Fingertip bleeding while using whetstone

S

Sami Hawasli

Joined
Sep 4, 2018
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Hi all,

First time poster here. I bought myself a decent whetstone set to sharpen my dull blades. I’ve only used the stones a combined 3 hours, so bare with me if this question has an obvious solution.

After a good 20 minutes of sharpening, my middle fingers (probably just how I’m holding the knife) ends up turning black and developing a “cut”. It’s not serious, but it can sting quite a bit.

I’m pretty sure I’m just grinding away at my fingertips, not actually cutting them with the blade. should I be worried? Is this common for beginners? I would just move my fingers back on the blade, but I’m practicing on small pocketknives before risking the kitchen knives, And my fat sausage fingers will always end up touching the stone.

Thanks in advance,
Sami
 
Sounds like you ought to change how you're holding the knife...your fingers shouldn't have any way to get in front of the edge.
 
It sounds like he is “sharpening” his fingertips—abrading them on the stone.

OP, If you can’t grasp a smaller/different segment of the blade without losing control of the edge—due to your “fat” fingertips and the very small blade size—you could try wrapping the ends of your fingers for protection or using a jig.
 
Even with very small blades you should be able to keep your fingertips on the spine or bolster instead of on the flat.
 
You might want to consider balancing your fingertips on the spine of the blade, as it sounds like you're abrading your fingertips on the stone.
 
If the stone is being used dry, wet it. If it's an oilstone, use some mineral oil. Or if not, a little bit of water, or dish soap & water should do. Either way, it'll ease the friction of the fingertips on the stone. The oil will do a better job in keeping the friction down, and the stone will work better as well, with the oil keeping clogging issues at bay.

If much pressure is being applied to the blade for heavier grinding, I'd suggest controlling that with the handle end. I let the fingers of my other hand (on the blade) 'graze' the surface of stones when I'm sharpening (I use all with some mineral oil), but I don't rely on those fingertips to apply much pressure. They're only serving to feel for flush contact of the bevel to the stone. I place the tips of a couple fingers on the blade, just behind the edge, while also partially grazing the stone immediately in front of the edge with the pads of the fingertips. But I'm only doing that to feel for flush contact, and not for applying pressure. Better 'feel' always comes at a light touch. Only use enough pressure to keep the bevel flush to the stone; that shouldn't need much, and the hand controlling the handle of the knife should be controlling that, as well as the angle. The 'grazing' of the fingers on the stone should just feel as if you're spreading the oil on the stone to prep it for sharpening, and no heavier than that.
 
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Long ago, I tried to use my thumb as an angle guide, pressing on the spine of the blade, and resting the side of the thumb on the stone as I stroked. Great angle guide, but the Chosera 400 wore a hole in my thumb really quickly.
 
If the knife has a handle, there is no reason to touch the blade at all.
 
It's not all that uncommon, but it doesn't need to happen. I would actually suggest learning hand sharpening with slightly larger blades, like chef's knives. More room for your fingers on top if you prefer that technique, usually easily grindable steel, easier to feel/see the angle on a wider blade, and more mass for less bearing down on the blade. Often the weight of the blade gives most of the force needed if you're using a stone with appropriate grit. Very narrow and light blades can be harder to control and require more concentration, I find.
Anyway, be mindful of your fingers, no need to hurt yourself. If the blade is so small your fingers don't fit on it, you usually don't have to put them there. If you're finding it hard to control the angle with one hand, reducing pressure can help. Check to see you're hitting the bevel where you want to fairly often until it comes more intuitive. Sharpening, like most things, is a process where thought and a little bit of observation can help a lot more than exertion and time spent. Makes it more fun than sacrificing blood and sweat, too.
 
I did that on a very narrow, 2" dress folder. I use my thumb or thumb nail to set the angle (spine lift). Then I use one or two fingers to hold
the blade edge on the stone. Don't let your fingers get in front of the edge. Just enough pressure to keep the blade riding on the stone.
I'm glad I worked up a burr quickly because I did scrape some skin off not to the point of bleeding. But I see how Sami did it. DM
 
Sami Hawasli said:
Hi all,

First time poster here. I bought myself a decent whetstone set to sharpen my dull blades. I’ve only used the stones a combined 3 hours, so bare with me if this question has an obvious solution.

After a good 20 minutes of sharpening, my middle fingers (probably just how I’m holding the knife) ends up turning black and developing a “cut”. It’s not serious, but it can sting quite a bit.

I’m pretty sure I’m just grinding away at my fingertips, not actually cutting them with the blade. should I be worried? Is this common for beginners? I would just move my fingers back on the blade, but I’m practicing on small pocketknives before risking the kitchen knives, And my fat sausage fingers will always end up touching the stone.

Thanks in advance,
Sami
Click to expand...
lift your pads up and stop dragging them on the stone, use your finger tips on the blade not the whole pad, I wear XL gloves and had the same problem starting out, in your defense, your fingers are where they need to be which is nice.
 
In one of his videos, the esteemed Murray Carter said something like: "After you've rubbed one of your fingers bloody on a stone 2 or 3 times, you're probably well on your way to becoming proficient at sharpening."

So I guess this is good news for Sami. :)

Brian.
 
I'm sorry, but only an idiot would do that to his fingers.
 
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