# How do I sharpen a curved knife? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968 "2005-10-19T20:18:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/1 "2005-10-19T20:18:29Z")
Been googling for this but not much luck so far (aside from stores selling stuff), how does one sharpen a curved knife? I received a very nice little whittling knife that has a curved blade (looks like a claw). How does one sharpen such a blade? Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/2 "2005-10-19T20:21:11Z")
Is there any reason you can’t just run the whetstone over the blade, just like you do with a straight knife? ---
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/3 "2005-10-19T20:36:52Z")
well, I don’t know. I’m just starting on this carving business and the books I’ve been reading all talk about having to have a very smooth 10 degree angle to sharpen the knife , but they’re all straight edges on the blades. Can I just use a plain whetstone and free hand it? ---
**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/4 "2005-10-19T20:42:17Z")
aaargh. That should be a “…a very smooth, sharp edge. Sharpened at a maximum 10 degree angle…” ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/5 "2005-10-19T21:12:18Z")
A honing stone will work just fine. Use the same method as you would for a straight blade, e.g., start with the hilt on the “bottom” of the stone and move up the stone such that you are at the tip of the knife by the end, keeping, as you said, a 10 or so degree angle throughout, and vice versa for the other side of the blade. Safest if you are ambidextrious or have a sharpener, as the rule of thumb goes, you should never carve towards yourself. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-sharpen-a-curved-knife/326968/6 "2005-10-19T21:33:57Z")
You’ll get the hang of it. Just keep the edge roughly perpendicular to the long dimension of the stone. You can buy stones with an angled or rounded side for chisels, gouges, and such. Though the purists will disagree, the precise angle of the blade to the stone does not matter near as much as giving the blade a touch up every now and then with an oiled stone. The oil carries away the bits of metal and used stone. If an apparently sharp blade isn’t make the cut you want in wood, you may be making too big a cut. Try a gouge.