When you’re dealing with fillet knives, getting them sharp is already a tricky game, especially when they come with a bolster. Take this Wusthof fillet knife, for instance—flexible and bolstered, making the sharpening journey a bit of a challenge.
Here’s the kicker: to sharpen this beauty, we’ve got a nifty trick up our sleeve. We mark where the real edge begins, way further in than where those grind lines meet the edge. Why? Because if you overshoot on a belt grinder, that thick bolster gets in the way, leaving an unsightly groove. So, we stick to sharpening only up to that marked line, the true starting point of the edge. Starting with a 120 grit belt, we move on to Trizact A30 and A16 belts. Then comes the ace move—a shaped 1K Naniwa Chocolate Bar stone to smoothen out the burr from the belts, followed by a buffing session with compound. And voila! Effortless “S” cuts all the way.
Here’s the deal with these flexible fillet knives, especially this Wusthof gem—those bolsters can be a bit of a headache. The thickness beyond the grind lines becomes a real hassle during sharpening. People often yap, saying you didn’t sharpen the whole knife. But we’ve got a workaround: mark that thickness and skip sharpening it on both sides. These babies are delicate; press too hard or add too much leverage, and they bend, missing out on the action. The secret sauce? Keep that knife flat and glide it smooth, letting the belt do the heavy lifting.
Now, the nitty-gritty: we work the 45-degree angle on both sides, but here’s the kicker—the other side might end up sharper, messing with the looks. Enter the A-30 Trizact for that edge polish, followed by an A-16 treatment, equivalent to a 1K grit stone. We angle the stone to bid adieu to the burr, then switch gears to buffing. Picture this: wheel buffing at a slight angle, a tad convex. Oh, and here’s the pro move—steady that knife from the back with your finger to keep it from bending during buffing. Smooth moves for a sharp blade!
Videos:
