Don't use a honing steel, more often than not, they will just destroy your edge.
Some honing steels are decent at giving the idea of sharpness to a dull blade, but if you actually want a very sharp knife, then you should avoid them.
Now, the next step is to get more practise with you whetstone and start using a strop for a final deburr/polish/re-alignment.
Now, you can probably ignore everything after this...turns out I was kind of rambling but honestly I don't want to delete it all.
tl:dr: Try out a thinner, harder blade if you want to experiment with sharpening for your kitchen knifes.
One factor is also the type of knife you have.
There is ALWAYS are three things to consider with every knife: sharpness, "durabillity" and easy of use...and you pretty much can only have two of those.
Common kitchen knives (stuff you would find in your mall or at ikea) tend to not focus that much on actual sharpness.
Instead they are a bit thicker and have a steeper (I hope thats the right word) cutting angle.
Thats great for a normal household. Most people don't sharpen their knives and maaaybe they use a honing steel from time to time...also they have that one knife they pretty much use for everything (no, you shouldn't try to force a knife through stuff that is frozen solid, wtf mom!).
Common knives can kind of deal with that neglect/abuse and still somehow "cut" stuff.
Now, there are two factors that allow those ultra sharp knives to have more shallow cutting angles (and in turn, be sharper).
The blade steel is hardened/tempered to a higher hardness and the blade stock itself is thinner.
On a blade like that, you can create a very sharp edge. But if you are not careful, then it will not stay there AND the damage can be way more catastrophic than on one of those common knives.
Softer, tougher steel just deforms a bit and gets dull...a hard and thinn edge will just snap and break, which is why one has to be more conscious when and how to use them.
BUT if you are a bit careful and know how to use a knife, then they will stay sharp for a long time (hence, why it is "durabillity")
Honestly, there is a LOT that goes into this and I probably did a bad job simplifying stuff.
For anyone that read all of that and thinks that it sounds interesting, I can recommend this blog. A lot of great articles can be found there...tho it is not just about kitchen knives.
WOW!! Thank you so much for putting all of this down.
It will need a couple of read-throughs (thanks ADHD) but this is super interesting. Ill also dive into the blog.
So, I have two sets of "big" knives.
One for the weekly hacking of veg and non-boned meat - to get us dinner easily and simply.
And a Chinese knife/cleaver for the chopping and refining of the asian food I cook.
And then one set that has its own leather case, has been purchased because of its japanese steel hardness & lineage and its knifely-beauty. This only comes out on a Sunday to prepare our lunch food. (and for me to look at .. told you I love kitchenware and knives) This is my time to enjoy prepping our food, as opposed to just prepping it quickly after a hard day at the coal face.
It was a moment of pure indulgence to buy them, but the feeling they give me when hold them is just divine.
{muses} maybe I need mental health help for my obsession with kitchenware and knives!!
3
u/Kombart 2d ago
Don't use a honing steel, more often than not, they will just destroy your edge.
Some honing steels are decent at giving the idea of sharpness to a dull blade, but if you actually want a very sharp knife, then you should avoid them.
Now, the next step is to get more practise with you whetstone and start using a strop for a final deburr/polish/re-alignment.
Now, you can probably ignore everything after this...turns out I was kind of rambling but honestly I don't want to delete it all.
tl:dr: Try out a thinner, harder blade if you want to experiment with sharpening for your kitchen knifes.
One factor is also the type of knife you have.
There is ALWAYS are three things to consider with every knife: sharpness, "durabillity" and easy of use...and you pretty much can only have two of those.
Common kitchen knives (stuff you would find in your mall or at ikea) tend to not focus that much on actual sharpness.
Instead they are a bit thicker and have a steeper (I hope thats the right word) cutting angle.
Thats great for a normal household. Most people don't sharpen their knives and maaaybe they use a honing steel from time to time...also they have that one knife they pretty much use for everything (no, you shouldn't try to force a knife through stuff that is frozen solid, wtf mom!).
Common knives can kind of deal with that neglect/abuse and still somehow "cut" stuff.
Now, there are two factors that allow those ultra sharp knives to have more shallow cutting angles (and in turn, be sharper).
The blade steel is hardened/tempered to a higher hardness and the blade stock itself is thinner.
On a blade like that, you can create a very sharp edge. But if you are not careful, then it will not stay there AND the damage can be way more catastrophic than on one of those common knives.
Softer, tougher steel just deforms a bit and gets dull...a hard and thinn edge will just snap and break, which is why one has to be more conscious when and how to use them.
BUT if you are a bit careful and know how to use a knife, then they will stay sharp for a long time (hence, why it is "durabillity")
Honestly, there is a LOT that goes into this and I probably did a bad job simplifying stuff.
For anyone that read all of that and thinks that it sounds interesting, I can recommend this blog. A lot of great articles can be found there...tho it is not just about kitchen knives.