The First
Sharpening Process
Three tips for giving your blades a premium sharpness
with the HORL ® sharpeners
The most important step in determining a reproducible sharpness with your HORL ® sharpeners, is the first sharpening process of your knife. The three tips that follow will help you understand why patience and the correct angle are your friends, how you can recognize and remove excess material, and the roles that the quality of the steel and the prior use and care of your knives play.
TIP 1
Be Patient and Choose the Correct Angle
While using your HORL ® sharpeners for the first time, your knife will learn its angle. The first sharpening is important in order to obtain an exceptional edge and an infinite reproducibility.
The time needed for the first sharpening is not possible to predict precisely as it depends on several factors, such as the quality of your knife’s steel and the previous use of your knives.
On average, this process lasts around five minutes, but according to the type and condition of the knife, it may take more or less time. Subsequent to the first grinding session, only a few movements will be necessary to restore the sharpness of your favourite blades in the future.
The First
Sharpening Process
Most quality kitchen knives can be sharpened at 20° satisfactorily.
However, some knives will achieve an even finer edge at 15°, which depends on the condition of the blade and the quality of the steel.
Rigid spined blades are particularly suited for the 20° angle. If you sharpen such stable knives with the 15° angle, the material removed and the time required can be very high. The illustration shows the material removed when a knife previously sharpened with 20° is resharpened to 15°.
How to check the progress
The marker pen method presented in the video will help you determine whether a 15° angle is suitable for your knife. Additionally, you can visualise the progress of the sharpening process with this method.
Draw a thin line along the edge of your blade, so that the line appears on both sides of the blade. Then sharpen with the 15° angle for a few minutes on each side of the blade. If the line disappears on both sides, the edge has learned its angle and is now sharp. If the drawn line is still visible, we recommend you use the 20° angle.
The Marker Pen Method
TIP 2
How to Recognize and Eliminate Excess Material
Even after uniform grinding, an almost invisible burr can prevent you achieving the desired sharpness (see illustration). You can tell if a burr has formed, either visually, or by a scratchy feeling when wiping the knife with a cloth or leather. You can remove the burr with a few gently grinding passes. Make sure that the blade is thoroughly stropped to obtain an impressive sharpness.
Leather Application
after Sharpening
To ensure premium sharpness, your blade should be stropped and smooth. Furthermore, we recommend stropping your knife after every usage of the diamond disc or the ceramic honing disc. The smoother the blade, the more impressive the edge will be.
Knife with
obvious burr residues
= not Sharp
Knife with
only few burr residues
= not Sharp
Knife
without any burr residues
after final stropping
= Sharp
TIP 3
Consider the Quality of Your Steel and the History of Your Knife
The quality of the steel as well as the previous usage and care of your knife can have an impact on its final sharpness. In general, the higher the quality of your steel, the more impressive your sharpening result will be.
How you use your favourite knife contributes to its longevity and can be a determinant for its sharpness. In order to always achieve professional sharpening results, give your knife the treatment it deserves by avoiding the following:
Mechanical sharpening Systems
Mechanical or electrical sharpening systems quickly generate high temperatures on the blade. Very high temperatures can permanently damage the blade’s steel, so that the knife can no longer be sharpened.
Dishwasher
The salt and heat of the dishwasher have negative effects on the steel structure of the knife. A damaged steel structure can not be repaired and has a negative effect during the sharpening process, resulting in a dull blade that can no longer be sharpened.
Do you need
Further Assistance?
If you still have questions, you can contact us via the form below. In order for us to help you as quickly as possible, please take a minute to answer the questions listed below as precisely as you can. There is always a solution for every blade!