How to Sharpen a Chinese Cleaver: Not an Expert Ep.3

In this episode of Not an Expert Knife Sharpening, I take on a hand-forged carbon steel Chinese cleaver—the Sentan Shirogami #2 Cleaver (59–60 HRC, ~$130)—and put everything I’ve learned so far (and failed at) to the test. After a clean paper slice, I dull the edge, then walk through the full sharpening and restoration process using Shapton stones and a Naniwa bridge setup. Along the way, I: Share updates since Episode 2 (including the two knives I kind of wrecked) Talk about what worked and what didn’t (for me) from the Carter Cutlery method Borrow tips from Bob Kramer, Carter, and random YouTube rabbit holes that I mashed together Explain how the stropping motion on each stone has changed how I finish edges This isn’t a simple tutorial. It’s a real-time, 35-ish-minute experiment of learning by doing — blending theory, failure, and progress into a long, sharpening session. 🪓 Knife: Sentan Shirogami #2 Chinese Cleaver: https://cutleryandmore.com/products/s... 🪨 Stones: Shapton Trio https://cutleryandmore.com/collection... 🧱 Setup: Naniwa Bridge https://cutleryandmore.com/collection... 👇 Drop questions, tips, or roast my angle control in the comments. Oh, and let me know what knife I should sharpen next! #knifesharpening #chinesecleaver #carbonsteel