How To Sharpen A Knife In About 5 Minutes With ONE Stone | EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FAST! 2023
OUTDOORS553 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2025–2026
tutorial · intro · evergreen · 2025–2026 on HN
A beginner-focused tutorial on freehand knife sharpening with a single stone, aiming for a shaving-sharp edge in about five minutes.
Recommended by commenters who say its practical, scientific explanations finally taught them how and why sharpening works.
Up next
10 mo on HNTim Ewald - Clojure: Programming with Hand Tools
ClojureTV
9 HN recommender · 2014–2024
8 mo on HNDick Proenneke in Alone in the Wilderness
swererbob
10 HN recommender · 2012–2023
9 mo on HNOrigins of Precision
Machine Thinking
11 HN recommender · 2019–2025
6 mo on HNThe Art of Making a Nixie Tube
Dalibor Farný
6 HN recommender · 2017–2026
5 mo on HNBuilding The World's First Computer - Greeks, Clocks and Rockets - Antikythera Mechanism Episode 1
Clickspring
7 HN recommender · 2018–2024
4 mo on HNSmelting Iron in Africa (A DEMONSTRATION)
Christopher Roy
4 HN recommender · 2015–2024
4 mo on HNBuilding Prototypes Dan Gelbart part 1 of 18 Introduction
Dan Gelbart
4 HN recommender · 2015–2022
3 mo on HNClockmaking - How To Make A Clock In The Home Machine Shop - Part 1 - Making The Clock Frames
Clickspring
3 HN recommender · 2017–2024
4 mo on HNTelescope Building with John Dobson
Dobson Astro-Initiatives
4 HN recommender · 2017–2025
3 mo on HNPrimitive Technology: Cord drill and Pump drill
Primitive Technology
3 HN recommender · 2016–2018
3 mo on HNAmerica's Iron Giants - The World's Most Powerful Metalworkers
Machine Thinking
3 HN recommender · 2019–2024
3 mo on HNEC's Big Announcement
Essential Craftsman
4 HN recommender · 2018–2022
3 comments from Hacker News
Off-topic: what finally allowed me to gain the ability for high sharpening on a whetstone was watching a YT video of a master at the craft who worked slowly [0]. He wasn't one of those chefs doing the whoosh-whoosh-whoosh and it's sharp off a hone, nor even on the stone. He stared and concentrated and carefully made each pass. That leads to a lot of idiocy out there. I've twice handed knives to (amateur) others only to find them duller after "sharpening" than before. One had a hone; the other had a diamond-grit stone. The muscle memory to keep your edge at the same angle through the draw along a curved knife face takes a looooong time to perfect. He didn't trust in it; he always watched and moved with care. Once I accepted that as the end goal, I too could get knives that routinely shaved paper. [0]: OUTDOORS55 ▶ this video
Knives are a great example. Any chance it was this guy? ▶ this video I've watched like 3 hours of his videos on sharpening because he's pragmatic, approachable, and scientific, and now I actually understand how to sharpen a knife and why it works.
Pull through sharpening creates an edge that does not last. This channel has great explanations about this and what to do instead: ▶ this video