How To Sharpen Convex & Concave Peeling Knives

This video shows how to sharpen convex and concave peeling knives using wet stones and how to polish the surface using a leather strop loaded with polishing compound.

The flat wet stones I use for convex blades like the majority of knives, are 1000 & 4000 grit, and the rounded wet stones I use for concave blades like birds beak or concave parts of a knife are 1000 & 3000 grit. They needed to be soaked in water before they are used, I let mine soak for at least an hour before I start using them.

The theory behind sharpening a peeling knife is simple, apply pressure to the metal blade as it is rubbing against the flat surface of an abrasive stone to remove thin layers of metal along the knife’s edge. Do this repeatedly on both sides of the blade to create a sharp point in the middle of the blade that will slice through materials effortlessly.

However, when you sharpen your kitchen knives with wet stones it takes a lot of practice to maintain a very precise angle as you hold the blade as well as physical stamina. You must firmly grip the knife and pick an angle about 15 degrees and always use that same angle as you are rubbing the edge of the steel against the stones. Some people use coins or inventive angle finders but I find the angle of the grind that I used before because it is always the same motion.