What is the best way to sharpen knives? How to properly sharpen kitchen knives - instructions for use

What distinguishes fashionable and comfortable kitchen XXI century? Stylish furniture, right organized space, modern technology, and, of course, high quality kitchenware. And one of the main components of the “housewife’s toolkit”, which we cannot do without, despite all Food processors, blenders and meat grinders are cutting knives. In the modern kitchen industry, knives, as well as their convenient and safe storage, is given great importance. As well as the question of how to sharpen correctly and quickly kitchen knives: An entire industry is working to produce sharpeners, from simple disc sharpeners to high-tech electric ones.

A knife is a very ancient object, the shape and purpose of which, in general terms, have not changed for many millennia. It still consists of a sharp blade (the shape of the cutting part depends on the purpose of the tool) and a comfortable handle, the only difference is in the material and finish. We have inherited not only the shape of the knife, but echoes of the beliefs of our ancestors associated with it. After all, for the ancient Russian it was not only an important item in the household, but also protected from evil spirits; participated in oaths and conspiracies. And given to a child, it symbolized the transition to adulthood, from a boy to a man. The father showed his son how to properly edit a knife, how to make a case for it and how to handle it.

Nowadays, knives, although they “dissolve” in the kitchen environment, still have a special place. They are collected; they are made important detail kitchen decoration, buying unusual stands and holders. Agree, no ladles or spatulas receive such attention! And sharpening kitchen knives correctly is a matter of honor for any owner. Partly because of the stereotype, which, like the tool itself, came to us from the distant past: “Sharp knives in the kitchen are a good master in the house.” But mainly because with well-sharpened knives, cooking becomes a pleasure. And the preparation and serving of some dishes (salads, rolls, cold cuts) simply require the maximum sharpness of the working tool!

Why do knives get dull?

A knife loses its sharpness when its blade comes into contact with something hard. If you frequently cut meat that contains bones, the blade will need fine-tuning almost daily.

Knives quickly become dull when their owners cut food on stone countertops without cutting board. To avoid editing it every day, make it a rule to always use a board. The most blade-friendly is wooden plank. Plastic, glass, and ceramic boards are undesirable because they also dull the blades.

An experienced housewife will always understand when it is time to sharpen a kitchen tool: when cutting any food, from meat to vegetables, a dull blade makes itself felt. Despite all the stereotypes that knife sharpening is a man’s job, anyone who reads this article and follows our advice can handle this task.

A sharp blade is easy!

The "Machine Age" has weaned us off self made. Now all things can be bought ready-made or ordered in special workshops. But knife sharpening is one of those skills that is worth mastering. Firstly, it will help you always keep all the cutting tools in your kitchen in perfect condition, without wasting time and money on turning to master sharpeners. And secondly, this skill will definitely give you a special charm in the eyes of those around you!

We will share tips and experience on how to properly sharpen kitchen knives using a variety of devices, from a sharpening machine to... an ordinary ceramic mug. By backing up our tips with practice, you will quickly master knife sharpening and be able to easily understand all the possible devices for this.

Please note: the methods we offer are only suitable for steel knives with a straight blade. There are several categories of knives that can only be damaged by self-editing and sharpening:

  • Ceramic;
  • With a blade with “teeth” or “wave”
  • "Magnetic".

If you try to restore the sharpness of any of these types of blades yourself, you only risk breaking or ruining it. Thus, ceramic knives can only be sharpened in a specialized workshop, on a machine, using diamond paste; or specialized sharpeners or diamond-coated discs. Sharpening a kitchen tool with a wavy blade also requires a special device, which you should buy for home use It's simply not profitable. Well, it is impossible to sharpen a blade with a magnetic layer without damaging this layer. Therefore, our advice: if you decide to purchase knives of any of these three types, choose a quality item from a well-known brand. The products of those manufacturers who monitor quality will remain sharp long years, and if later you use the services of a workshop to restore its original properties, they will last just as long. While an inexpensive knife will quickly become dull, and you will have to spend money on sharpening again and again.

Properly sharpening an ordinary kitchen knife with a straight blade is quite quick and easy. But the rule also applies here: the more expensive and better quality tool, the longer it stays sharp.

Remember: there are no “self-sharpening” blades - just like “no sharpening required”. All knives become dull over time, although high-quality devices from trusted manufacturers will not do this soon.

How can you tell if a knife is dull? Try cutting a medium soft tomato with it. If the blade does not cut, but crushes the skin, it’s time to take on grindstone. We will tell you how to sharpen a knife correctly, and for beginners it is better to watch the video for greater clarity.

Before starting work

There is a distinction between sharpening and straightening the blade. Editing is a minor adjustment of the blade to make it sharper. It is used when the knife is not very dull. Sharpening is a more thorough work on the blade, which is needed if it has completely lost its sharpness.

It is better to sharpen cutting tools in advance, and not in a hurry between cutting salad and preparing hot food. High-quality and uniform sharpening takes time - especially if you are a beginner. In addition, in a hurry there is a high risk of injury.

Before you get started, understand what tools you have at your disposal.

A sharpening stone, a grinding stone (a special device similar to a round file: usually included with knives), sandpaper and even an ordinary ceramic plate are suitable for STRAINING.

FOR SHARPENING, a whetstone is used, grinder, special diamond and electric sharpeners.

The sharpening angle of kitchen knives is very important. It should remain constant throughout your work to ensure uniform sharpening. Therefore, place your tool on a flat, horizontal surface so that it is comfortable for you. When asked at what angle to sharpen, experts usually answer: the plane of the knife should make an angle of 20-25° C with the plane of the sharpening stone or other abrasive material. In the case of a diamond sharpener and for other devices, use the manufacturer's recommendations.

Choosing a sharpening angle for a kitchen knife

Electric sharpener

Electrically driven devices - a sharpening machine, emery, grinding wheels - can save time and effort and restore the sharpness of knives in a relatively short time. But if you do not have the skill to work with such devices, use them for sharpening kitchen utensils not worth it. These are complex devices that must be operated by a master.

Another thing is specialized electric sharpeners designed for kitchen utensils. Even a beginner can figure out how to sharpen a knife on such an electric sharpener.

There are many types of electric sharpeners, from compact home ones to professional ones, allowing you to achieve the highest blade sharpness. This device will be useful for those who have a lot of different knives in the kitchen. It's easy to use: just turn on the sharpener, insert the blade into the slot and slide it back and forth a few times. In addition to ease of use, electric sharpeners have another advantage: they provide excellent quality cutting edge. The only downside is that you will not be able to sharpen the tool “to suit your hand” (that is, with the blade sharpness and width of the leads you need): electric sharpeners are configured for a universal sharpening shape.

An electric sharpener is a great gift for a good housewife: with it, she can always keep her knives in excellent shape without needing outside help.

Musat

This is the name of a tool similar to a round file. It can be sold separately or included in a kitchen set. Musat does not help to sharpen, but rather to straighten the blade of a tool that is often used. If the knife has completely lost its sharpness, it is better to use a whetstone or electric sharpener.

How to sharpen knives using musat? One technique: rest the end of the “file” on the table and run the blade along it several times with medium pressure. Remember optimal angle sharpening – 20–25° to the plane of the tool. Another technique: hold the musat suspended and make vigorous “attacks” with the blade on its shaft, at an angle of approximately 45°. How to sharpen knives with musat is best demonstrated in the video.

Sharpening stone

A whetstone, or whetstone, is an almost eternal thing. It can serve for years, passed on from generation to generation. Surely, in your kitchen cabinet there is a block left over from your grandfather. Sharpening knives using a whetstone is a universal and most convenient way. It can be used in the city kitchen, on a hike and in country house; The block is very compact. Knowing how to properly sharpen a knife with a whetstone is not something secret. It's quite simple, although it does take some getting used to and gaining some experience.

Place the block horizontally on the table (i.e., the long side should go from left to right). It will not be possible to sharpen a knife correctly with a whetstone if the table is unstable and the “stone” itself has incorrect geometry and does not lie flat.

Take the knife by the handle and place the fingers of your other hand on the blade.

Slowly and evenly move the knife along the block in a semicircular path, maintaining the angle of inclination (20–25°). Each side of the blade should take 5-7 minutes.

Master's secrets: sharpening will be smoother if you drop a few drops of oil on the block and moisten the blade with cold water.

There are bars different shapes and with different grain fractions. The larger the grain, the more metal it removes from the blade. Sharpening is quick, but rougher. A good sharpening stone can be expensive, and a real master may need several stones for first-class sharpening - at a minimum, with a coarse grain (for basic sharpening) and a fine one (for finishing). Good decision will become a universal bar, different faces which have different grain sizes.

Imported bars have special markings that allow you to determine the grain size (it is measured in different units, but general principle uniform: the larger the number in the marking, the finer the grain). Russian bars are not marked. You will have to select them “by eye”. As for quality, the bars from different producing countries are approximately equal. The price can be a guideline: the more expensive, the better quality material. Diamond coated stones are the most valued.

To make the blade perfect, after the main sharpening, make several strokes on a fine-grained stone (or fine sandpaper). The video will tell you more clearly how to sharpen a knife with a whetstone.

Mechanical sharpener

A manual disc sharpener is a simple device for quickly sharpening knives. Of course, a whetstone helps to achieve a smoother and sharper edge on the blade, but for a kitchen knife, the sharpness that a sharpener can provide is usually sufficient.

Advantages of a mechanical sharpener: decent sharpening quality at a low price; ease of use. Fix the sharpener on the table with one hand; in the other, take a knife and forcefully slide it through the slot several times.

Manual knife sharpener

Among all the varieties of this simple device, the best is a diamond sharpener for knives, that is, with diamond coating on the discs. It helps to achieve better sharpening with a minimum of effort. By the way, grindstones, like sharpening stones, can also be coated with synthetic diamond. Such sharpening tools should be given preference.

Emery for sharpening knives

Electric and mechanical sharpeners, sharpeners and whetstones are simple tools for sharpening tools that even beginners can use. But if you experienced master If you know how to handle tools, then in a few seconds you can sharpen a knife using regular sandpaper.

For sharpening knives, it is better to use a fine-grained wheel. Turn on the device at low speed and run the blade several times along the side surface of the circle. Don't forget about the sharpening angle, which is still 20°. The angle is especially important here, because if it is not observed, you will ruin the approach of the knife.

Sharpening with emery is usually quite rough and needs fine-tuning. Use a fine-grained sharpening stone or fine sandpaper for this.

If you don't have any tools at hand

There are situations when there are no tools at hand at all, and sharpening a blade is a matter of life and death. For example, you find yourself without a sharp knife on a hike or you find yourself visiting a charming girl to whom you want to demonstrate your masculinity.

Here are some tips on how to “refresh” a knife blade using the simplest means at hand. This is not a thorough sharpening, but rather a finishing touch - but the tool will definitely cut better after it.

  • Any stone. As you know, you can sharpen a knife with any stone, including brick or cement block. The procedure here is the same as with a sharpening stone: move the blade in circles along its surface or edge, observing correct angle.
  • Ceramic plate. Ceramic is slightly harder than metal, so the back of ceramic cookware is also suitable for sharpening kitchen tools. This method helps to sharpen the blade no worse than using a block - although this procedure will take an order of magnitude longer.
  • Sandpaper - “skin”. You won't be able to sharpen a dull blade well with sandpaper, but it will help sharpen a slightly dull blade.

Checking the result

One way or another, our knife is sharpened. How can we check whether we have achieved our goal and whether the blade has become better at cutting?

The ideal sharpening is when the blade cuts hair from the hand or cuts paper along a perfectly straight line. But for kitchen needs, a weaker sharpening is also quite suitable. Test your knife on any vegetable or fruit: if the blade easily cuts the skin and can cut the pulp into even cubes, then congratulations - you succeeded!

After a long period of use in the kitchen, any knife needs sharpening. To do this quickly, many people resort to using a special sharpening disc, which is driven by an electric motor. In the absence of it, the most desperate try to sharpen knives with a file and even but few know how to properly sharpen knives with a whetstone.

This process is simple, but quite painstaking; it requires perseverance and a little skill, which comes with experience. Before using the bar, you need to choose the bars correctly. In total, you will need two whetstones for sharpening: one coarse-grained and the other fine-grained. During the process, you must constantly keep the knife blade wet. It is best to lubricate it with mineral oil, but if you don’t have one on hand, you can use plain water.

Also, in front of that stone, look for a piece of leather. In this case, you can use an old belt. More precisely, you only need it backside, which is not processed and resembles suede.

Choosing a sharpening angle

Before getting down to business, it is necessary to determine at what angle we will sharpen the knife. The range is quite wide and ranges from 15 to 45 degrees. The choice is made depending on the quality of the steel from which the knife is made, and on the purpose for which it will be used in the future.

It is also necessary to take into account the following feature. The smaller the angle at which you sharpen the knife, the faster it will become dull. This can be explained by the fact that the edge of a sharp knife quickly becomes rounded, or, even worse, crumbles.

How to maintain the same angle all the time?

Now let's figure out how to sharpen knives correctly with a whetstone. To begin, place the block on the table and fix it motionless. Then position the knife blade in relation to the block at the angle you want. Move the blade along the block in only one direction, for example away from you, trying to maintain the specified angle. It can be noted right away that this is difficult. Therefore, it is better not to rush, but to do everything smoothly.

Inexperienced people can be given this advice. Make a blade whose angle corresponds to the required sharpening angle. Place the blade on a wooden wedge and move the knife along the block.

Sharpening

First you need to take a block with large grains. Before work, moisten it with water or oil, as mentioned above. Sharpen the blade until a so-called burr appears along its entire length. To determine its presence, simply run your fingernail along the back side, which has not been sharpened, from the butt to the edge. Also sharpen with reverse side, after which the burr should bend in the other direction. Repeat the same with a fine-grained bar. After this, the burr will become a little smaller.

Repeat the manipulation a third time with a bar that has a fine grain. As a result, the burr will decrease further. To completely get rid of it, use the skin from the back.

Thus, after reading this article, you already know how to properly sharpen knives with a whetstone. However, there are many more ways to make a knife sharper. These can also be special sharpeners, which are sold in any underground passage. But a person understands the best way to sharpen knives only with experience, having tried a whole arsenal of devices.

When going out into nature, and even more so before hunting, you always need to make sure that the knife is not dull. You won't get far with a blunt weapon, but you still need to know how to sharpen a knife properly. This process takes some time, and you also need to take into account the type of steel from which the weapon is made in order to effectively sharpen it.

Exquisite knife

You can sharpen knives using the following tools:

  • Grindstone

Sharpening stones vary in material and grain size. The most durable whetstone is diamond abrasive, sharpening knives faster than other materials. There is also a ceramic whetstone, and a “hard” one. They vary in grain size into fine, medium and high degree. It is impossible to sharpen knives efficiently using a stone of only one grain size; you always need to alternate them. To prepare a stone for work, it is necessary to remove small chips from it that remain on its surface after sharpening. To do this, you need to moisten it with water from a spray bottle. Diamond sharpening stones always require wetting.

  • Sharpening machines (electrical and mechanical)

Tool sharpening is carried out on a special machine with abrasive discs. The blade should be evenly pressed against the abrasive wheel at an angle of 25-30 degrees at minimum speed. It is problematic to do such a procedure at home, and if you use the machine ineptly, you can ruin the knife.

A special electric sharpener is very handy tool. She herself selects the desired sharpening angle, suitable for any type of blade - scissors, knives, screwdrivers, etc. It can be used to sharpen fragile ceramic knives.

  • Musat

It is a sword-shaped, cylindrical instrument with a handle, made of metal, ceramic or diamond-coated. When sharpening with this tool, you need to hold it correctly, namely: the grinder should rest against wooden surface. The knife must be pressed with the blade at an acute angle to the musat near its handle, then lowered with an energetic movement towards the end of the musat. The same should be done with the other side of the blade. The movements are made in an arc, sharpening from the handle to the end of the blade. It should be taken into account that it is not possible to sharpen a dull blade with musat; it can only be used to straighten the edge of the weapon.

  • Sharpening set

Sharpened knife with a whetstone

How to properly sharpen blades made of different steels

Knives from best metals, – Damascus and damask steel are sharpened differently than tools made of ordinary metals. But how to sharpen such knives correctly?

Damascus steel

Damascus steel knives cannot be sharpened using sharpening machines. Should only be used manual sharpening, because otherwise the tool will lose its unique properties, which are due to the mixture of hard and soft steel grades in its composition. Before sharpening a blade, you need to determine its hardness: the sharper the edge of the blade, the harder the metal. You need to sharpen a Damascus knife only along the blade, using a fine-grained sharpening stone with a gradual transition to “velvet” sandpaper.

Bulat steel

A blade made of damask steel must be sharpened with a wet whetstone, first with a coarse grain, then with a fine one, and finally the finishing is done on ceramics. The correct process of sharpening damask steel can be seen in the video.

For sharpening a hunting blade there are various ways. Let's look at two of them:

  1. To implement the first method you will need: a sharpening stone, a finishing belt and polishing paste. The surface of the sharpening block should be positioned at an angle of 10-15 degrees relative to the side surface of the knife blade. This will help you achieve the ideal sharpening angle, which is 35-45 degrees for hunting blades.

Reciprocating movements are performed perpendicular to the direction of the cutting edge. In this case, the sharp edge of the knife will resemble saw teeth, the dimensions of which will be directly proportional to the abrasive of the sharpening stone. When sharpening a blade, you need to do it slowly, starting from the handle to the end of the tip and back. Both edges of the blade are sharpened in turn. If the blade has not been sharpened for a long time or was sharpened unsuccessfully, it is necessary to press the knife with a block more firmly at the beginning of the process. As the required sharpening angle is reached, the pressure changes to a weaker one.

After this, you need to give the blade even more sharpness. To do this you will need a belt and polishing paste. The entire surface of the blade is applied to a strongly tensioned belt, then a reciprocating movement begins so that the belt is positioned perpendicular to the direction in which the knife is held.


Sharpening on a stone
  1. To implement the second method, you will need lemon zest, sandpaper with fine abrasive, and a sharpening stone.

Before sharpening properly hunting knife, it is necessary to check the hardness of the metal from which it is made. To do this, you can use a needle file by running it along the blade. The hardness of the blade is normal, if with a weak pressure the file will simply slide along the blade, and with a strong pressure it will slightly catch the steel.

Next, you need to take several sharpening stones from different sizes grains (usually three to five such stones are used). During sharpening, all sharpening stones are used sequentially, starting with the coarsest grain and ending with the fine grain. To keep knives sharp, you need to choose the correct sharpening amplitude. The movement of the whetstone should be directed against the sharpening of the blade, maintaining an average angle.


Final grinding of the blade is carried out sandpaper. The blade is polished with a “pull” motion across the marks left by the sharpening tool. Grinding is carried out until even the slightest traces of sharpening become invisible. Again, it is important to maintain the correct sharpening angle. After this, the blade is rubbed with lemon zest to strengthen the surface of the knife.

How to sharpen knives with a whetstone? To answer this question, you need to understand that this tedious task is necessary so that you always have a well-sharpened knife in the kitchen, which is extremely necessary when preparing food.

Damascus steel has long been considered the best for blades.

Proper sharpening of the cutting edge of this item requires the presence of a knife made of high-quality steel and a sharpening tool (stone). At the same time, you should be very patient during the operation.

How to check the sharpness of a kitchen knife?

Even if this item is of high quality (branded), sooner or later it will become dull and will have to be sharpened again. But before that, you need to check how sharp its blade is. How to do this at home?

There are several methods for this. Take a hemp rope and fold it in four. If you managed to cut this “cord” with a knife in one go, then the blade is still sharp.

If you don't have a rope, you can try to trim a hair on your forearm. If you succeed the first time, then you can continue to use the knife.

If the above methods show that the cutting edge has been worn away, then the tool must be sharpened.

Knife steel that is too hard is brittle.

Knife blade steel usually has a hardness of 45-60 HRC. Metal that is too soft will bend, and metal that is too hard will crumble. The sharpening angle of the blade directly depends on the hardness index - the harder it is, the greater the inclination of the blade should be during sharpening.

At home, you can check the hardness of a knife in this way: you need to take a file and run it along the blade. If the tool slides when pressed lightly, but when pressed hard it scratches the surface of the blade, then the hardness is normal.

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How to sharpen knives at home?

To sharpen a blade, you need to choose a high-quality sharpening tool, and this is a rather difficult task. On modern market a variety of tools are presented: a variety of grinding stones, grinding stones, abrasive stones, mechanical and electric sharpeners.

The cost of a professional tool is quite high, but you cannot skimp on it, since a bad whetstone can ruin the knife blade. You should not buy cheap sharpening agents - they do not provide the required level of sharpening of the blade, but only create the illusion of sharpness.

A good, high-quality bar has a fairly high price - it can reach several tens of American dollars. Well-established manufacturers of these products offer the buyer professional stones for sharpening blades with different quantities abrasive grains per cubic millimeter of tool. This indicator is usually given on the packaging of the bar, but it must be taken into account that in different countries Grain setting systems are different, so you must first understand the standards that exist in a particular state.

The combined stone contains abrasives of different sizes.

To produce high-quality sharpening, you need to purchase a set of two bars. The first is needed to give the blade sharpness, and the second is used to polish it. For professional use, it is best to purchase 3-4 bars with different grain sizes.

Russian manufacturers offer consumers sharpening stones with vague markings or even without them at all. Therefore, when choosing (especially when you need to fit into a meager budget) Russian bars you have to rely on luck.

Sharpening musats can also be used for sharpening - they are needed for straightening the cutting edge without sharpening. This tool looks most like a file and is sold in any hardware store. Most often, musats are used to straighten cutting blades used in the kitchen, which often become dull due to constant work. But this can only be done until the knife loses its sharpness. Then only sharpening with a whetstone will help.

We must always remember that to obtain a high-quality cutting edge using a sharpening stone of a rectangular configuration, you need to spend at least ½ hour. If you need to sharpen a long forged knife or dagger, craftsmen spend more than 25 hours to obtain the ideal blade shape. So the main thing with this work is patience.

Sharpening machines are only suitable for rough sharpening of knives.

You can use professional machines with abrasive wheels and sanding belts. But this requires special skills. If they are not there, then any attempt to sharpen a knife on them will simply ruin it. At the same time, on such machines the cutting edge becomes very sharp and quickly fails.

Mechanical sharpeners are used in everyday life to quickly sharpen kitchen knives and scissors. They are relatively inexpensive and even a child can use them. However, the quality of work done on this device leaves much to be desired, so it cannot be used to sharpen hunting blades or daggers.

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How to sharpen a knife correctly?

At the beginning of the process, a coarser bar is used. This continues to be done until a burr forms on the edge of the blade, which extends from the edge over the entire surface. After this, they move on to processing the knife blade using a bar with finer grains.

To perform the work correctly, you need to place the sharpening stone on a stationary surface (most often a table is used for this). This allows you to constantly monitor the entire sharpening process. Before starting the operation, you just need to place some flat object under the block to prevent scratches from appearing on the supporting surface. The sharpening stone itself should be longer than the blade of the knife. The best option is when this ratio is 1.5:1 or 2:1.

Manual sharpening - optimal option for a knife.

Begin the first pass with the knife on the whetstone with the cutting side forward, trying to ensure that the direction of movement approaches perpendicular to the edge. This is necessary to obtain good cutting qualities. The blade should be at an angle of 20-24° to the surface of the sharpening stone. It must be kept within these limits when sharpening. To do this, raise the handle of the knife to the place where its blade begins to bend. The angle itself may have a different value, for example, when sharpening blades for chopping, this figure is larger. The main thing is that during the work the angle does not go beyond the required limits.

As the blade moves along the block, it must be moved perpendicular to the direction of movement in such a way that at the moment it reaches the end of the stone, it simultaneously reaches the tip of the knife. In this case, you must ensure that the cutting edge does not break off, otherwise it will be damaged. side surface blades.

The described movements should be repeated many times on both sides of the knife. You must beware of pressing hard on the sharpening stone - this will not speed up the work, and the accuracy of the processing will decrease. You need to move the blade along the block evenly and carefully, without changing the angle; any inaccurate movement can ruin all your hard work. To learn how to properly sharpen a knife blade, you need to practice.

To do this you will have to sharpen a lot of blades.

This tool is very similar to a file: a long shaft round section, with a notch and a handle. It is mainly used for straightening the cutting edge of a knife. This is useful because it allows you to keep the knife in working condition at all times. But if the blade has become very dull, grinding stone will not help you - a major sharpening is necessary.

2. Mechanical sharpener

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Not a bad thing that every housewife should buy. Well suited for sharpening kitchen knives as it is quick and easy. True, the quality is not always pleasing, and the knives become dull as quickly as they are sharpened. This method is suitable for a kitchen knife, but no more.

3. Electric sharpener


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A great way to quickly and efficiently sharpen knives with any type of blade, as well as scissors and even screwdrivers. The device is capable of sharpening and then polishing any blade in two minutes. It is important that it automatically determines the desired sharpening angle, but we will talk about this below. Such a thing will cost from 2 to 50 thousand rubles, depending on the sharpening speed, guide system and power.

4. Machine with abrasive wheel


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This professional tool, with its help they sharpen and polish blades to industrial enterprises. Without experience, it is better not to go to the machine: steel is hardened at a certain temperature, so uncontrolled heating on the machine during sharpening can irreparably damage the knife. Leave this method to the professionals.

5. Whetstone


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Sharpening with a whetstone is one of the most effective ways. This process is not easy, but entertaining. It requires perseverance and some experience working with a bar. For sharpening, two stones are needed: with small grains and large ones.

There are two types of whetstones: natural and artificial. The only difference is in grain size: natural stones Usually fine-grained, they are used for grinding. And artificial ones are initially made more universal, with different degrees of grain size. different sides bar.

How to sharpen knives


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Before proceeding with the sharpening process, immerse the sharpening stone in oil or water for 15 minutes. This will extend the life of the bar, since steel particles will not get clogged between the grains.

You should start sharpening with a coarse-grained stone. It is important to correctly position the blade relative to the surface of the block, since the final result largely depends on this. The correct sharpening angle is also important: experts advise sharpening the blade at an angle of 20 degrees, but this may vary depending on the type of knife.

  • Professional chef's and fillet knives require an angle of 25 degrees.
  • Japanese kitchen knives should be sharpened at an angle of 10–20 degrees.
  • For hunting blades, an angle of 30 to 45 degrees is used. A larger angle is required for greater resistance to dullness.
  • For household kitchen knives, an angle of 30 degrees is sufficient.

The rule here is simple: if you want to make the knife sharper, we reduce the sharpening angle, and for greater resistance to dulling, we increase it.

You need to sharpen with continuous movements, lifting the handle at the moment when the block reaches the bend of the blade. This will maintain the sharpening angle of the cutting edge. It is important that the movement of the blade is perpendicular to the edge, while applying slight pressure to the blade.

Grinding


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When the main sharpening has been completed, we begin grinding. For this you will need a fine-grained stone. Grinding is necessary to level the surface and remove burrs. The technology remains unchanged.

Conclusion

In theory, everything is quite clear, but in practice, the process of sharpening a knife is far from the simplest. You will have to be patient and attentive: one awkward move, and all the work will go down the drain. Theory is great, but there is no way to do this without practice. And the process itself is not cheap, since good sharpening stones cost a lot of money.

If you just need to sharpen your knives, without all this fetish, take an electric sharpener. The result will be the same, and this method will also save your nerves and time.