Your first stones
Sharpening Set · Beginner
Everything you need and nothing you don't. The technique explained from zero.
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Knife care · Jacob Bech
A sharp knife is a looked-after knife.
Wash it by hand, dry it straight away, cut on wood, and keep the edge up with a strop and a diamond stone. That is the whole routine. Below is how Jacob does it in the workshop in Greve, and the stones he uses.
Every day
Six habits that keep the edge.
Stainless steel is not no-stain steel. Most damage to a good knife happens at the sink, not on the board.
After use
Wash by hand
Warm water and a drop of mild soap, right after cooking. Wipe from spine to edge, never along the edge.
Straight away
Dry it with a towel
Do not let it air-dry on the rack. Water left on the blade and the handle is where spots and cracks start.
Never
The dishwasher
Heat, salt and long soaking hurt both the steel and the wooden handle. Do not leave the knife lying in the sink either.
Acidic food
Wipe between cuts
Lemon, tomato and onion slowly etch the edge. A quick wipe on a kitchen towel while you work is enough.
The board
Cut on wood
End-grain oak is kindest to the edge. Glass, marble, stone and ceramic plates dull a knife in a few strokes.
Storage
Keep blades apart
A magnetic rack, a block or a blade guard. Loose in a drawer, the edge chips against other metal.
Jacob's method
Three steps. Under five minutes.
Twenty years of water stones, natural stones, ceramics and jigs came down to this. Diamond cuts hard steel fast and stays flat, so the stones never need flattening or soaking.
- Set the edgePlated diamond stone. Both sides, steady angle, until you can feel a small burr along the whole edge.
- Refine itResin-bonded diamond stone. Lighter pressure, fewer passes, until the burr is almost gone.
- Finish on leatherThe strop, edge trailing, never leading. Stop when the paper test is one clean cut.
The angle. Jacob shows how to find it and hold it in the beginner video, with no guide or jig. After a few weeks of ten minutes a day, your hands remember it.
Sharpening tools
Three sets, one system.
Pick the set for how often you cook, not for how good you think you are. Every set comes with Jacob's video.
How often do you cook?
Cooks most days
Sharpening Set · Chef
For getting the edge back in under five minutes, every time.
View set
The workshop system
Sharpening Set · Professional
The full system Jacob uses, from coarse repair to a razor edge on the strop.
View setSingle stones
Step 1 · sets the edge
Plated Diamond Stone 250 / 1150
Two sides: 250 grit for repair and chips, 1150 grit to set a clean edge. Stays flat for years.
- 22 × 8.7 × 3 cm
Step 2 · refines the edge
Resin-bonded Diamond Stone
A finer edge than any water stone Jacob has used.
- 1000 · 3000 · 6000 · 12000 grit
Wood
The handle and the board.
Oak handles
Never soak a wooden handle. If it starts to feel rough after a few months, sand it lightly with 1500 grit paper to lay the raised fibres down, then rub in a thin layer of beeswax and food-grade mineral oil.
End-grain oak board
Jacob cuts on end-grain oak. The fibres stand up, so the edge slips between them instead of hitting them. Oak is not too hard and is lightly acidic, which helps keep it clean.
See the cutting boardsWhat people ask Jacob.
My knife is stainless. Why are there spots?
Stainless steel resists rust, it does not make it impossible. Spots usually come from water or acidic food left on the blade, most often near the edge. Rub them off with a little soap and a soft cloth, dry the knife, and they rarely come back.
Can I sharpen a Damascus knife on these stones?
Yes. Only the core steel touches the stone; the Damascus layers sit above the edge. Our EX-ANIMO knives have a VG10 core at 62 HRC, which is exactly what diamond stones are made for.
Diamond stones or water stones?
Water stones are pleasant and slow, and they dish, so they need flattening. Plated diamond stones cut hard steel fast and stay flat; resin-bonded diamond gives the fine edge. That is why every set here is diamond.
Do I need a leather strop?
It is the difference between sharp and razor sharp, and it keeps you off the stones between sessions. Jacob ends every sharpening on the strop.
Should I get my knives sharpened by a professional?
You can, once or twice a year. But a knife is only as sharp as the last person who sharpened it, and a few weeks of ten minutes a day is enough to do it yourself, whenever the knife needs it.
Can I oil the blade?
A thin layer of neutral oil after drying helps if the knife will sit unused for a while. Use a paper towel, lay the knife flat, and keep away from the edge.
Ask Jacob
Not sure which stone? Ask the man who uses them.
Send Jacob a photo of your knife and he will tell you what it needs. Near Copenhagen? He also teaches private sharpening lessons in the workshop in Greve.
WhatsApp +45 20 46 46 90 · [email protected]