FAQ: Can I sharpen a V-bevel knife on a leather hone or strop?

Yes!

We use a leather hone to maintain all types of knives. Whether the grind is convex, hollow, flat or Scandi, a leather hone will maintain the edge beautifully.

The leather "gives," conforming to the bevel and subtle grind angles present in any knife sharpened by hand. And if you continually maintain an edge with a leather hone and compound, eventually the edge will become convex. (Don't worry about that -- regardless of the method you use to maintain an edge by hand, you'll ultimately end up with a convex edge. We humans are incapable of consistently repeating a perfectly aligned angle anyway.)

One final tip: As you might've guessed, if your knife is truly dull you'll have to use something more abrasive than green or black sharpening compound.

For more information, visit our Knife Sharpening page, and be sure to watch our Sharpening Videos.