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TAsU
66
Oct 18, 2017
Do you PUSH or PULL when you sharpen/hone a knife on a whetstone? Or does it even matter?
TAsUThe knife edge glides at a specific angle from the the hilt end to the tip. It's not pushing or pulling, it's more like you're slicing. You can apply a bit of light pressure but gravity usually supplies enough. You're slicing to and from you, you build a natural rhythm with practice.
Snarge
39
Oct 18, 2017
TAsUI do both when I sharpen and just pull when I hone. Sharpening is more shaping the edge, whereas honing is more aligning microscopic serrations that are right on the edge. Since honing and stropping are similar processes, I use the same movement. But sharpening is usually followed by honing and/or stropping, so I don't really pay the microserrations any mind, and push and pull. Here's a quick rundown of the difference.

https://youtu.be/fU2mbWwVSXU
Stets
41
Oct 18, 2017
TAsU Both when sharpening, but only pull when honing. I use a strop with 1 micron diamond paste to touch up in between sharpening.
trevor266
281
Oct 19, 2017
TAsUI only push, but it doesn't matter, you just need to be consistent, I think a lot of professionals do push only, because the idea is it pushes the knofe away from you, rather than jerking the knife towards you, ultimately I think push only gets you the highest speeds.
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