How to sharpen a knife with a diamond edge? SwiftEdge single knife sharpening system

In a world where precision and efficiency are the keys to successful culinary masterpieces, or simply general cooking enjoyment, a sharp knife is an indispensable companion for any cook. Whether you are a passionate home chef who appreciates the craftsmanship behind every dish, or you just want to prepare a quick meal, the ability to maintain a precise and sharp knife edge is crucial. This is where a knife sharpening system with an adjustable angle and diamond stones becomes your secret weapon.

How knife sharpening works

First the principles, then we will get to the sharpening later. If you are already familiar with this, you can skip to the next heading.

Sharpening a knife is done by removing steel on each side of the edge, to thin out the knife's edge and make the triangular shape of the knife's cross-section pointier at the tip. Transitioning from being rounded, the material shown as red in the figure below is removed, resulting in a pointed triangular shape. 

When you remove steel from the knife's edge, it will eventually become so thin that the steel almost bends over to the opposite side. This edge is called a "burr". This is a central part of sharpening knives. It is small and difficult to see, but by running your finger across the edge, against the cutting direction, you can feel that a small ridge has developed on the opposite side of where you have been sharpening. The image below shows a close-up of an edge sharpened with a 1200 grit diamond plate on the right side, with the burr bending towards the left. It is difficult to see with the naked eye, but your finger can feel it.

(from Scienceofsharp.com)

This burr is felt on the opposite side of the side you are sharpening and is a sign that you have sharpened all the way to the apex, or the end of the edge. When the entire edge has developed a burr, it is a good indicator that you have sharpened enough. You can then switch sides and sharpen until you achieve the same on the other side, and then you can move up in grit, e.g., from 240 to 400, then to 800. Each time you switch sides of the knife, you remove the burr and create a new one on the other side, and as you move to finer grits, the edge becomes more refined and sharper, but there will usually always be a burr in the end. When you have achieved the desired fineness, you remove the remaining burr by stropping the knife back and forth on a leather strop or similar, opposite to the cutting direction. If you do not have a leather strop, a newspaper, cardboard, or an old belt can work well. Strop back and forth, opposite to the cutting direction, just flat enough to hit and break off the burr. Once you have broken off the burr along the entire length of the blade, the edge is straightened and sharp. You can further polish the edge if you apply polishing paste to the leather strop, but it is not a necessity. 

How to get an even and correct angle on the edge?

This innovative tool is not only easy to use, but it also provides an exceptional degree of control over the sharpening process, meaning you get sharper edges in an easier way. It is fully adjustable and works on all knives as long as they can be mounted (3mm thickness). Let's begin the journey toward culinary perfection and master sharp edges together!

Watch the video first, and then read the guide below:

How to get a sharp edge with the SwiftEdge system from Storbua:

1. Clamp the frame to a table edge or similar in an area that is safe to work in.
2. Screw in the rods; the short one goes on the frame, the long one goes on the handle.
3. Place the knife in the knife holder and secure it safely by tightening the two screws.
4. Choose the grit based on how much steel you need to remove. Feel free to start with the coarsest and go from there on a knife you haven't sharpened with this system before to set the edge, and attach the stone to the sharpening rod.
5. To see if the stone is sharpening in the right place, it is quite simple: just mark the edge a little with a permanent marker, then sharpen a bit, and you will see where the diamond stone removes the marker. When the marker is removed all the way out, you are sharpening right at the edge.
6. Use the flip function: Once you have sharpened all the way down on one side and achieved a burr, as described above, pull the knife out carefully but firmly and flip it 180 degrees so that you can sharpen the other side of the knife. (see video)
7. Continue on the other side with the same grit until you have sharpened the edge all the way down and achieved a burr on the other side.
8. Switch to a finer stone (approximately doubling the grit, e.g., 240 to 400) and continue. You don't need to go that high in grit if you just want a good functional edge, but we have diamond stones that go all the way to 3000 grit.
9. After sharpening, you must strop the blade to remove the burr that has built up. This is done by stroking the knife blade against the cutting direction on a leather strop, for example, a double-sided leather strop with handle. As mentioned, this can also be done on a newspaper, a belt, or a piece of cardboard.

 

Tips and tricks:

1. Safety is paramount. Never clamp a knife without ensuring the area is free from distractions, tripping hazards, or other dangers like animals or children. When the knife is clamped in place, you must remain vigilant and stay away from the edge, as it is fixed and will soon become reasonably sharp.
2. It can often be difficult to know where the stone hits the steel. Use a permanent marker to color the edge so you can easily see where you are hitting, as the stone will grind away the marker. You can use this to ensure the angle of the stone is correct and to know when you have sharpened the entire edge all the way to the tip. When the entire marker mark is ground away, you have the correct angle relative to the factory edge. When the marker mark is gone all the way out at the tip, you know you have sharpened all the way to the edge.