Can any knife be sharpened?

Yes, so long as it is made from steel and not serrated. Ceramic knives cannot be sharpened at home, (they would need to be taken to a specialist). There are several methods of sharpening steel knives:

Using a Whetstone

Place the whetstone on a cutting board or countertop, with the coarse grit face up. A wet paper towel underneath the stone can help keep it from sliding. With one hand, grasp the knife by the handle and hold the edge against the stone, point-first, with the cutting edge meeting the stone. You can stabilize the blade with your other hand. With moderate pressure, slide the blade forward and across the stone, covering the entire length of the blade and keeping the blade flush against the stone at a constant angle.

Do this 10 times, then flip the knife over and give the other side of the blade 10 strokes. Now flip the stone over to the fine grit side and give each side of the blade 10 strokes. Finish by using a sharpening steel or ceramic honer to hone the blade, then rinse and wipe the blade dry to remove any metal particles.

Using a Sharpening Steel

Hold the Sharpening Steel firmly in one hand with the guard positioned for protection. Place the cutting edge nearest the knife handle on the front base of the Steel. Maintaining a sharpening angle of between 15º and 20º, lightly draw the knife upwards along the steel, ending the stroke so that the tip of the knife is at the top of the steel. Then repeat this motion on the back of the steel. Sharpen the sides alternately five to ten times. Carefully wipe the filings from the blade and the Steel with a cloth.

Using a Purpose Built Sharpener

For some people, learning the skill of sharpening with a steel or a wet stone is daunting task. Click here to see our hand held sharpeners, no experience or skill is required to use this. The diamond crusted steel and or ceramic wheels/nodules ensure the blade is sharpened/honed at the correct angle.