The basic operations involved in sharpening a knife are grinding,
honing, and steeling. Maintenance of a sharp working edge often
requires only steeling. If the knife is in heavy use, periodic honing
is usually required daily or at least weekly.
1. Grinding (fig. 2) is necessary because new knives are not usually
sold in a form sharp enough for immediate use. The stone should be
water, or oil-cooled to avoid overheating the knife. The blade should
not be ground back more than ¼ inch from the edge to form the proper
bevel. The bevel should be the same on both sides of a skinning knife
so that it may be used with either hand in removing the hide from a
beef carcass. It is best to grind the knife by holding the knife edge
against the stone at a right angle to prevent scarring the blade any
farther back than the actual bevel.
2. Honing (fig. 2) is accomplished on a carborundum stone. Stones
should be set in a block of wood or placed on a damp cloth to prevent
lateral sliding. Hold the handle of the knife in the right hand with
the blade edge pointed away from your body. Assume a position parallel
to the side of the stone and place the heel of the knife blade on the
end of the stone to your extreme left. Tilt the blade of the knife
enough to make the bevel lie flat with the stone. Place the finger
tips of the left hand on the flat of the blade toward the tip and near
the back edge to exert pressure on the blade. It is very important for
safety that the fingers of the left hand push _downward only_ to
maintain an even pressure on the knife blade over the stone. If the
left hand pushes laterally with the sharpening stroke, and the knife
catches on an irregularity, then the fingers will slip off the edge
and can be cut severely by the freed knife blade. With a sweeping
motion toward the right of the stone, draw the knife completely across
the stone, against the cutting edge of the blade. The correct motion
is achieved when that portion of the blade nearest the handle begins
the stroke and the extreme tip of the blade ends the stroke. The
procedure is reversed to hone the opposite side of the blade.
3. Steeling (fig. 2) is accomplished by using various kinds of steels
that are adapted to specific uses. The carborundum and ribbed steels
are for kitchen use where knives need not be razor-sharp and the steel
is actually honing the knife. The mirror-smooth steel for razor-sharp
edges is the one best suited for slaughter and meat cutting. The steel
should be held firmly in the left hand in a position almost diagonal
to the body but with a slightly upward tilt. This permits the free
movement of the knife across the steel without drawing it too close to
the supporting hand. Place the heel of the blade against the near side
of the tip at a 20° to 25° angle and bring the blade down along the
steel toward the left hand with a quick, swinging motion of the
right wrist and forearm. The entire blade should pass lightly over the
steel. Return the knife to a position on the opposite side of the
steel and repeat the same motion.
To test the knife for sharpness and smoothness of edge, run the edge
of the blade lightly over the flat of the thumbnail. If the knife
slides easily, it lacks the proper sharpness. A sharp edge will dig
into the nail and a rough or wire edge will rasp the nail.
[Illustration: Lin drawing showing blade grinding, honing, and
steeling]
Figure 2.—The correct procedure for sharpening knives.[6]
[6] Adapted from Smith, G. C., Carpenter, Z. L., and King, G. T. 1974.
Laboratory Exercises in Elementary Meat Science. Kemp Publishing Co.,
Houston, Tex.