Sharpen Damascus Steel

It is often considered that sharpening Damascus steel knives requires special techniques. That’s not the case. They can easily be sharpened in the same way as other knives. In fact, what makes Damascus steel knives superior to others is that they provide excellent edge retention. Care must be taken to avoid scratching the blade. Read on to learn how to properly sharpen a Damascus steel knife.

The tools commonly used for this purpose are whetstones or diamond sharpening stones, rifles or sharpening steel, bench stones and manual or electric tabletop sharpeners.   

Ways to Properly Sharpen a Damascus Steel Knife

Here are some methods that you can use to sharpen a Damascus steel knife. Choose any of these according to your convenience and the equipment available.

Whetstones

Whetstones have been used for sharpening knives since medieval times. They can either be natural or synthetic. The method is simple and provides remarkable results but is a bit time-consuming. Soak the whetstone in water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, place it on a flat surface. Swipe the knife about 5 to 6 times across the stone at an angle between 10 and 30 degrees. Repeat the same process for the other side of the knife. Make sure that you swipe only the edge not the entire surface of the blade.

Electric/Manual Tabletop Knife Sharpener

Nowadays, the most popular method for restoring the sharp edge of kitchen knives is using a tabletop knife sharpener. Damascus knives can also be sharpened with this method. Simply place the sharpener on a flat, even surface. Hold your knife at a right angle with the blade edge resting on the guide of the sharpener. Move the knife back and forth several times across the ceramic grindstone with slight downward pressure. This is a quick and efficient method and sharpens both sides of the blade simultaneously. Replace the grindstone from time to time for continued satisfactory results. 

Sharpening Steel

Sharpening steel, also known as honing steel, sharpening rod, or whet steel is a metal piece used to hone your knife blade. You can also use diamond steel. Hold the sharpening rod down on a hard surface to prevent slipping while sharpening the knife. Place your Damascus knife at a 20 degree angle against the sharpening steel, with the blade’s sharp edge facing up. Slide the blade across the rod from downwards to upwards, i.e., bring the knife from the bottom or tip of the honing steel towards its guard/ handle and vice versa. If your honing steel has multiple grooves, keep rotating the knife in between strokes. Once you are done with the first side, place the blade to the other side of the whet steel. Repeat the same steps including the number of strokes for this side as well.

NOTE: Damascus steel knives usually have a hardness of 59 HRC or more. This means that the steel of the blade is harder than that of the sharpening rod. This can damage both the equipment (i.e., knife and honing steel). Hence, if you opt for this method, make sure to get harder honing steel. 

Things to Remember When Sharpening a Damascus Steel Knife:

  • Never put too much pressure when sharpening a Damascus steel knife.

  • Only the blade edges should touch the sharpener.

  • If using whetstone/ water stone or sharpening steel, count the number of strokes for the first side to apply the same number of times on the other side of the blade. This will help in even cutting of food. 

In short, sharpening a Damascus steel knife isn’t rocket science. All you need is a bit of practice, patience and good-quality equipment. Aggressive sharpening with too much pressure on the blade can ruin the look of your knife. Therefore, perform this delicate task with care and follow safety precautions to avoid personal injury.