Boning knives can be a real headache for sharpeners, no matter if they’re from Wusthof, Henckels, F. Dick, or Victorinox. It’s not just the slight flex that’s a challenge—it’s that menacing recurve near the bolster that gives nightmares in terms of achieving the right sharpness and keeping the aesthetics on point. In this case, we took on a Wusthof Boning knife, but truth be told, this sharpening technique applies across the board for knives with similar curvatures.
Our go-to solution involves a trusty 2×72 belt grinder, paired with a 120 grit belt and a 2-inch contact wheel. That wheel’s curvature is the hero here, allowing us to expertly sharpen that tricky inner part of the recurve. After the grind, we bring in the reinforcements—a shaped 1K Naniwa Chocolate Bar sharpening stone—to tidy up any lingering burrs left by the belt. Then, it’s time for the finishing touch—a bit of buffing with compound.
The payoff? A sharpened inner curve that transforms this knife into a precision tool, much like a mounted cavalry’s saber slicing effortlessly through muscles and sinew. The straight edge? It becomes an agile dancer maneuvering around bone sockets with finesse, making those longer cuts a breeze. This method? It’s the secret sauce for taming those unruly boning knives and getting them in prime slicing condition.
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