How to sharpen your kitchen knives to razor sharpness yourself
20.01.2017
It is difficult to imagine professional cooking without good and sharp knives. A set of knives is the main shrine of any chef and this fact is dictated by practice.
However, even if you collect a small collection of knives for different occasions, you will not solve the problem of their sharpness. The fineness of food processing depends on it, and it is better to maintain it yourself.
If you still have a knife in your kitchen, immediately throw it in the trash because it is completely useless and learn to sharpen the knife yourself - you can make sure that there is nothing complicated about it.
- Grindstone -
Today you may have problems buying a good whetstone - they were once sold in any store, but are now quite rare. However, if you do find such a stone, take care of it, because this thing can be passed on by inheritance.
Sharpening stones can be of varying degrees of coarseness. The hardest stones are designed for the most aggressive sharpening; for household use, a medium-grain ceramic block will be sufficient.
Metal grinders are often used to sharpen large kitchen knives, but we recommend mastering knife sharpening primarily on stones.
— Factory sharpening —
All knives are already factory sharpened and in most cases the user is only required to maintain the sharpness of the cutting edge. In order to do this correctly, you need to understand the angle of the cutting edge of the knife. You need to sharpen the knife while trying to maintain this angle. Sharpening at a different angle will take much longer and may damage the blade more quickly.
— Correct angle —
The sharpening range of the knife should be within an angle of 10 to 30 degrees. The greater the angle, the faster the knife will need sharpening again. One of the most difficult aspects of sharpening knives is maintaining the selected angle. The correct mechanics of movements when sharpening will help you achieve progress.
- Hand movements -
To make your sharpening more effective, you should make an arcing motion when touching the blade and the stone. Synchronizing this movement and maintaining the angle is the key to success in sharpening a knife. Beginners are advised to place a coin under the back of the blade to maintain the required angle.
— Water and oil —
A drop of oil added to the sharpening stone will help achieve more effective sharpening. Special mineral oil is best suited for this, but olive oil will do just fine - its job is to lubricate the blade for better glide. However, many people sharpen knives using only water, wetting the stone from time to time.
- Strive for imperfection -
Many of those who try to sharpen a knife themselves try to bring the blade to a perfect razor sharpness. Such a blade will easily cut paper, but in the case of food, it will quickly become dull and require editing.
A rougher and chipped edge of the knife contributes to an additional effect on the fibers of the product, that is, such a knife also acquires the properties of a saw.
A coarse sharpening is best suited for meat, vegetables and most other products; in the case of fish, a fine razor sharpening will benefit.
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Source: https://budvtemi.com/2017/01/20/kak-samostoyatelno-zatochit-kuhonny/
Sharpening stones
Nowadays it is very difficult to find high-quality sharpening stones. After all, they are gradually becoming a thing of the past. But they are one of the best tools for sharpening knives at home. They come in different degrees of hardness. An ordinary ceramic bar of low hardness will suit you.
Keep the sharpening from the factory
Each knife is well sharpened from the factory. Therefore, all you need to do is support it. So you need to consider the angle of the cutting edge of the knife. If you try to sharpen at a different angle, you can damage the blade and harm the sharpness of the knife. Sharpen at the right angle
Knives must be sharpened at an angle of 10 to 30 degrees. The higher the angle, the sooner you will need to sharpen the knife again. So be sure to choose the right angle.
How to move your hands?
The arcing motion when touching the blade will make sharpening more effective.
Add some oil
To improve knife sharpening, a drop of oil will come to the rescue, which must be added to the sharpening stone in advance. You can use either mineral oil or regular olive oil. This will significantly improve glide and, accordingly, sharpening.
Try to do everything perfectly
Almost everyone tries to sharpen a knife to perfection. Yes, with such a blade you can even cut paper, but some products may not be cut, but shredded. Therefore, your arsenal should include both finely sharpened and coarsely sharpened knives.
Source: https://sm-news.ru/kak-samostoyatelno-zatochit-kuxonnye-nozhi-do-britvennoj-ostroty-47655/
Do ceramic knives require sharpening: how to sharpen blades
They say that knives cannot be given as gifts. A friend gave me a ceramic knife. She said that this was not a gift, but just like that. I couldn’t be happy alone when I received such a knife from my aunt.
I continued our “mini-flash mob”: on occasion, I ran to my sister and grabbed her a sharp ceramic knife. I told her how easily they could cut literally anything!
A week later, my sister called to clarify whether neither I nor my friend had sharpened knives. And is it necessary to sharpen them at all? In order to answer her and know for myself how to properly handle this ceramic product, I decided to study this issue.
Advantages of a ceramic knife
I won’t even talk about how a dull knife irritates a housewife - you know that yourself. This was probably one of the reasons for the popularity of knives made from special materials. Of course, this is not the same clay ceramics that is used to make tableware. Rather, it is the material that dentists work with.
Reference. The basis of ceramic instruments is zirconium dioxide. Hot sintering of zirconium powder produces a super-strong material from which blades are made.
Amazing strength is not their only advantage.
- This blade will not rust or be scratched . Products retain their quality appearance and properties when interacting with different products.
- The smooth surface is easy to clean . Caring for a knife does not cause housewives any problems.
- The weight of the tool is small , but this does not affect its strength.
- Knives are sold sharply sharpened. They retain their sharpness for a long time , making it easy to cut products of any structure and density.
Do ceramic knives need to be sharpened?
Of course, every housewife had sharp blades at home even before a Japanese company began producing them from zirconium alloy in 1985. True, most of them became dull rather quickly and required sharpening.
Zirconium blades stay sharp much longer. This raises questions: will it always be like this or will they also have to be sharpened?
Reference. Tools made of zirconium ceramics do not require sharpening for 1–2 years. However, the blade gradually becomes dull, like other knives.
So, dear housewives, you won’t be able to do without sharpening at all, you’ll have to sharpen it! However, processing a zirconium blade has its own characteristics.
What to sharpen
To make it clear that special handling is a necessity, you need to pay attention to one more quality of the tool. He's fragile! Yes, yes, despite all the strength of the knife, its blade is easy to damage . Therefore, sharpening requires knowledge and skills.
Reference. When processing, you should maintain the existing sharpening of the blade: single-sided or double-sided.
And one more important detail is the degree of inclination of the edge of the blade. Excessive grinding can cause the sharp edge to become brittle.
To a woman
If you have to restore the sharpness of a kitchen tool yourself, you will have to take care of an assistant. In the absence of a man who can be entrusted with an important task, a lady can only entrust sharpening to a sharpener - electric or manual.
Reference . An electric sharpener will ensure high-quality processing of the blade. She herself will determine the desired angle of inclination, quickly and efficiently complete the work.
A woman only needs to insert the knife and turn on the sharpener. It is better to perform actions following the instructions.
Working with a manual model differs only in the need to use physical force. And, of course, it will take more time.
To a man
Attempts to sharpen a tool by hand are best left to men. They can do this using different means.
Probably, we could do without this part of the text: it’s useless to give hints to a “armless” man; he’ll ruin something anyway. And the “handy one” knows everything himself and can give advice. Therefore, we will simply list what can be used to treat a zirconium surface.
Reference . To sharpen a ceramic blade, manufacturers recommend using diamond-coated tools or surfaces.
In addition to mechanical and electric sharpeners, there are several other options suitable for the job:
- electric sandpaper;
- diamond paste;
- diamond block;
- diamond-coated machine.
Get started if you already have similar experience. If not, practice with regular steel blades. Take the ceramic ones to a special workshop. Or buy a sharpener. It can be useful to several families at once, so you can purchase it by paying for the purchase together.
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Source: https://setafi.com/posuda/nuzhno-li-tochit-keramicheskie-nozhi/
How to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness
It is believed that every man should know how to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness. But despite the apparent simplicity of the operation, not everyone masters this art.
And it’s not a matter of the ability to hold the blade at the right angle, but knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in the strictest secrecy. In order to properly sharpen a knife, you need to know something about the knife itself, the sharpening tool, and the materials from which our knife is made.
Below we will tell our readers about all this. Well, and, of course, we will reveal the secrets of sharpening mastery.
To use a knife safely, it must be properly sharpened.
A few words about knives
A good owner should always have all the knives in the house as sharp as a razor. This has been the case for a long time. Therefore, many men try to follow the tradition, regularly spending a lot of time trying to achieve unprecedented sharpness from a bread knife.
A sharp knife significantly speeds up the process of working in the kitchen.
But sharpening should be considered not only as a tribute to some abstract traditions. Any chef will confirm that a sharp knife speeds up the cooking process several times. In addition, it is easy to work with; your hand does not get tired of chopping meat or vegetables.
And the knife, sharpened like a razor, makes work in the kitchen safe. Yes exactly! A dull blade can move to the side, followed by a hand slipping. And, at best, everything will turn out to be a fright. At worst, you can seriously injure yourself or touch someone present nearby. After all, even a knife that does not have razor sharpness remains sharp, especially its tip.
Before you start sharpening knives, you should find out the hardness of the steel from which the blade of each of them is made. The fact is that the hardness of the steel determines at what angle the sharpening will be carried out.
This parameter is measured in special units, and hardness can only be determined in laboratory conditions using special equipment. The standard for most knives is 45-60 Rockwell hardness (HRC).
Both soft and hard steel will have to be sharpened all the time, because the first will constantly wear out, and the second will crumble.
Why does the knife get dull?
The question is serious. If the steel has the required hardness, why then does the knife become dull and not maintain its sharpness, like a razor?
The effort when cutting food is a sign of sharpening the knife.
There are several reasons. First: no matter how hard the material is, during use it is subject to third-party influences. Under the influence of friction, microscopic metal particles are torn off from the main body, and the sharp edge is gradually destroyed.
In addition, it is impossible to constantly hold the knife in the so-called “ideal position”, when the cutting edge of the knife contacts the surface at the optimal angle. The resulting loads have a destructive effect on the metal.
As a result, the razor sharpness is lost.
But since this process can be called microscopic, it is not possible to immediately understand whether the knife has lost its sharpness, like a razor. The first signal can be the increasing force that has to be applied to cutting something with such a knife. The loss of sharpness can also be determined by eye: the dull areas on the blade look as if they have been polished, they have a characteristic shine.
This means it’s time to sharpen the blade like a razor. To make the process as effective as possible, you should choose the right tool.
Choosing a sharpening tool
In order to bring the blade to the required sharpness, you should choose the right material for sharpening it. It could be:
- whetstone;
- Musat;
- electric sharpening machine;
- abrasive machine;
- grinding machine;
- mechanical sharpener;
- electric sharpener
You can use a special whetstone to sharpen knives.
Let's look at each of them separately. A sharpening stone is an ancient tool designed to make a knife as sharp as a razor.
Experienced craftsmen know that in fact there are many bars, with different grain sizes (the smallest abrasive particle that makes up the bar itself), different hardness and density. In order to sharpen a blade efficiently and then polish it, you need two whetstones.
One with large grains, the other with small grains. This can be determined by special markings, but you can also see the difference between such bars by eye.
Musat, as well as a mechanical sharpener, is a kitchen accessory. With its help, knives are not sharpened, but rather corrected, removing microchips and restoring the sharpness of razors for a while. This time is short, since the grinding stone and the sharpener do not act on the steel at a sufficient level.
An electric sharpener saves us from exerting physical effort to sharpen the blade, but it is also not able to return it to razor sharpness.
Special sharpening and grinding machines can quickly return a knife to its cutting properties, but the trouble is that keeping such equipment at home is expensive and dangerous. The machine generates a lot of dust and noise, while taking a fair amount of electricity. But with its help you can give any knife any sharpness you want in a short time and without much effort.
But experts advise not to take up work on sharpening machines if you do not have experience working at least as a toolmaker. You can hopelessly ruin the blade on a knife by overheating it or sharpening it at the wrong angle.
How to sharpen
An electric sharpener is very convenient for sharpening knives.
So, we come to the most important question: how to sharpen correctly so that the blade reaches razor sharpness?
The main thing is to be patient. Processing steel takes time, the greater the result we want to achieve, the more time it will take. In order for the knife to be operated like a razor, it will take at least 30 minutes of hard work.
Let's consider the classic method of sharpening using a sharpening stone. The abrasive should be placed on a flat surface (a table or workbench in a workshop) and a coarse cloth or fleecy material should be placed under it. This will make the work process easier, since the block will not fidget and you won’t have to hold it with your hand all the time.
The knives are sharpened by making passes along the entire length of the abrasive. In this case, you need to ensure that the cutting edge of the blade is always in a perpendicular position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the block. In practice, it looks like this: the blade has a curved surface, so when moving, the knife should be turned so that each section is at right angles to the axis of the abrasive material.
During the process, it is important to keep the metal at the same angle in relation to the sharpener.
Technique for sharpening a knife on a block.
It should be equal to 20-25 degrees, since this is the optimal value for the cutting edge. Knives intended for chopping meat should be sharpened at a high angle. By keeping the metal cutting angle constant, you can sharpen literally any steel to incredible sharpness.
The blade should be drawn along the entire length of the block, and it is not at all necessary to apply great force. Excessively strong pressure will lead to the destruction of the material and damage to the integrity of its surface. Because of this, the sharpening process may be delayed.
When a thin, uneven edge appears on the knife, you can move on to the next stage and change the coarse bar to a smaller one. Having achieved uniform sharpening, you should consolidate the result by grinding.
Knife grinding
This is the final step in sharpening your knives, resulting in a razor-sharp edge. For work, use a special grinding block with very fine grain. It has a velvety feel to the touch, but don't be fooled: it can give the blade a sharpness no worse than the best razors in the world.
Why is grinding needed? It not only gives the cutting edge the necessary properties, but also secures them. A polished metal surface is not as susceptible to destruction as a regular one. Thanks to this, the sharpness will be maintained for a long time.
During the grinding process, you should adhere to the same principles as when sharpening. Movements must be uniform and measured, the blade must always be perpendicular to the axis of the bar, and the angle of inclination of the metal to the abrasive must also be constant. And there is no need to put in unnecessary effort, because the metal will level out layer by layer. The result will be razor sharp.
It remains to add that you can learn all this, but it will take some practice. But thanks to the acquired skills, every owner will be able to always keep the knives sharp in their home.
Source: https://masterinstrumenta.ru/nozhi/kak-zatochit-nozh-do-britvennoj-ostroty.html
How to sharpen a kitchen knife - 7 steps for beginners
It is simply impossible to describe all the nuances of how to properly sharpen knives in one article, but this is not always necessary. Especially if an ordinary kitchen knife needs sharpening or you are just a beginner who needs to start somewhere.
- In fact, sharpening a kitchen knife to a sharp point at home can be done easily and quickly. But the difficulty is that this must be done in such a way that the sharpness of the blade is preserved for a long time, and at the same time too much steel is not removed from the blade.
In this material we will try to simply and clearly tell you how to properly sharpen a knife with a whetstone. After all, this method is not only basic and accessible to everyone, but also the most effective. In addition to step-by-step instructions for sharpening and finishing, here you will find a selection of training videos and an overview of alternative methods - from sharpening systems to the bottom of a ceramic plate.
A little about choosing stones
Sharpening stones come in the following types:
- Ceramic;
- Diamond;
- Natural;
- Japanese water stones.
If you wish, once you gain experience, you can buy some solid and expensive diamond stones or Japanese water stones. However, it is better to start with ordinary ceramic bars (such as “Boats”), which are sold in every household goods store. They are wear-resistant, durable and affordable. The only drawback is their uneven abrasion.
Here are tips to help you find the right assistant:
- What size should the block be? Ideally, it is 1.5-2 times longer or at least not shorter than the knife blade. The width and shape of the bar is not important.
- When purchasing a block, make sure it is flat and free of chips.
- To start, you can buy one medium-hard all-purpose whetstone. But if you wish, buy one block with two sides of different grain sizes or two stones with a large and half the grain size. In the future, a couple more stones may be added to your collection.
- It's best to try to get a couple of Soviet-made donkeys, say, at flea markets or from your grandfather. Bars marked “Made in the USSR” have uniform-sized grains and high-quality binding material.
To bring your knife to razor sharpness, in addition to sharpening stones, you can also buy GOI abrasive paste, which we will also talk about working with.
7-step instructions for sharpening and finishing a kitchen knife
So, in sharpening a knife, one goal is to remove enough metal from the blade so that the cutting edge becomes sharp again. You need to start work with a coarse-grained abrasive and finish with a fine-grained one.
It is important to remember the following principles of sharpening knives:
- The most important thing is to choose the optimal sharpening angle and maintain it along the entire cutting edge while sliding along the block.
- Movements should be smooth, without pressure.
- All bars must be moistened with water, or better yet, with a soap solution: before sharpening (so that the blade glides better and metal dust does not clog the pores), during the process (to remove the resulting suspension) and at the end, to clean the bar.
And one more important tip - the first time it’s better to practice on a knife that you don’t mind ruining. Especially if your main knife is too good and expensive. Well, let's start practicing.
Step 1. Rinse the stone with water, and then run over it, say, with a sponge with a drop of dishwashing liquid.
Step 2. Next, sit down at the table and place the stone on a wooden board, for example, a cutting board. You can place a towel under the stone. For some it is more convenient to place the block perpendicular to themselves, and for others at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Over time, you will understand how it is more convenient for you to work.
Step 3. Now you need to decide on the sharpening angle and fix the position of the knife. What should the angle be? The general principle is that the smaller it is, the sharper the blade, and the larger it is, the longer the blade retains its sharpness.
- Regular kitchen knives are sharpened to an angle of 40-45 degrees. If you are sharpening a fillet knife (designed for cutting thin pieces of fish, poultry and meat), then you should sharpen it sharper - at an angle of 30-40 degrees. The selected value must be divided by 2, and then we will get the angle that should be between the blade and the surface of the block. That is, to sharpen a blade at 45 degrees, you need to sharpen each side at 22.5 degrees to the sharpening surface.
A simple technique shown in the photo below will help you fix the knife at an angle of 22.5 degrees.
- Remember, you should try to stick to the chosen angle throughout the entire work.
Step 4. Place the knife across the block so that the upper edge of the handle is above the lower edge of the stone. Holding the handle with one hand and the blade with the other, we begin to slide along the block away from ourselves along the trajectory shown in the picture below.
Watch a short and clear video:
- The point is that the cutting edge sliding along the stone should always be perpendicular to the direction of movement.
- At the bend of the blade, the knife handle needs to be slightly raised to maintain the selected angle.
- Remember also that you can’t put pressure on the blade, but you shouldn’t give it any slack either.
Thus, you need to pass the blade along the stone about 40-50 times, namely until a “burr” (burr, microsaw) appears along the entire length of the cutting edge. Its appearance will tell you that the excess metal has worn out and there is no point in grinding further. Then you need to turn the blade over and repeat the same steps. Clearly in the video:
- A burr is a small roughness that is difficult to see, but can be felt by carefully running your finger along the edge of the blade (but not along the edge, so as not to cut yourself).
Burr of a sharpened knife
During operation, a suspension will appear on the blade - metal dust, which must be periodically washed off with water.
Step 5. So, the burrs have appeared, now we proceed to finishing. To do this, we repeat the same manipulations on a stone with half the grain size. An alternative finishing method is using musat.
- Musat is a steel rod of oval or round cross-section with longitudinal notches. It is only suitable for editing and maintaining sharpness, but not for sharpening a knife. It is recommended to edit the knife with musat every time before and after work.
How to sharpen a kitchen knife with musat can be seen in the following video master class from the respected knifemaker Gennady Prokopenkov, who, by the way, specializes in making kitchen knives.
Step 6. If desired, you can bring your knife to a razor sharpness. To do this, take any leather or leather belt, treat it with GOI, Dialux or any other abrasive paste, and then do the same steps, but only in the direction from the cutting edge.
Step 7. Finally, we check the quality of sharpening. This is done very simply. It is enough to cut a tomato or cut paper. If you wanted to achieve razor sharpness, then you should try to shave the hair on your arm. The sharpest knives can even cut hair, as shown in the photo below, but in the kitchen such sharpness is not required for the most ordinary knife.
Alternative sharpening methods
If your kitchen knife is a simple and inexpensive “hard worker” and/or you just don’t want to delve into the “knife culture”, then we recommend using an electric sharpener, a roller knife or a sharpening system for sharpening at home. What are their pros and cons?
- An electric sharpener sharpens knives perfectly and quickly, but even the highest quality models remove too much material from the blades, thereby shortening their service life. Another disadvantage of an electric sharpener is that a good device costs more than $200.
- A roller knife is an inexpensive and easy-to-use option. With its help, you can quickly sharpen a kitchen knife, but, unfortunately, the sharpness of the blade will not last long and the knife will deteriorate over time. The most trusted tool among roller scissors is the one from Fiskaris (pictured). Do not confuse a roller blade with a V-shaped blade. The latter is an option for the most frugal.
- Sharpening systems are good because they allow you to more accurately set and maintain an angle. There are different types of such sharpeners - with blade fixation (manufacturers DMT and Lanski) and with fixation of the stones themselves at a certain angle (Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker). Separately, we can highlight a sharpening system in which you can select the desired angle and control the position of the knife - this is the Edge Pro Apex Knife Sharpening System. Each system has its own pros and cons. For example, on sharpeners with a fixed blade it is inconvenient to sharpen wide chef knives, but on a triangle from Spyderco the knives are straightened rather than sharpened, and you can only choose an angle of 30 or 40 degrees. However, for kitchen knives these are the angles that are needed, and using a triangle is very simple. A detailed review and operating instructions for the Spyderco sharpener can be seen in the following video.
What are the disadvantages of Apex Edge Pro? Perhaps this is just a high price - $245. However, to sharpen kitchen knives, you can buy a Chinese copy of this sharpener (for example, on Aliexpress).
There is another clever way to sharpen a knife at home - using a rough mark on the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate. The principle of operation is still the same - maintaining the angle, smooth movements, maintaining the cutting edge (cutting edge) perpendicular to the direction.
Source: https://kitchendecorium.ru/accessories-decor/posuda/kak-natochit-nozh.html
How to sharpen kitchen knives to razor sharpness yourself? There's nothing complicated about it
It is difficult to imagine professional cooking without good and sharp knives. A set of knives is the main shrine of any chef and this fact is dictated by practice. However, even if you collect a small collection of knives for different occasions, you will not solve the problem of their sharpness.
The fineness of food processing depends on it, and it is better to maintain it yourself. If you still have a knife in your kitchen, immediately throw it in the trash because it is completely useless and learn to sharpen the knife yourself - you can make sure that there is nothing complicated about it.
Grindstone
Today you may have problems buying a good whetstone - they were once sold in any store, but are now quite rare. However, if you do find such a stone, take care of it, because this thing can be passed on by inheritance.
Sharpening stones can be of varying degrees of coarseness. The hardest stones are designed for the most aggressive sharpening; for household use, a medium-grain ceramic block will be sufficient.
Metal grinders are often used to sharpen large kitchen knives, but we recommend mastering knife sharpening primarily on stones.
Factory sharpening
All knives are already factory sharpened and in most cases the user is only required to maintain the sharpness of the cutting edge. In order to do this correctly, you need to understand the angle of the cutting edge of the knife. You need to sharpen the knife while trying to maintain this angle. Sharpening at a different angle will take much longer and may damage the blade more quickly.
Correct angle
The sharpening range of the knife should be within an angle of 10 to 30 degrees. The greater the angle, the faster the knife will need sharpening again. One of the most difficult aspects of sharpening knives is maintaining the selected angle. The correct mechanics of movements when sharpening will help you achieve progress.
Hand movements
To make your sharpening more effective, you should make an arcing motion when touching the blade and the stone. Synchronizing this movement and maintaining the angle is the key to success in sharpening a knife. Beginners are advised to place a coin under the back of the blade to maintain the required angle.
Water and oil
A drop of oil added to the sharpening stone will help achieve more effective sharpening. Special mineral oil is best suited for this, but olive oil will do just fine - its job is to lubricate the blade for better glide. However, many people sharpen knives using only water, wetting the stone from time to time.
Strive for imperfection
Many of those who try to sharpen a knife themselves try to bring the blade to a perfect razor sharpness. Such a blade will easily cut paper, but in the case of food, it will quickly become dull and require editing.
A rougher and chipped edge of the knife contributes to an additional effect on the fibers of the product, that is, such a knife also acquires the properties of a saw.
A coarse sharpening is best suited for meat, vegetables and most other products; in the case of fish, a fine razor sharpening will benefit.
Source: https://kopilohka.ru/archives/5745
How to sharpen your knife to razor sharpness yourself
With the help of a knife we cook food, cut food and do other housework. Therefore, it is very important that the knife blade always remains sharp. Theoretically, there is nothing difficult in sharpening knives, but in practice it turns out that not everyone can sharpen a blade well. To have an idea of what to sharpen knives with and how to do it correctly, we recommend reading our article.
Main types of knives
Before you start sharpening a knife, you need to find out what material it is made of. There are several types of knives:
- Carbon steel knives are the most affordable, made from an alloy of iron and carbon, easy to sharpen and remain sharp for a long time. Among the disadvantages, it can be noted that the knife blade oxidizes from interaction with food or an acidic environment, due to this, rust and stains appear on the knife, and food acquires a metallic taste. Over time, after plaque forms on the blade, oxidation stops.
- Low carbon stainless steel knives are made from an alloy of iron, chromium, carbon and in some cases nickel or molybdenum. Stainless steel knives are inferior in hardness to carbon steel, so they quickly become dull and require regular sharpening. The advantages include corrosion resistance.
- Knives made of high-carbon stainless steel are a higher class of knives, with a higher carbon content and additions of cobalt or vanadium. Due to the higher quality alloy, this type of knives does not require frequent sharpening and is not subject to corrosion.
- Damascus steel knives are mainly made as edged weapons, but there are also kitchen options. A Damascus steel knife is a multi-layer blade made from different high-quality alloys. The disadvantages include the high cost of knives.
- Ceramic knives have gained popularity because of their sharpness and ability not to become dull for a long time. But in addition to their advantages, ceramic knives have a significant disadvantage, which is their fragility when dropped from a height and poor resistance to fracture.
Touchstone (sharpening stone)
Sharpening stones are available with different numbers of abrasive grains per square millimeter. Therefore, for rough sharpening and finishing grinding, you need to use bars with a minimum and maximum abrasive content. In foreign-made whetstones, information about the number of abrasive grains is on their labeling. You have to choose domestically produced sharpening stones “by eye” or ask the seller which whetstone to use for initial sharpening and which for final sharpening.
Mechanical sharpener
Mechanical sharpeners are mainly used for sharpening kitchen knives. Although the sharpening process is quick, the quality leaves much to be desired. For this reason, for hunting and sporting knives, it is recommended to use other sharpening methods.
Electric sharpener
Modern models of electric sharpeners allow you to achieve high quality sharpening due to the built-in function of automatically determining the angle of the blade.
The electric sharpener is perfect for both household use and for sharpening knives in catering establishments.
The range of electric sharpeners is presented in a wide range, so the price may vary, but if you want your knives to always remain sharp, then buy more “advanced” and expensive models.
Musat
Musat - designed to maintain the sharpness of the knife edge. In shape, the musat resembles a round file with a handle. Musats are included in knife sets, and many owners often confuse them with a tool for fully sharpening a blade. Please note that with the help of musat you can maintain the sharpness of a sharpened knife, but if the knife has become completely dull, you will not be able to sharpen it with musat.
Sharpener "Lansky"
This sharpener is used for sharpening small and medium-sized knives. The design of the sharpener allows you to sharpen the blade at the angle you choose. The Lansky sharpener consists of a rod with a removable touchstone and two corners connected to each other. The corners simultaneously serve as a vice for the knife and a scale for selecting the sharpening angle. The sharpener kit also includes sharpening stones of different grits with ANSI markings.
Sharpening and grinding machines
Sharpening machines are used mainly in production for high-precision sharpening of rotating shaft blades. In addition to high-precision machines, there are electrically driven abrasive wheels and rotating discs for grinding. Sharpening knives on such machines should only be done by an experienced craftsman, because due to the speed of rotation of the circle or disk and the high heating temperature, with any unsuccessful movement, the knife blade will become unusable.
Sharpening a knife with a whetstone
Sharpening a blade made with a sharpening stone is considered to be of the highest quality, provided, of course, that it was carried out by an experienced craftsman. To sharpen a knife on a whetstone, do the following:
- Place a low abrasive grit sandstone on a stationary surface. If the block is small, it can be clamped in a vice.
- Holding the knife at an angle of 20-25 degrees relative to the surface of the block, begin moving the knife along the whetstone with the cutting edge forward.
- Move the blade along the block so that during movement it touches the surface of the whetstone along its entire length.
- As you move, try to maintain the same blade angle.
- After making 2-3 movements, turn the knife over and repeat the sharpening process on the other side of the blade.
- Thus, alternating sides, sharpen the knife until an edge (burr) appears along the edge of the blade.
- Swap the coarse whetstone for a grinding stone.
- Sand the knife blade until the edge disappears.
- Test the sharpness of the knife by cutting a hemp rope folded several times, or try cutting a sheet of paper.
How to sharpen a knife using a sharpening stone, see also in the video:
Sharpening a hunting knife on a Lansky sharpener
Hunting knives are made of hard steel, so their initial sharpening requires sharpening stones with a low content of abrasive grains.
- Clamp the knife in a sharpener vice.
- Place a sharpening stone with a low content of abrasive grains on the rod.
- Select the angle of the block (for hunting knives it is usually from 20 to 30 degrees).
- Insert the rod into the desired hole.
- Lubricate the whetstone with the special oil included in the sharpener kit.
- Start moving the block along the knife blade, from the base to the tip.
- Flip the sharpener over and repeat the process on the other side of the knife.
- Once the edge is formed, change the stone and do the final sanding.
- Since hunting knives are mostly made with a double-sided blade, after finishing sharpening on one side, change the position of the knife in the vice and begin the sharpening process on the other side.
- Once you've finished sharpening, polish the knife blade with felt.
How to sharpen knives in a Lansky sharpener, watch the video:
Sharpening scissors
Sharpening of scissors must be done on a special sharpening machine. Sharpening blades using improvised materials (sandpaper, the edge of a glass, etc.) can temporarily improve the sharpness of scissors, but not for long. If you do not have the opportunity to have your scissors sharpened by a professional, you can try to sharpen them yourself on an abrasive stone. When sharpening you need to follow a few simple rules:
- The sharpening stone should be fine-grained.
- The blade is sharpened over the entire surface of the edge at the same time.
- The angle of the blade should match the factory edge.
- The movement of the blade along the stone should be from the screw to the tip.
- Scissors need to be sharpened disassembled.
When sharpening scissors, do not rush; patience will be your ally in this matter.
You can also watch the video on how to quickly sharpen scissors:
Sharpening plane and chisel blades
Sharpening the blade of a plane and a chisel are practically no different from each other. Therefore, the sharpening process described below applies to both tools:
- Place the chisel on the whetstone at an angle of 30-40 degrees.
- Holding the chisel with your hand, use the fingers of your free hand to press the bevel onto the whetstone.
- Start running the chisel over the whetstone until a burr forms on the smooth side of the chisel.
- Change the whetstone to a fine-grained one and do the final grinding of the chisel.
- Check the sharpness of the chisel blade by removing shavings from the corner of the block.
In addition to manual sharpening, the chisel can be sharpened on a machine with a rotating abrasive disk:
- Turn on the machine and let the disc reach full speed.
- Holding the chisel with both hands, place its bevel against the sharpening wheel.
- Be sure to maintain the angle of the chisel, otherwise you will damage the blade of the tool.
- Do not press the chisel with great force and do not hold it on the blade for too long, this will lead to overheating of the metal and destruction of the blade.
- While sharpening, wet the blade with water.
- The final grinding of the chisel blade is best done by hand, using a fine-grained stone or sandpaper.
Do not forget that when sharpening products on a machine, a lot of sparks and small particles are generated that can get into your eyes, so be sure to wear safety glasses. To avoid damaging your hands on the rotating disk, wear gloves.
You can also learn how to sharpen tools from the video:
Stone
You can quickly sharpen a knife on a hike or on a picnic using an ordinary cobblestone. Use any stone lying on the ground instead of a whetstone and run the knife blade along its surface. You won't achieve razor sharpness, but you will return the knife to working condition.
Second knife
It is quite possible to sharpen two knives at once, without sharpening stones or tools. To do this, you need to take a knife in both hands and begin to sharpen the blade of one knife on the blade of the other. After 5-10 minutes of this work, the knives will become sharper than before.
Glass objects
The knife blade can be slightly sharpened on the rough edge of glass or ceramic objects. For example, on the bottom of a glass or the edge of a tile. The main thing is that the surface is rough.
Leather belt
A leather belt is more suitable for finishing and giving the knife blade a razor sharpness than for rough sharpening. But if there is nothing at hand except a belt, then you can try to sharpen the knife on it. To do this, you need to tighten the belt and start moving the blade along it; you may not achieve strong sharpness, but you will polish the knife to a shine.
By learning to sharpen knives and tools yourself, you will acquire a skill that will be useful to you throughout your life!
You may also find these articles useful:
Source: http://mvkursk.ru/oformlenie-doma/kak-samostoiatelno-zatochit-noj-do-britvennoi-ostroty.html
How to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness?
It is difficult to work with dull knives; you have to use more force. The likelihood of injury increases. The owner has to decide how to sharpen the knives to a razor sharpness, give them to specialists, or use tools available at home.
Sharpening a knife to razor sharpness
Main types of blades
Knives are divided by purpose: kitchen, hunting and others. For sharpening, it matters what material they are made of:
- carbon steel;
- chromium-containing stainless steel;
- high alloy knife alloy;
- ceramics.
Carbon steel tools were made in the last century. The blade quickly became dull, oxidized, and became covered with rust.
In addition to iron and carbon, stainless steel contains chromium and other alloying substances. The technological process of their manufacture affects the hardness of the blade. The knife alloy is highly wear resistant. It has a high abrasion resistance coefficient.
Ceramic holds the tip of a knife best. It has a beautiful design and decorative appearance. The disadvantage of the material is fragility. A knife can break if it falls from a table onto a tile or stone floor. Sharpening ceramic blades yourself is difficult. In case of sharp contact with the sharpener, it may burst.
Why does the blade become dull?
The knife blade becomes dull due to friction. You can quickly damage the tool by running the tip over a rough, hard surface, such as brick or concrete. The blade will be scratched by abrasive particles. The sharp edge will completely wear off, crumble and become dull. It will become impossible to cut with such a knife.
The products are much softer than brick. Therefore, the knife remains sharp for a long time. But gradually, particles of metal located on the very edge separate from the blade. If you cut chicken with bones or other hard foods, dulling will occur faster. The knife will get scratches. Jagged edges form along the edge. If you examine the edge of the blade through a magnifying glass, it has already acquired an oval shape. Now you have to put more effort into dividing into parts - pieces, products.
The degree of sharpness of a knife is most clearly visible when cutting a loaf. Under a sharp blade, the bread retains its shape, and the separated pieces have a smooth surface. The duller the blade, the more the loaf crumples, and the more difficult it is to evenly cut off the crispy crust.
A razor-sharp knife cuts onions without tears. The blade does not crush plant cells with caustic juice, but cuts them.
Touchstone whetstone
The easiest way to sharpen a knife that has lost its sharpness is with a whetstone. The block should be wide and finely abrasive.
- Place the whetstone on the table. The location of its axis is from right to left. It should lie stable and not slide on the tabletop.
- Wash and dry the blade.
- Run the cutting edge forward several times along the whetstone. Check whether the sharpening angle is maintained correctly using the marks from the whetstone.
- It is necessary to sharpen from both sides at the same time, making alternately 3 movements on each side.
The standard sharpening angle is 20–25⁰. The knife should be directed on the block from the tip to the base, increasing pressure on the blade.
Sharpness is checked by cutting a sheet of paper held at one corner.
After removing the main defects, the surface of the block can be moistened with water to improve sliding.
To polish the blade, after rough sharpening, take a polishing whetstone with a grain number of 800–1000.
If you sharpen one side first, then the other, the axis of the cutting edge will shift. The thin end will curl and burrs will form.
Lansky sharpener
The Lansky sharpener is the most convenient way to sharpen hunting and outdoor knives. The block is fixed in a device with a long axis inserted into the holes of the vertical post. Rectangular grooves are made to provide an angle of 20⁰ to 25⁰, depending on the one on the blade.
The back of the canvas moves along guides at the end of the horizontal base of the device. To sharpen, it is enough to secure the device, set the angle and make translational movements with the knife.
How to sharpen a knife like a razor
You can sharpen the blade to razor sharpness in several stages.
- Restore the angle of inclination on the block or circle.
- Remove a thin layer of metal until all surface defects are removed.
- Use a fine abrasive to restore the cutting edges, making the edge sharp.
- Take a musat or leather belt and polish the sting to a razor sharpness.
Men often use a rough leather belt to strop their knives and straight razors. An improved version of this device is easy to make yourself.
Natural leather of rough tanning is fixed on a wooden block. You can use an army belt. The surface is lubricated with Goya paste mixed with mineral or purified vegetable oil. Treatment is carried out periodically, as the paste is erased.
Goya's paste is a green polishing paste.
The blade is drawn across the skin with the back side facing backwards. The sides change each time.
A sharp knife in the kitchen speeds up food preparation and simplifies cutting and slicing foods.
You can sharpen it yourself. Most devices do not require skill or much force. How to Sharpen a Knife to Razor Sharpness. Basic Principles of Sharpening and Dressing a Knife.
Source: https://metalloy.ru/obrabotka/zatochka/do-britvennoj-ostroty
How to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness
There is a knife in every kitchen. Unfortunately, over time the blade becomes dull, which greatly complicates not only cooking, but also simple slicing of bread. In this article, we decided to talk about how to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness, and what you will need for this.
: Step-by-step sharpening of planer knives with your own hands
A short introduction
In any kitchen, from professional to home, knives occupy an important place. Often there are several of them, and each performs a specific function related to slicing or chopping certain products. There are situations when there is no time to resolve the issue of sharpening this important cutlery tool in a timely manner. Today we take one knife, tomorrow another, and so on until it turns out that all of them are unsuitable for further use.
Sometimes a simple knife is a lifeline, but, unfortunately, it is not capable of radically solving the problem, and its effectiveness at the moment remains a big question. It is in such a situation that the thought of self-sharpening arises, especially since there is nothing super complicated in this process.
If we talk about how to properly achieve maximum blade sharpness, then simple sharpening is not enough. First, of course, it is necessary to remove the bluntness, and after that, process the cutting blade again, otherwise the knife can at most be called simply sharp.
In principle, for domestic purposes this is quite enough. However, with the help of a razor-sharp blade, you can greatly improve your culinary skills. For example, just a good knife is not enough to cut tomatoes into even and almost translucent slices.
Simple instructions
Absolutely all knives are different from each other. This difference can be expressed in the shape of the blade, the material from which it is made, the grade of steel and the sharpening angle. There are a number of generally accepted rules, the implementation of which will allow you to make your dream come true and make this kitchen attribute as sharp and easy to use as possible.
A small note: firstly, the process is carried out entirely manually. Secondly, the use of all kinds of sharpeners and electric sanders is excluded if you are really interested in razor sharpness, and not simple sharpening.
As mentioned earlier, finishing the blade is a process that implies the presence of:
- bars of different grain sizes (preferably two, but even three is better);
- a piece of genuine leather (at least 10 cm in size), it is advisable to use thick varieties of this material;
- GOI paste and technical petroleum jelly (the use of technical oil and water is also allowed).
When the entire set is at hand, you can safely move on to the main process, consisting of stages that must be completed in the described order:
- Working with bars. Primary processing will require connecting a coarse-grained bar and performing reciprocating movements (back and forth). When the final finishing is carried out, the technique changes radically, and the blade is fed along the block only forward, and the reverse stroke must be done without the blade touching the block.
It is also advisable to perform arcuate movements, which, when synchronized while maintaining the angle, will give the desired result. A drop of oil added to the stone can enhance the effect, and for these purposes it is worth giving preference to mineral oils, which will ensure easy and unhindered movement.
- Performing finishing touches. This step requires the use of a fine-grained stone. In this case, the knife should be positioned so that its sharp edge is perpendicular to the vector of the movement being made.
- Connection to the skin process. You need to change the position of the knife. Now it should be fed not with the cutting part, but with the butt. One side is completed no more than three times, then a transition is made to the other. Before performing the process, the skin must be treated with GOI paste. If you find this product in a solid state, it is better to prepare a mixture. To do this, the paste is ground into a powder, and technical petroleum jelly is added to it and everything is thoroughly mixed. The resulting mixture is rubbed onto the skin, and the already known translational movements are made on it, which will ultimately give the blade the desired degree of sharpness.
In fact, this event is simple from a technological point of view, but it is important to maintain extreme accuracy and maintain the sharpening angle, which must remain unchanged. It is worth considering that different types of steel react in their own way to sharpening and bringing to a razor sharpness.
You will have to work longer with hard varieties than with all the others, but perseverance and following the recommendations will definitely lead to the expected result. This is far from the only technique, but one of the most effective and popular for use at home.
Source: https://SpecInstrumenta.ru/poleznye-sovety/kak-zatochit-nozh-do-britvennoj-ostroty.html
Dull knives? We'll teach you how to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness.
Today it is hardly possible to imagine the process of cooking without the use of high-quality, well-sharpened knives. Especially in a professional kitchen. It is no secret that knives, usually several of them - each for a specific process, are the main shrine of any cook. And this is not just a whim or a desire to show off beautiful kitchen equipment. Having quality knives is a necessity.
However, even if you have a huge variety of high-quality knives in your kitchen that can be used in various processes, this does not relieve you of the need to sharpen them regularly.
The sharpness of a knife is an indicator that directly affects the quality of product processing, the speed of the process, and most importantly, the safety when working with it. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the sharpness of knives; sharpening should be carried out regularly and in a timely manner.
The presence of knives in your kitchen, which are offered in domestic supermarkets and other inexpensive stores, does not solve the problem of high-quality sharpening of knives. Such devices usually simply trim the blade, creating the illusion of a sharpness that will not last long.
Therefore, it is better not to buy such sharpeners, especially cheap ones, or to send them straight to the trash bin, since you can only sharpen a knife most effectively yourself. And there is nothing complicated about it.
Sharpening stones
One of the most effective ways to sharpen knives is using a whetstone. Today, unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find high quality stone.
But if you do manage to find one, we recommend that you treat it with care and try not to lose it. Many people know that sharpening stones come in varying degrees of hardness and are designed for different sharpening purposes.
For home preparation, a medium-grit whetstone is sufficient. To sharpen large kitchen knives, metal grinders are often used.
Factory sharpening
A good quality knife is already sharpened at the factory and the owner only needs to monitor the sharpness of the edge. To properly sharpen a knife, you need to know the sharpening angle. If you change the sharpening angle, it will take a lot of time and can lead to deformation of the blade.
At what angle should the knife be sharpened?
The correct sharpening angle for a knife ranges from 10 to 30 degrees.
Important! The greater the angle of the knife edge, the more often you will have to sharpen it.
It is quite difficult to always stick to the chosen angle. But the correct technique of sharpening movements will help with this.
Sharpening mechanism
Having positioned the knife at the desired angle on the sharpening stone, you need to start moving the blade along the stone in an arcuate motion. Maintaining the correct angle and synchronized hand movements will make the edge of the knife perfectly sharp, like a razor blade.
Important! If you place a coin under the blunt side of the blade, it will be easier to maintain the desired sharpening angle.
Oil and water help
Just a couple of drops of oil will help you sharpen your knife more efficiently and quickly. To do this, add oil directly to the working surface of the sharpening stone. It is better to use special mineral oil, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can replace it with olive or sunflower oil. The oil helps the blade glide more smoothly on the sharpening stone.
Some people use ordinary water for the same purposes, periodically wetting the sharpening stone.
Excessive requirements
Most of those who sharpen their own knives are trying to make a perfect blade, like a razor. This approach to sharpening knives is not always correct. Firstly, an inexperienced cook can accidentally cut himself. And secondly, a razor-sharp blade is only suitable for cutting fish. A coarser grind is ideal for working with meat and vegetables. In addition, the perfectly sharp edge of the blade quickly dulls and requires frequent sharpening.
Source: https://acigaleclub.com/sovety/tupye-nozhi-my-nauchim-vas-kak-zatochit-nozh-do-britvennoj-ostroty
