How to sharpen a knife on a whetstone: a step-by-step guide for beginners
A beginner’s guide to whetstone sharpening: choosing a stone, holding a 15° angle, sharpening both sides and testing the edge.
Read moreThe forge is lit at six in the morning. By the time the first sun reaches the yard, the charcoal is glowing and the bellows are already working.
Morning: heating and forging
The steel billet is heated to an orange-red — the smith needs no thermometer, only the colour of the steel. Each hammer blow shapes the blade, spine and tip. A Japanese-style knife takes about 40 minutes of continuous forging.
Midday: quench and temper
The blade is reheated, quenched in oil to harden, then tempered twice to reduce brittleness. This is the stage that decides whether a knife stays sharp or chips.
Afternoon: sharpening and handle
Once cool, the blade is sharpened through five grits of water stone, about four hours. The wooden handle is dried, cut to the steel tang and fixed with adhesive and pins.
End of day
Every knife carries a card naming the smith, the heat-treater and the sharpener. We believe a good knife always has people behind it.
