How to sharpen knives - 7-step instructions for beginners with photos and videos

Author: Alorous

August 14, 2022 08:40

Community: How it's made, how it works, how it works

Tags: sharpening interesting how to properly sharpen kitchen knives knives useful photo

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A knife is one of the most ancient tools. What is most surprising is that the culture of handling knives is quite mediocre.

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Despite the fact that everyone has a knife, and not a single copy, only a few can use a knife correctly, look after it correctly and keep the knife sharp. Even at school, during labor classes, girls are taught to cook, sew, and whatnot, while boys are taught to make pointers, stools, birdhouses and turn bolts... and many other things of dubious need in real life. Our education somehow misses such an important and necessary thing for everyone as sharpening knives and the culture of using knives. I’m not saying that the knife should cut transparent rounds from a lying tomato, but it should cut the food, and not crush or saw through. Here is an example of a very sharp knife:

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In reality, such sharpening is not really necessary at home, since it does not last long, it takes a lot of effort to maintain, and it requires even more precision. The gif is more of a demonstration of the sharpener's skills than a truly functional sharpness. Speaking about the culture of using a knife, I mean that the knife must be used correctly and for its inherent tasks. The reality is that the average person considers it quite normal to cut something with a knife directly in a plate, right in a frying pan, putting it on some pebble or using completely unusual surfaces as a cutting board, for example, different pieces of iron (I honestly don’t know why they use iron tables for cutting and slicing on a production scale, maybe someone competent can enlighten me in the comments) or glass boards, which for some reason are used for slicing, although they are intended for serving. With such use cases, the cutting edge becomes jammed and the knife stops cutting. You can take your knife, go to the light source, hold the knife so that the blade is facing you and look at the cutting edge. Here is a picture of the parts of the knife.

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If the edge is shiny, it means there are wrinkles on it. This means it won’t cut, or it will, but it’s extremely bad. Here is a GIF that clearly shows this moment.

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The second option for unusual use of a knife is various picking, picking, unscrewing and opening canned food with knives that are not intended for this and you get something like this:

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I’m not saying that this shouldn’t be done, but our people open jars with kitchen tools that are intended for something completely different. If you have some kind of harsh chop, shred, pierce, pick, such as ColdSteel recon tanto, Mora Robust, mr.Blade Ferat or Kershaw Thermite (in the same order in the pictures), then it’s okay.

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Oh, knife lovers will throw slippers at me for such examples, but I think the essence is clear: a knife should be used for the tasks for which they are intended. Well, or soberly assess whether the knife is capable of this without harming itself or not. Let's summarize this small section: 1) We cut with a knife only on cutting boards made of wood, plastic or other soft materials. But not on an iron tray or glass/ceramic/porcelain plates. How to cut the meat, you ask? and here are 2 options - you either use special table knives (they have a special cutting edge made for crushing/sawing), or use wooden planks, on which you either lay out and cut, or immediately serve on them: there are round bamboo ones with a groove all around. It’s really atmospheric to eat steaks like this. and any other meat. And for some reason the process itself is perceived very differently.

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2) Perform the work with the knife that is intended for this or can do this work without much harm to yourself. Planing boards or breaking/picking coconut with a kitchen utensil is a bad idea; it’s better to use one of the knives above. At the same time, with the knives presented above, you can certainly chop/cut food, but this is a dubious pleasure. Yes, damn it, it's a pleasure. We spend a lot of time in our lives cooking, and maybe we should learn to enjoy the process? And for this you need a normal suitable tool in good technical condition. Let's move on directly to sharpening. I won’t go into history and just give a lot of scattered information, but I will offer several really working solutions that are suitable for home and warn against mistakes. I don’t pretend to be the ultimate truth, the methods and approaches to the process of sharpening and maintaining a knife sharpness are a little less than crap - it’s like character builds in an RPG. I’ll just tell you something and give you a completely working solution.

1) Longitudinal sharpeners

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We've all seen sharpeners like this. Most people have such sharpeners. Only the result of sharpening with such sharpeners is extremely doubtful without understanding the process and a sound approach. Comrade Livsi has a very good review of such sharpeners at the link, it’s better to go read it, because I don’t see the point in just stupidly reprinting it, but the material there is good and to the point. Here's the same thing, but in video form.

In short, you can use them, but only with cheap thin (or rather, thin cutting, and a certain angle of the cutting edge) knives. The result is dubious and extremely short-lived. If you still use such a thing, then use the one that is double-sided with ceramic rods on the other side (blue in this case). Not much, but the result will improve. What will solve the problem of such sharpeners - ceramic musat or a V-shaped sharpener.

How to Store Knives to Keep Them Sharp

Storing your knives safely and securely will help keep their blades in better condition.

Universal knife block

Storing knives in any knife block is a big improvement over your kitchen drawer. The universal knife block accommodates any combination of knives in a very small space.

Magnetic strip for knives

Attach a magnetic knife strip to the wall to free up space. The strip will hold a knife of any length and the knives will be visible.

Safe knife case

Separate sheaths store the knife completely and securely. Made from polypropylene, they are a good choice if you want to keep your knives in your kitchen drawer.

2) Ceramic sharpeners and V-shaped sharpeners.

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Of course, there are iron and diamond ones, but you don’t need those. These things are somewhat different, but not so much that they should be classified in different sections. Musat is simply a ceramic (there are also diamond and metal ones, but you don’t need them) rod attached to a handle, which may have a soft tip. It has different grain sizes, usually designated as coarse, medium and smooth depending on the intensity of metal removal. The principle of operation is to take the musat in one hand and the knife in the other. We leaned the heel of the knife (closer to the handle of the knife) to the beginning of the musat, approximately set the angle and made a “cutting movement” so that the knife, moving from the beginning to the end of the musat, passed along it with the entire length of the blade. Repeat several times on both sides of the knife. You don't need to put in any special effort. Of course, they can throw it at me that musat does not sharpen a knife - it straightens it, but in the case of ceramics this is not entirely true (or not at all), using a ruler rough - medium - smooth you sharpen the knife. Well, or you undermine it))). Price from 800r to 3000r Here is a good short video about the process:

The V-shaped sharpener is a stand into which sharpening rods are inserted.

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What’s a big plus is that we simply insert the rods of the required grain size into the holes for the appropriate angle, take the knife straight and make cutting movements along the rods from top to bottom and along the entire cutting edge of the knife. Just. fast. Comfortable. Prices start from 700 rub. You can buy Idahone rods of different grits separately, and make the stand yourself - there is nothing complicated, drilling at an approximate angle is not a problem. The same company Idahone produces ready-made solutions, as in the picture it costs about 3000 rubles, but the quality sometimes varies. There is a good option Lansky Turn Box triangle (2 rough diamond + 2 smooth ceramic) costs 1750 rubles. You can clean ceramic leads with a regular pencil eraser. Lansky and Idahone have pocket sharpeners (the so-called “bone sharpener”) for around 700 rubles, which you can carry with you on a hike and correct a worn-out knife at any time. An option for lazy people - go to Aliexpress, type “yoyal” into the search, look for a picture of a V-shaped sharpener with 2 pairs of rods (yes, like in the picture above). It will cost around 2 mowers. We order, wait, receive, profit. What is the disadvantage of using musats and V-shaped sharpeners: if there is no rough rod, then at a certain point this will stop helping. The reason is that you do not hit the original angle and this very angle of the cutting edge increases. At one point, it will become too large, or the metal will no longer cope with the required volume of metal being removed. What you can do is give the knife to sharpen your comrades who make keys for locks. On average, it costs 50-100 rubles for an ordinary kitchen utensil, if they produce it on a grindstone, and more expensive if they use something more serious. Just come and say “sharpen it, the musat has stopped helping”, they will understand. This is perhaps the most convenient option for home. Yes, it may seem that 2kr for the same Lansky is expensive, but in reality - this is the thing that, without hemorrhoids and perversions, will provide you with sharp knives for the rest of your life. It's like taking a frying pan made of foil half a millimeter thick (or something similar) for 400 rubles or buying a normal, harsh cast-iron frying pan for 1.5-2 rubles. The first one can be used for a month, spitting from the uneven heating, for another half a year everything will burn on it and it will be stupidly thrown away, and then the children will get the cast iron. Well, or who doesn’t like cast iron, I think the analogy with normal tefal would also be appropriate. I’ll add a little about yoyal as an afterword - this company has an interesting crap that combines a longitudinal sharpener and a diamond plate and a smooth v-shaped sharpener. It costs a little more than a mower. The option for home is just fire. Sharpens both regular and serrated knives. It’s a perfect option to carry on a hike or have at home. I have this. I periodically take it with me when I go on a visit where we are going to cook something.

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Recommendations for sharpening blades

Any housewife should learn to sharpen her kitchen knives, the sharpness of which will determine not only the thickness of the food cut, but also her mood during the cooking process. For high-quality sharpening of blades, several devices are offered on the modern market.

Musat with a handle - this sharpening device is a rod equipped with a handle, capable of sharpening a blade to an ideal sharpness. Musat can be made from different materials :

Diamond and ceramic sharpeners have a fine structure and are designed for adjusting and polishing the tip and surface of the blade.
The metal musat is equipped with notches that can be used to straighten the deformed edge of the blade.

Products are available in different shapes. But this does not affect the quality of work in any way.

Operating rules:

The device is clamped with one hand, and the knife is taken in the other hand. In this case, the musat must be rested with the end of the rod on the table.
The knife blade must be moved along the sharpening surface at one angle, changing sides.
You need to start sharpening the knife from the handle, moving in an arc towards the tip.
The knife blade should slide along the surface of the sharpener. Therefore, there is no need to make any special efforts.

This device is a good option for permanent use. It is often sold complete with kitchen knives. One of its advantages is the magnetization of the surface, due to which the ground components of the steel remain on the sharpening rod, and the knife remains absolutely clean.

Special bars

Anyone can sharpen a kitchen knife with a whetstone. This method has been used for quite a long time. It allows for complete sharpening of the blade.

Natural or artificial materials are used to produce knife blades. Products are manufactured with different surface grains. Coarse-grained sharpening devices are designed for grinding off large metal particles, and fine-grained ones are designed for grinding and sharpening sharpness.

According to the processing method, the bars are divided into oil and water; during their use, they are lubricated with special oil or water, respectively. In this case, it is prohibited to use vegetable and machine oil. Lubrication is necessary so that the surface of the abrasive does not become clogged with metal particles ground off the knife blade and the work efficiency is not reduced. For high-quality sharpening of home blades by hand, it is recommended to have several stone options.

Turning procedure:

The coarse-grained block must be fixed on the table. It must remain motionless while performing work.
The blade of the blade near the handle is placed on the sharpening stone at the desired angle.
The blade moves smoothly along the stone towards its tip.
At the bend of the knife, you need to slightly raise the handle to evenly sharpen the edge of the blade.
Movements in the same direction are repeated several times in a row. The knife is then turned over and the process is repeated for the other side of the blade.
After sharpening both sides of the knife blade several times, the coarse-grained stone must be replaced with a block with a medium-grained surface. This will remove burrs formed on the metal and make the knife sharp.
Next, the kitchen knife needs to be polished with a fine-grained sharpener, washed, and it can be used for cutting food.

After completing the procedure, be sure to thoroughly wash all the stones involved in the work to remove metal shavings that have clogged into the pores of their surfaces. Instead of sharpening stones, you can use sandpaper of different grits.

Set of stones

You can’t do without a special set of knife sharpeners in the kitchen. Its set includes stones of different grain sizes and a frame with clamps.

This set is very easy to use:

The bed is used to securely fix the blade. A kitchen knife is secured to special clamps on the frame with the cutting edge facing up.
A block with the required grain size is inserted into the hole.
Next, you need to make several running movements, starting from the handle of the blade and ending with the tip of the blade.
To ensure the correct sharpening angle, the knife must be held strictly perpendicular.

After the main sharpening of the blade, it needs to be edited. For this purpose, the set specially provides additional straightening bars.

Mechanical sharpener

This is a special device for sharpening knives, the design of which includes a body with a handle and several sharpening discs located in the body. This device allows you to sharpen a kitchen knife and straighten it at the same time. At the same time, many mechanical sharpeners on the market already have the correct sharpening angle for the blades already set.

Instructions for use:

The knife blade is placed between the discs in a special cell.
Next, you need to apply a little force and move the blade from the handle of the knife to the tip. Similar movements must be done several times.

After completing the work, the sharpener must be rinsed under high water pressure. This is necessary to remove metal shavings.

Electric tool

An electric knife sharpener is the most effective and safe tool for sharpening kitchen blades. With its help, you can make a knife blade perfectly sharp in just a few minutes. The device is equipped with several diamond discs for sharpening, grinding and straightening blades. Opposite the disks there are special holes for inserting a knife. There are more expensive versions of electric sharpeners that can sharpen even the edges of serrated blades.

To properly sharpen a knife on an electrical appliance, you need to follow a few simple steps :

The blade of the blade is inserted into the hole with the required disks.
Next, with light pressure, you need to move the blade between the discs from the handle of the knife to the tip.

A similar procedure is performed several times. The knife is then inserted into other holes of the device for grinding and finishing.

Grinder

With the help of such a tool, you can sharpen even the dullest blade very sharply, which will subsequently retain its cutting qualities for quite a long time. But working with such equipment requires certain skills. Using a machine you can not only sharpen a knife perfectly, but also completely ruin the blade. Therefore, the tool is recommended only for use by professionals.

The design of the sharpening machine includes two disks with high rotation speed. They are intended for rough sharpening and subsequent grinding of the blade. With such a device you can sharpen blades of any type, but you can select the sharpening angle yourself. The main nuance is to ensure that the steel of the blade does not overheat.

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3) Electric knife

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You can use them. But normal ones cost from 10,000 rubles, and cheap ones... it’s easier to throw them away right away. they do not fulfill their function. Good electric sharpeners are suitable for food production (including catering kitchens), where iron tables are used or knives simply become dull often. He walked up, turned it on, ran it a couple of times, and went on cutting. This does not eliminate the need to use musat. The quality of sharpening greatly depends on the quality of the sharpener, and, accordingly, on the price. You don't need this at home. If you see something like the following picture, throw it away. It either doesn't work at all or pretends to work. With some cheap ones you can, of course, achieve a certain result... but it is downright modest or dubious. (I’m not talking about special gadgets such as grinders, tormeks and others - this is completely different, few people have them and their review will be in the next post.)

How to test the sharpness

Checking the sharpness of the blade is carried out in several proven ways:

paper - hold the sheet with one hand and strip the paper with the other. With sufficient sharpness, cutting will go like clockwork;
tomato - place the vegetable on the table and cut horizontally;
on hairs - carefully press the blade to the skin of your hand and lightly run through the hair on it. If the “epilation” is successful, then the blade is sharp.

Checking knives on tomatoes.

4) Sharpening stones (stones) and manual sharpening

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We have all seen sharpening stones, almost all of us have touched sharpening stones, many have tried to use sharpening stones. A few did something good. Why? Despite the simplicity of the process of manual sharpening on whetstones, there are quite a lot of nuances. And according to some nuances, people are staging battles and shitting bricks on forums worse than political squabbles, so it’s not as clear-cut as it might seem. Next comes material for those who want to study the issue at a slightly more advanced level. The sharpening process itself does not look difficult: 1) We lay (put? gram natsy, you are definitely needed here) a stone, if necessary, moisten it with water or oil, 2) take a knife, lay (put?) it on the stone, set the angle and begin crawl back and forth on the stone. 3) Turn the knife over and move. 4) We take a stone with a finer grain size and begin to crawl on it.

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And so on until satisfaction comes or the desired results are achieved. It doesn't look complicated, but there are nuances, and let's talk about them.

How to sharpen a knife with a whetstone

The range of sharpening stones is amazing. An ignorant person can easily get confused in the variety of types and types. Therefore, first we will deal with the varieties and modifications. As a rule, experts classify products according to three parameters:

Material: synthetic or natural stone.
Product type: water-based, ceramic.
Grain (grit). Values range from 80 to 30,000 grit and are indicated on the stone.

Craftsmen advise keeping a set of sharpening stones at home. The fact is that the higher the grain size, the closer the contact with the surface. Therefore, especially if there are burrs and chips on the blade, pre-treatment with a stone marked less than 300 grit is recommended for roughening.
The second stage is the formation of the desired severity. Here, in order to properly sharpen a knife, you will need a stone marked from 500 to 1000 grit.
The third stage - finishing - is carried out with a fine-grained stone with an index of 1200 to 3000 grit.
And finally, the final stage is finishing sanding with musat. In addition to the fact that the musat will allow you to maintain the sharpness of the blade for a long time, such finishing by hand will help to establish and maintain the correct micro-approach (sharpening angle). Subsequently, editing the cutting edge with musat should be carried out once a week. This is enough to maintain good working condition.

Nuance 1. Abrasives (stones, bars, etc.) and Choice of abrasive

There are a lot of bars themselves, I won’t write about everything, but anyone interested can read it here (the article is about abrasives in general, there’s a list on the left where you can read more about each and see tests). This site contains very good material on the sharpening process, on the stones themselves (abrasives) and on sharpening systems. What types of abrasives are there: Natural - these are simply pieces of rock, mined somewhere and somehow processed. Different in quality, different in their properties. In most cases, you need to work with them using oil (mineral, petrolatum, oleic acid, extra virgin olive oil). There are natural water stones, most often Japanese ones; you need to work with them after moistening them with water. They cost a hell of a lot. Synthetic - artificially created abrasives. Most often they are a powder made of something solid (diamonds, silicon carbide, CBN, etc.) of a certain grain size, which is filled with one or another binder. The closest analogy is kozinak. Just as abrasive grains are filled with a binder, so the grains in kozinak are filled with sugar. The ligament can be hard or soft. It is responsible for updating the abrasive surface of the sharpening stone. This abrasive can be either several centimeters or diamonds in one layer. Among other things, stones have different grain sizes - the size of the abrasive grain. Choosing an abrasive on your own is quite difficult. Since I had water stones available (the second one and like the third one in the photos at the beginning of the section), I started with them. Honestly, I don't recommend it. If a coarse stone (the second one) can be found in any hardware store for 100 rubles, then the higher the grain size (the smaller the grain, the finer it works) - the more expensive it is. That double-sided one from the hardware store (the second one in the photo at the beginning of the section, the gray one) has a grit of somewhere between 300 and 500 grit if you look at the Japanese grit scale (jis). This is not enough for home cooking. No, the knife will definitely cut better than after a longitudinal sharpener, but this is not enough, you need at least 1000-1500 for the kitchen. Anything higher than a given block is unlikely to be found anywhere or by chance, and prices go for 2-3-5-10 thousand per stone. Firstly, they are not cheap, and secondly, they are produced relatively quickly (the next point is about this). I would say that this is for people who are advanced in sharpening. By the way, instead of stones, you can use pieces of sandpaper glued to something. Usually 1 piece of paper is enough for 1 knife. What I would recommend trying for stones: 1) A rough diamond whetstone to shape the cutting edge. The cheap ones are “bison” plates (that’s what you’re looking for). There are separate plates (approximately 200 rubles each) that you have to glue somewhere yourself, or a set with a stand of 4 plates of different grain sizes, as in the photo (900 rubles). Or a double-sided Veneva diamond block with a grain size of 100/80-50/40 (dimensions 120x35x10 with a diamond concentration of 100% costs 1300 rubles). It’s not necessary to buy exactly these companies and bars, you can take Lansky or DMT for a lot of money, but for a beginner it’s not worth it. Diamonds are great for stripping metal and shaping a cutting edge. Especially on a damaged knife, it’s easier to do it again. 2)Set of natural Arkansas sharpening stones. When I tried sharpening on them, I really liked it. I immediately regretted that I found out about them late and, as a result, did crap with all sorts of water stones (this is purely my IMHO after comparison and experience). What's the plus: they are practically not produced. That is, enough for children and grandchildren. They work with almost all types of steel. not with everyone, but it’s unlikely that you have one that they wouldn’t work with. A huge plus is that you can always stupidly sell them for not much less than you bought them if you don’t like the manual sharpening or the stones themselves. They have a peculiarity - they work with oil (mineral, vaseline, oleic acid, olive oil), so there are certain requirements for organizing the workspace. It is best to have the entire main line of Arkansas Soft (medium grain), Arkansas hard (fine grain), Arkansas black hard (very fine grain). Black Arkansas is the most expensive of this line, it is not necessary; for the home it is more than enough to have Soft and Hard. Buying stones separately is downright expensive. At best, 10 - 15 thousand for a modern line, and the same numbers, but for each stone, if they are old and ancient (so you understand, people are really happy with stones from the late 19th century and early 20th and are actively selling them). BUT! there are interesting options, especially from Dan's Whetstone. Option 1: take this line in the form of a “Large Pocket Arkansas” with dimensions of 10x4x1 cm. The dimensions are more than sufficient, the entire line comes out to about 5 thousand. If you don’t take the black one, it will come out to 2.5 thousand. Option 2: take a miniature set of Arkansas stones on a stand. There will most likely be only soft and hard, possibly True hard, but this is also enough. There are options for 1, 1.5 and so on thousand rubles. Moreover, this option may immediately include a rough rough stone (as in the option for 1000 rubles in the picture), in this case you don’t have to take the diamond.

Sharpening tools

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.

Point 2. Condition of the abrasive

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Most abrasives are initially curved (have a saddle, twist pit or other irregularities) and require finishing to a working condition: for example, leveling on glass, possibly using silicon carbide powder and chamfering the edges of the stone. Moreover, during the grinding process, abrasive will be produced, and it will still have to be leveled. Some earlier, some later. To better understand the process and why and what it looks like, I will again give an analogy: when using laundry soap, due to uneven abrasion/use, its surface becomes uneven and acquires a saddle. The same thing can be seen on the steps of old buildings - where there is the most traffic - a small hole appears. It's exactly the same with abrasives. It will not be possible to sharpen well with an uneven abrasive. I couldn’t find any pictures of the jamb stone, everything is even. Here is a picture of the steps that look... and that’s what they look like, the essence should be clear.

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.

Point 3. Placement of abrasive

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The abrasive itself needs to be secured somehow so that it does not move anywhere during the sharpening process. Some manufacturers provide special stands or substrates for this, but the reality is that they rarely help. In addition, often the abrasive is not that high and it needs to be somehow raised above the table, otherwise it is inconvenient to sharpen. The most common option is to buy a ready-made universal stand for 2kr. Its cost is greatly inflated, often people come up with something and make it out of shit and sticks. Some people use anti-slip mats and other surfaces, some hammer nails into boards, others simply make special boards with notches. I have a similar analogue of this crap:

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2 hockey pucks for 60 rubles, a rod with a thread for 60 for 40 rubles, 2 nuts and 2 wings for 20 rubles. Total - 180 rub. The original is of course better, better quality and more technologically advanced, but asking 2kr for it is beyond good and evil. When working, I clamp one end with an f-shaped clamp and then everything is fine.

Tips for sharpening knives quickly

There are times in life when, finding yourself in nature, you need to sharpen a dull knife, but there is no opportunity to use a sharpening tool. Some tips that can help in this situation:

For editing, cobblestone is suitable as an abrasive stone. By choosing the right angle and having experience in editing the blade, you can achieve a decent result with it;
you can use the second knife as a grinder;
glass and ceramic products (back side of the plate) can act as a sharpening stone;
A tightened leather belt can be a substitute for musat; you won’t be able to achieve much sharpness, but the blade will polish “excellent.”

Choose good knives and take care of them. In return, they will “thank you” with high-quality and long-term work.

Nuance 4. Technique for working with stones

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Everyone has their own. Each sharpener acquires his own unique technique for this very sharp knife on abrasive. Some do better, some do worse. This requires straight hands. At a minimum, keep the knife at the same angle while sharpening... easier said than done. Plus you need to press the knife with the right force, taking into account its individual characteristics. A common mistake is to push as hard as you can. Especially for kitchens. The knife bends and sharpens unevenly, and in some cases the edge of the knife scrapes against the edge of the sharpening stone, which can destroy all previous efforts. There are different devices for maintaining the angle. I know about the “sharpening angle holder”, “crutch” and “mech-hand”. The angle holder is only suitable for wide kitchen knives. It's a bummer with the little ones. I wouldn't take it.

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The crutch... is a good thing, but different abrasives have different sizes. How to get into the same corner when changing abrasives...the big question. There are certain sorceries and life hacks, like stacking stones... but they are not always effective. The mehruk or articulated arm for sharpening is a gorgeous thing (I couldn’t find a good photo). But again, the problem is the evenness of the abrasive and it is completely unclear where to get it. and it relates more to sharpening systems, which I will talk about next time..

Kitchen knife sharpening angle

Knife sharpening angle.
Kitchen knives come in different types, so each one needs to be sharpened differently. Thus, filleting and boning tools are processed at an angle of 25°, cutting tools - 25-30°, shredding tools - 35°.

For hunting knife

A sharpening angle of 30-35° is suitable for hunting knives. You need to restore your cutting ability with the help of professional tools, since the blade is wide and thick.

Features of working with special sharpening devices

Correct sharpening of knives is ensured by devices - mechanical or electrical. When using them, you do not need to set the sharpening angle yourself, since this indicator is taken into account in the sharpening device.

When sharpening knives at home using a mechanical sharpener, some effort is required to pull the sharpened edge between the built-in discs with an abrasive surface layer. In this case, both sides of the blade become sharpened at once. The sharpness is adjusted by the degree of pressure.
Another way to quickly sharpen a kitchen, pen, or hunting cutting tool is to use an electric sharpener. Operations on it do not require effort, since they are carried out automatically and take a minimum of time.

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An electric sharpening device with impressive dimensions is best secured in a permanent place. The sharpening angle is set during the production process of the device, so all that remains is to place the blade in the groove and turn on the device. After a few seconds, you can use the sharpened tool for its intended purpose.

Using musat

Musat (or steel) allows you to effortlessly sharpen kitchen knives without resorting to extensive sharpening. Essentially, this is the straightening of the point immediately before using the cutting tool.

The musat, which resembles a file in shape and texture, is held vertically in the hand at the moment of sharpening, with one end fixed on a solid plane. The blade is moved with an inclination of 20-25° along the surface of the steel. Make 4 – 5 movements on one side, then on the other. It is important when sharpening the cutting edge to avoid applying strong pressure.

How to make musat from an electrode

If you wish, you can make this sharpening tool from an electrode with your own hands; to do this, you will need to follow the steps in the following order:

Prepare a surfacing electrode, the most suitable ones will be from . Cut it to the required length (within 180-200 mm).
Remove the top layer from the surface of the rod with a whetstone. It is worth using such a tool with a fine abrasive surface.
A handle must be attached to one end of the electrode. It can be made of wood or plastic; in the latter case, it is recommended to use a ready-made screwdriver or any other suitable tool.

Homemade musat from an electrode is ineffective; it is suitable only for straightening kitchen knives, and this process will need to be carried out almost every day.

We recommend reading the article about types of knives. From it you will learn about the main types, shapes of knives, their names and characteristics, knife blade materials by type of metal, as well as the rules and selection criteria. And here is more information about knife stands.

Musats are used by both professional chefs and housewives. They are convenient for sharpening/sharpening any knives, you just need to make the right choice of tool. They have a long service life provided proper care and storage.

What to pay attention to

Choosing how to properly sharpen a knife becomes a serious problem for a beginner in this business. Here are the nuances that should not be forgotten.

Choice of sharpening angle.

In order for the blade to obtain the required degree of sharpness, it is important to position it correctly. The angle of inclination to the surface of the sharpening device depends on the function of the knife. This indicator is affected by the type of material and hardness.

Table 1. Sharpening angle

With a minimum angle of inclination, cutting tools are sharpened the most, but at the same time more metal is removed, which is why the knives fail faster.

Selection of sharpening devices.

You can sharpen a knife at home using traditional whetstones, stones, as well as modern mechanical and electrical devices and grinding stones. Each variety requires specific techniques.