Push or pull

[Sanjosedale]

I’ve watched a few videos on how to sharpen with a whetstone. My blade is It’s a Kato VG-10 Gyuto. Some indicate the edge is pulled away or dragging the edge on the stone, others push the edge on the stone. I guess either works, or is one technique better or worse for a particular blade?

[J david]

Lots of opinions on this subject. I think most beginners should use an edge trailing pressure. It is easier to learn this way without gauging your stone. After some experience, try edge leading, light pressure as a finishing technique. I get good results this way. I don't feel like steel type matters here. Either the stone will abrade it or it wont.

Take a dive in the sharpening subforum. There is lots of good info there.

The best advice I can give you is to sharpen.

A lot.

[Altadan]

I think I speak for several of us here when I say it was Peter Nowlan who set us on the clearer path, that lead to less frustration, and more consistency
Check it out
https://www.knifeplanet.net/knife-sharp ... ne-course/

[Radar53]

I agree with the above for someone who is starting to sharpen. Just for info's sake if you have pressure on the "pulling away from the edge" stroke it's called edge trailing & if you have pressure on the "pushing onto the edge" stroke it's called edge leading.

One of the difficulties with starting out with edge leading, is that without the muscle memory and a developed sense of being able to feel the very edge-of-the-edge, as it starts to make contact with the stone, you can dig it into the stone. This can gouge the stone and perhaps chip the edge.

I'm guessing I'm in the 5% of sharpeners who use predominately edge leading strokes. There's no right or wrong here, it's just a personal preference and what works for me. I find that I can very clearly tell when I'm right at the edge when using edge leading strokes, but it's a bit more vague for me with edge trailing. I also prefer edge leading for burr removal, but am reviewing that currently. For stropping on stones I use both leading & trailing.

In summary, I would suggest going edge trailing initially and if you want to explore then start as per the first couple of responses above.

[Bluenoser87]

I’ve tried both. I get consistently good results edge trailing. But like everyone said, it’s muscle memory and practice. You can get good results with both. Edge trailing is a little more forgiving though, at least for me

[nakneker]

I’ve watched a few videos on how to sharpen with a whetstone. My blade is It’s a Kato VG-10 Gyuto. Some indicate the edge is pulled away or dragging the edge on the stone, others push the edge on the stone. I guess either works, or is one technique better or worse for a particular blade?

Your guess is right, either method works. I’ve tried them both. After lots of practice I started to develop my own style which is much of the fun. Mark, Peter, Ken all have some great videos here that will show a few different strokes because each have their own style. I found it helpful to watch a few of those videos multiple times and try to imitate what I was watching and seeing. Peter talks a lot about pressure, something I didn’t pick up on for a long time. My own way of sharpening uses both methods and I almost always ends with an edge trailing stroke, kinda of stropping if you will with very light pressure on my last stone. Have fun, put the time and effort into practice and it will make more and more sense as you gain experience. If you get stuck just donwhat you did here and ask, lots of really experienced guys and gals here who are eager to share what they know.

[studio398]

there is a third stroke variation, if you will. edge lateral, or swiping the edge sideways with very light pressure for the purpose of removing the burr.

[Sanjosedale]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Dale

[Gregory27]

I started edge trailing, because I got burrs more quickly that way, but now, honestly, my pressure is pretty much the same on the leading and trailing strokes. I do a few very light edge leading at the end of each stone.

[Sanjosedale]

I just read through and watched the Peter Nowlan video, #1..... great stuff!

I use my Gyuto VG-10 daily as my anchor knife. So far, It seems to need sharpening every few weeks. Is that typical, or perhaps I’ve yet developed good sharpening skills? When I was using the German blade (Henckels I think) I would go much longer, although I did hone on a steel each time I used.

[cliff]

I would expect the Kato to need quite a bit less sharpening than a Henckels. Do you have a strop? How much one needs to sharpen depends on how much you cook. I'm a home cook, and I would say I drop down to 100-grit every month or so, maybe every couple of months, and touch up and strop in between. Pros will sharpen much, much more.

[Altadan]

Did you mean 1,000 grit, or 100 grit?

[Sanjosedale]

I am using 1000 grit, but not tried stroping yet

[Jeff B]

...my pressure is pretty much the same on the leading and trailing strokes. I do a few very light edge leading at the end of each stone.

I use this technique too. I find I'm more consistent if I'm not adjusting my pressure while moving back and forth.

[Radar53]

...my pressure is pretty much the same on the leading and trailing strokes. I do a few very light edge leading at the end of each stone.

I use this technique too. I find I'm more consistent if I'm not adjusting my pressure while moving back and forth.

Hi there Gregory & Jeff. Interesting & sounds so logical. I will definitely have to investigate this more closely, because you have made me question whether I do this unconsciously at all, or probably never. The idea of improving the angle consistency, by maintaining the same pressure in each direction, is one of those things that when someone says it, I automatically think "that is so obvious so why have I never thought about it that way?".

It's one of the things that I love about this forum, other peoples' thoughts & the different ways they approach sharpening.

So thanks for that gem

[Gregory27]

...my pressure is pretty much the same on the leading and trailing strokes. I do a few very light edge leading at the end of each stone.

I use this technique too. I find I'm more consistent if I'm not adjusting my pressure while moving back and forth.

Hi there Gregory & Jeff. Interesting & sounds so logical. I will definitely have to investigate this more closely, because you have made me question whether I do this unconsciously at all, or probably never. The idea of improving the angle consistency, by maintaining the same pressure in each direction, is one of those things that when someone says it, I automatically think "that is so obvious so why have I never thought about it that way?".

It's one of the things that I love about this forum, other peoples' thoughts & the different ways they approach sharpening.

So thanks for that gem

I'm concerned that because that's the way that I'm doing it, it's going to turn out to be completely wrong. But I wouldn't be surprised.

[Radar53]

One of the surprises about sharpening, more than most other activities / pastimes, is that there seems to be way fewer "wrong" ways of doing it than there are "right" ways. I'm constantly amazed just watching the widely varying approaches, techniques & skills that people use and yet the outcome is still a very sharp knife.

I haven't found that so much in other hobbies like mountain biking, racing motorbikes, white water kayaking ......

So I find sharpening pretty cool.

[Jeff B]

That is the thing about sharpening, there are many roads to get you to the same place. It's all about finding that road that works best to get YOU there.

[Radar53]

haha In the mid 1980's I decided to teach myself to windsurf & so how did that go. In terms of windsurfing not so good - all roads did not lead to Rome, however got there in the end. But man my swimming improved hundreds of percent!!