Sharpening
How To Sharpen your Grohmann Knives at Home
For those who prefer to do their own sharpening, you can refer to the Grohmann Professional Sharpening Tips that comes with each knife on the back of your Lifetime Limited Warranty sheet. Our knives have a high carbon content, so are not difficult to resharpen. You can use a purchased sharpening system, most work well with a 20-30 degree angle on both sides of the blade (other than the left or right handed bread knives, all of our knives are sharpened on both sides equally). We do not recommend most sharpeners on the backs of can openers etc as they tend to eat a lot of steel off your blades. Some 'built in' sharpeners that come with knife blocks also tend to actually dull up the steel after they wear out. The following are some quick tips we suggest.
Straight edge blade - Using a Combination Stone
Use a high grade combination stone and a low flashpoint petroleum product (e.g.. varsol) to keep the stone clean and lubricated. Many oils on the market, even though they claim to be thin, still tend to clog the pores in a stone overtime. Do this in a well ventilated area and be sure to clean your knife afterwards to remove all lubricant and shavings.
Hold the blade on a 20-30 degree angle from the stone on the medium grit side first. Starting where the blade meets the handle, using a medium pressure, draw the entire length of the blade across the stone as if taking a thin slice off the stone. Alternate sides evenly until sharp.
Then repeat 3-5 strokes on each side on the fine grit side of the stone to remove any burr.
Straight edge -Using a Sharpening Steel or Stick
Sharpening steels or ceramic sticks are ideal for touch-ups just before use. They are not recommended for a very dull/thick blade, use the combination stone instead. When touching up on a sharpening steel or ceramic stick, lay the blade flat against the steel, then while keeping the edge against it, lean the top of the blade out approx 20-30 degree angle from the steel. Starting at the base of the blade (closest to the handle), draw the blade down along the edge right to the tip. Since Grohmann straight edge knives have the same bevel on both sides of the blade (makes the knife great for both left or right handed use) repeat this on the other side of the steel as well. Continue drawing the knife down on both sides equally until sharp.
Serrated Edges - with Ceramic Stick or Steel
Serrated edges require each tooth to be hand filed with a ceramic stick or appropriate steel that fits the diameter of the tooth, so it will take longer than a straight edge. Avoid using a tapered stick unless you stay in one area of the stick, or it will change & warp the shape of the tooth. Each tooth must be repeatedly filed until sharp. Then the stick can be rubbed back and forth along the edge on the opposite side to take off any burrs.
If getting your serrated knives sharpened by someone else, please ensure the person doing it will keep your serrations as they are. We hear of/see numerous badly damaged serrated knives that had the teeth warped, broken or ground right off.