

[@Burrfection]

One day

[@danltm]

After taking a break from sharpening suddenly i got it! Woah ginally managed to get the techinique right. Razor sharp clean edge. Sometimes a break will relax what u have learned. Thanks Burrfection!

[@Burrfection]

Great to hear!

[@mannsdan]

when your mechanics are so fluid and perfect you look like a robot. so smooth!

[@Burrfection]

Nah.... just practice!

[@TheDarkWallChris]

I never knew that trick for finding the sharpening angle. That's really cool, thank you

[@RobertOrtiz1015]

The motion is the basically the same as pocket knife and hunting knife sharpening. Thanks for video

[@salvation_by_hisblood_alon417]

Thank you for the in-depth full length tutorial. Although I was not anticipating a Bob Kramer type sharpening tutorial, I definitely learned some things I can use. I stole my sharpening techniques from Knife Merchant videos featuring Dave & his master sharpener. One thing I do is to switch hands for each side, doing the same thing on both sides with my hands,, ambidextrous style. Since I'm new to stones, I thought it just made sense to learn new skills with both hands, which in turn, gives each hand a break when I switch sides, and for me, gets more consistent results. I can't say one way is better than another, I just think it's something everyone needs to work out for themselves. Looking forward to more videos in 2020. P.S., now I'm inspired, and will sharpen my long neglected knife today.

[@victor-vieira]

Thank you for sharing your experience to sharp knife. Sharpening knife it is obviously knowing take time . Thank you very much again

[@grimreapings743]

I would LOVE to see a video on sharpening western style 6” curved boning knives, such as victorinox, wusthof, and dalstrong. I’m a butcher and it seems like I cannot keep these knives sharp for more than a day, and it’s killing me at work! Love your videos!!

[@greglivesey1734]

This answers so many questions I have had. Thanks.

[@kennyhallam]

Again another awesome video. I always love your humility and willingness to admit mistakes along the way, thank you for that!

[@adanma17]

Would love to see your thoughts on sharpens best knife sharpeners.

[@josephcraig765]

I would consider my self rather good at sharpening. But this video helped me understand how to correct the bevel issue when sharpening more flexible knives. No one would likely ever notice this but I do and so I want my jobs done as perfectly as possible. Thanks for the video !!!

[@Burrfection]

thank you !

[@chriserickson4417]

Nice work. A fine edge is a thing of Beauty. Thanks again for another excellent video.

[@jamestyrer6067]

I'm learning alot watching your videos. Thanks

[@childowar]

Love this channel. Safe to say it's probably my most watched. I have a question regarding smaller knives on stones and especially ones that have a foot at the heel of the blade making your stroke stop short. I'm a complete novice but came across this and it made me want to cry. Is it best to simply push/pull from the tip to the foot? Any help would be great thanks and keep up the great work! 😁

[@lanceyonis5197]

very nice video. thank you. this helps my technique to improve my blade edges. thanks

[@zeinnaja]

You and Bob Kramer should collaborate. It would be awesome to see you make your own knife with him guiding you.

[@onemorething100]

Wonderful explanation. It can be difficult in the beginning. Thank You

[@diltsman]

I would love to see more videos like this on the different sharpening methods.

[@Burrfection]

More to come!

[@diltsman]

@@Burrfection I just got a Cerax 1000 yesterday. I watched several of your tutorials. Other than a nick in the blade that I missed, it is now the sharpest knife in my house by far.

[@ColeJT]

This really helped me; splitting it up into two motions, practicing each, then combining. One thing that I've heard in other videos is that you only apply pressure in the direction away from the cutting edge (so you do not push your cutting edge into the stone). That motion felt very unnatural for whatever reason, but after some practice I got my $10 foodlion knife I picked up in college 6 years ago to slice paper nicely; some sections even got sharp enough to push cut!

[@Burrfection]

glad this helped at least one person

[@Cardude369]

This video deserves 1 million views thank you

[@Burrfection]

thank you ! please help share

[@Cardude369]

Yes I will share

[@sterlinghein]

Thank you this is super helpful!

[@richardreyes584]

I remember long before the Japanese cutlery era an instructor in culinary school demo this method as cutting into the stone. This was on oil stones mostly norton and with Henkel or Wustuf knives. King stones where mostly ignored. On the 2nd sushi craze in the late 90s and early 2000's equipment was noticed more than the mid 80's this helped places such as Korin in NYC do very well.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... Henckels* or Wüsthof* knives.

[@matthewmcgrath1741]

Can u make one video of how to sharlen a victoriox 12 in curve knift. What grid and brand of stone requires to sharpen those kind of knift?

[@wingmanhoy3999]

Truly awesome beautiful technique you have, perfection in the highest skills, thank you for what you do, all the very best.

[@TToall]

Maaan..... You has become a real pro.... I usually use these 'western strokes' as you demonstrating here. Very nice, thanks :-)

[@AndreH3d]

Question: Can you make a video on affordable carbon knives? like comparing them to the awesome Bob Kramer?

[@Burrfection]

Will make it happen

[@subsonic984]

You are the new Bob Ross! I feel like a happy little arc.

[@Burrfection]

I do not deserve such an honor

[@valvenator]

This is quite odd. I've been looking at sharpening videos for years and they either say to sharpen into the edge or away from it. Today I went to sharpen some kitchen knives and decided to try the back and forth method like I've seen the old timers use. Best results I've ever had! ...and then I go on to KZbin and it suggests your video. Strange coincidence or...? Why weren't you in my suggestion box before? I'm subscribed now and watched a good number of your other videos already. Great content, and Thanks!

[@Burrfection]

All in good timing

[@conradbedard8684]

Thanks, I have been watching this video over and over and it helped improved my technic. Would you make a video on how to sharp a knife for bread, can you use stone? Thanks, Conrad

[@hiracheta555]

Awesome video! I've seen a few other videos on how to sharpen knives using a whetstone and this is by far the best one. Quick question though, when you are doing the push/pull method, are you applying pressure on both strokes? Or just pressure on the back end? I've seen videos where they say that you don't apply pressure on the forward stroke (basically not to cut into the stone). Thanks in advance for any info.

[@cdyow]

same question

[@victormaack2353]

Great video!!! I have been watching a ton of you videos, as I want to get into wetstone sharpening. Your videos on knives, stones and sharpening have been the most informative for me on KZbin yet. As a beginner many tutorials say a larger stone is easier to learn on. With your knowledge of so many stones I was wondering about your opinion of the Dalstrong XL wet stones? You have there knives in some of your videos, but I haven't seen anything on there wet stones. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks

[@schriebeschriebs7501]

Excellent instructions, thank you for the video Mate 👍👍👍

[@dirtrider88]

after watching your videos and sharpening a few (and only a few) knives i sharpened my hatchet on the 1000 grit king deluxe stone you recommended and and stropped on a dry (no compound) old crappy leather belt i have and my hatchet is seriously comparable to the knife in this video. i can whittle hairs all day long.

[@everydaypatriot1083]

Thanks for the tips, Ryky.

[@andrewwong9769]

Thank you so much for your tutorial. It is very useful

[@toetip101]

So i thought you might like to hear that I watch a bunch of sharpening videos & i like yours the best man. Also the little irrelevant aspects in your videos that show your just a regular guy are cool.

[@esechanchez]

Thanks for all the tips! Do not change!

[@Burrfection]

Always!

[@joeratliff7760]

If you hold your knife closer to 90 instead of 45 degrees it’s helps to not miss that spot when your doing the edge leading or bob kramer technique

[@NutOnYoutube]

With something like the Santoku, would it be smarter to reduce the curve of your arc towards the tip?

[@sebastiantyler7874]

Thanks, excellent Video! Can't wait for follow ups... 👍