Method of honing a knife blade

A method of sharpening a knife blade comprising:

• providing a knife blade having a first flat surface, a second flat surface parallel to the first flat surface and spaced therefrom by a thickness of the knife blade and a third surface inclined at a predetermined angle from the first surface to the second surface;
• grinding the third surface of the knife blade at the predetermined angle relative to the first flat surface to render the third surface substantially flat and to define a cutting edge at a junction between the first and third surfaces;
• the grinding causing formation of a burr wire at the junction between the first and third surfaces;
• and removing the burr wire by the steps of:
• providing a first and a second honing body, each honing body having an axis of rotation;
• each honing body having thereon at least one disc defining a generally cylindrical outer surface and two side surfaces at right angles to an axis of the disc, the disc axis being coaxial with the axis of rotation of the honing body;
• mounting the honing bodies with the axes thereof parallel and spaced by distance less than a sum of the radii of the discs and with the discs of the honing bodies offset in a direction parallel to the axes such that said at least one disc of the first honing body intermeshes with said at least one disc of the second honing body to define a cusp therebetween;
• forming the discs such that the cylindrical outer surfaces thereof are defined by a flexible, radially compressible fibrous material;
• engaging the knife into the cusp so as to engage simultaneously the first and second honing bodies;
• the knife blade having a length greater than an axial length between the side surfaces of the discs so as to engage simultaneously in said cusp at least one disc of each of said first and second honing bodies;
• rotating each of the honing bodies about its axis in a direction such that the outer surface of said at least one disc moves into the cusp;
• and moving the knife blade while in the cusp in a direction parallel to the axes of the honing bodies.