Discover expert tips from our professional chef on how to sharpen Shun knives, ensuring they stay razor-sharp and ready for precise slicing.
Shun knives are the finest knives that provide everything a kitchen knife requires. They are razor-sharp so you can cut vegetables and slice sushi with ease! Self-builds provide for the ability to tackle various tasks on a kitchen table. The dull knives’ blades tend to chip when preparing meals, but they lose their most free sharpening the cutting edge. It is essential to use a knife like Shun to improve it. Continue reading for details about Shun Knifes and how they work. A list of the 5 kitchen knife styles needed by the cook.
Learn different methods to increase their blade and paring knife’s efficiency in cutting vegetables and to improve their shelf life.
Shun knives add ultimate ease and professionalism to cooking through their perfection in cutting and comfort on hand. Bent razor sharp edge or rolled Shun knives are an unfortunate consequence of long use, which needs to be tackled as soon as possible. Therefore, regular honing and maintenance are highly recommended. In this blog, I’ll discuss multiple easy ways.
Ways To Sharpen Shun Knives
Are you tired of your once-sharp Shun knives losing their cutting edge now, making your food preparation a struggle?
Finding the right sharpening techniques can transform your culinary experience, especially when using high-quality knives like Shun. By following pro chef tips, you can maintain razor-sharp edges on your Shun knives and make them last for years to come.
In our comprehensive guide, “How to Sharpen Shun Knives: Pro Chef Tips for Maintaining Razor-Sharp Edges,” we address common sharpening challenges faced by users and provide expert solutions to keep your kitchen knives always in top condition.
Shun knives are my number one choice as a chef’s knife, but the only drawback is that they require timely honing and sharpening to work precisely. Most people confuse these two terms—honing and sharpening, as they are used interchangeably, but are actually different.
Regular honing is necessary to elongate the shelf life of a Shun knife. With the flip of a coin, sharpening is the process followed to increase the sharpness and cutting efficiency of the Shun knife. Honing can be done regularly, but sharpening is not a daily chore but needs to be done when the Shun knife blade’s edge is bent or rolled, typically from the edge.
Well, I have never followed any of these processes on a regular basis as this way it becomes a burden. I usually follow grinding process of honing once a week so that my Shun knife remains sharp and lasts longer, while as far as sharpening is concerned, I usually go for it when needed. Let’s talk about some of the methods I recommend for honing steel vertically sharpening Shun knife:
Whetstone
Whetting is one of the most popular ways to sharpen a Shun knife. It is done by the whetstone, which has many types. Whetstones are broadly classified as natural and manmade, and there are plenty of characteristics that you need to consider to purchase a good-quality whetstone.
I have used three kinds of whetstones to sharpen my Shun knife: oil whetstone, diamond whetstone, and water whetstone. Let’s discuss them all comprehensively.
Oil Whetstone
Oil whetstone is a natural whetstone made of silicone quartz and aluminum oxide. It is a most traditional whetstone and has been widely used to sharpen the blades of different objects including knives premium blades.
To sharpen my Shun knife with oil whetstone, I follow the conditioning step first in which I soak the oil whetstone in kerosene or some other conditioning material. For your information, oil whetstones are made of many different composite minerals, and consequently, their coarseness, density, and everything vary greatly.
Well, as a beginner, it will be a bit difficult for you to understand these differences in the first place. That’s why I get the Norton fine Arkansas whetstones to sharpen the Shun knife because they are fine, less dense, and overall perfect to sharpen the edge of a knife. In contrast, the Aluminum oxide whetstones are more coarse, and durable, and provide a very smooth edge finish to the Shun knife.
Diamond Whetstone
Secondly, diamond whetstones are quite effective and my most preferred choice very fine whetstone for sharpening a Shun knife. They are composed of diamonds and alloys of metals and offer great build quality, high resistance, and strength. These whetstones add smoothness and evenness to original edge of even the hardest steel Shun knife blade and increase its efficiency in cutting.
Water Whetstone
Lastly, the water whetstones are made of Aluminum Oxide and Silicone Carbide. These are man-made whetstones that consist of soft articles, in comparison to oil whetstones. However, quality-wise and application-wise the water whetstones are better than natural wood grit whetstone because they provide electric sharpening, refined, and smooth edges.
The thing I love the most about water whetstones is that they are easier to maintain, clean, and store. Most knife enthusiasts, beginners, and intermediates prefer water whetstones because of their friendliness.
- Sharpening Steel
Sharpening steel, also called honing steel, is also used to sharpen a Shun knife at home. I have used it a couple of times, and it comes along with many knives including Shun knives, but the efficacy in terms of improving the sharpness of Shun blades is not extravagant. In other words, if I compare the efficiency of whetstone with sharpening and shun steel and honing steel, whetstone is better.
However, sharpening steel is one of the most affordable, easygoing, and practical options to sharpen the Shun knife. It does not require conditioning or any fancy priming procedures and works fine for Shun knife. Well, I have used sharpening steel for both honing and sharpening but found it better for sharpening significantly honing professional sharpener. It would be right to say that it is a regular-use kind shun sharpen out of product.
- Sharpening System
Here comes the most professional yet expensive way to sharpen your knives, the Shun knife. The sharpening system is like a bench stone and sharpens a knife efficiently. It has nothing to do with honing the blade equally the knife but is purposely designed to remove bents from the knives and increase their cutting efficiency.
The thing I love the most about the sharpening system is that it allows you to sharpen the knife at any degree angle or many different angles of your choice. It is overall flexible, easy to use, and an effective way to sharpen Shun knives.
However, the sharpening system can be a bit challenging for beginners. Also, I didn’t find it best for large knives. It is more suitable for folding knives and small Shun knives only.
Shun Electric Sharpener
Shun offers several whetstones, and a three-piece sharpening system that comes with honing steel, whetstone, and a bamboo stand angled to 16 degrees. For electric sharpening, you should rely on the Shun Electric Sharpener, while for manual pull-through there’s the Diamond and Ceramic Retractable Sharpener. Both of these math the 16-degree angle of Shun knives. Let Shun Sharpen Your Knives When you purchase a knife, you’re granted free sharpening for life!
General Care
Using proper care is a lifelong weapon. This knife is a little bit more expensive, but you need to keep it alive for as long as possible. After removing the knife should be dried in hot water with a damp towel. Keep the knife wet from the knife blade’s heel, down to the tips of the knife. As with any fine knife, it is recommended to wash it with mild dish soap. Use soap with oranges only to reduce the chances of rust. Never use scrub brushes. Remove the shampoo and wash with a soft clean cloth. You can allow the knives to air-dry for several seconds after storage.
Never put knives in a dishwasher. This may impair not only the material, but also the sharpness of the edge. Never cut on glass or granite cutting boards. These may be easy to clean but will ruin the edge of even the hardest steel. Use only wooden boards, wood composite or synthetic cutting boards of medium firmness. When using, always ensure the blade does not strike hard materials.
Process of Honing steel
Honing is the process of realigning the blade’s edge to ensure it remains sharp. Simply hold your honing steel vertically, placing the tip of your steel on your chopping board. Starting at the heel and at the top of the steel, draw the knife down the steel, running from the knife heel to the tip. Repeat this at the top of the steel with your knifeand run your knife in downward motions at about a 16 ° angle. making sure to do alternate sides for a double-beveled blade and to hone the full length of the blade.
How To Hone Your Shun Knives
Honing is very simple and does take little time. The period between paring knife blade sharpening should also be extended. The blade repositions the blade without the need for any metal removal. The shun knives can be made from shin honing steel with a steel blade if you need a quick fix. Unlike most steel honing equipment, this particular honing steel will make the job much easier as they come with built-in guides. This helps keep your own knife sharpener and accurate. It’s possible that your sword can still be polished. Holding the honers vertically on the blades.
Honing versus sharpening
It’s essential every day that you sharpen your blades to ensure optimal performance. Sharpening involves taking metal out of blades to provide a sharp edge that is only needed when needed. Weekly honing may be a wise strategy, as it prolongs the time between honing considerably. Honing is an adjustment of blade edges for sharper edges. Just keep your honing metal vertically by laying the steel tip on flat surface of granite cutting boards or only wooden boards of your cutting boards. Start with the heel taking off the tip.
Shun Knife and Its Stainless Steel Blade
To properly use shin knives, one must understand the material in each blade’s core. Shun knives blade is manufactured of Japanese premium material. They’re covered with layers of Damascus steel with wave patterns and they’re formed from the metal. Its wavy shape not only gives its a sleek appearance. This manufacturing makes Shuan knives rust resistant. Shun knives use steels that are rounded to 16 degrees to make them incredibly pointed.
Sharpening Shun Knives at Home
Before you try to sharpen Shun knives by yourself it is important that you learn the whetstones. Shun suggests using an 800 grit coarse whetstone for removal quickly and easily. The chip is repaired using 300 medium grit whetstone. Using a small wheystone of between 1000 and 1500grit is recommended for sharpening a blade with an acceptable dull surface. A fine to very fine grindstone of between 4800 grit and 6800 grit can be double beveled blade. double beveled blade is used to polish your blade to the best quality. Use double beveling knives to 15 degrees to the whetstone. Move your knife towards your chest; Avoid excessive force.
Sharpening A Double-Beveled Knife
When sharpening the two-edged blade you need a horizontal angle of 15 degrees. Grind your blade on the wand (whether it is a very fine burr wand or grit wand). Grind the sharp knife back off of you. Continue pulling your blade through the whetstone until you get those fine burrs. Turn the blade and sharpen the other side again. For a symmetrically sharpened knife with smooth edge only, the blade should be equally shaped, always a 15° angle. During Sharpening, a sharp edge is removed so that the smoother edge is visible. Grab some newspapers and place them in an open space.
Our guide covers a range of methods suited for sharpening Shun knives, such as using whetstones, honing rods, and knife sharpeners. We’ll explain each technique in detail, from choosing the right grit and angle to executing the perfect sharpening strokes. Additionally, our pro chef will reveal insider tips for maintaining your knives between sharpening sessions, helping you preserve their sharpness for longer.
FAQs
How do you sharpen your knives with a Shun knife at home?
In the first step, you need to choose the way to sharpen the Shun knife. After that, align the knife at a 16-degree angle and maintain the angle. Now pull the blade down the steel or whetstone from the heel to the tip of Shun blade. Give more time light pressure to the bent edges then don,t apply too much pressure to the flattened ones.
What do you use to sharpen a Shun knife?
There are many different ways to sharpen a knife like the very fine whetstone used, sharpening steel, and the sharpening stone bench system. In this article, I have discussed all three in detail. However, comparatively, I prefer a coarse whetstone to sharpen a Shun knife.
What are the 3 methods of sharpening knives?
You can sharpen the knife by using a whetstone, sharpening steel, grinding wheel, sharpening system, razor, and more. In short, 3 methods of sharpening knives are whetting, grinding free sharpening it, and steeling sharpening services knife.
The Bottom Line
Sharpening a Shun knife keeps it maintained and increases its cutting efficiency. It also plays a vital role in increasing the shelf life of Shun. There are a couple of ways to sharpen Shun knife, but among all, I prefer whetting because it is most effective, feasible, and easygoing for all level users. In this article, I have discussed my experience with all the methods; don’t forget to read.
Store knives either in a knife block, a wooden drawer insert or on a wall mounted magnet board; Japanese blades are best kept in a wooden sheath.