How to sharpen kitchen knives to razor sharpness. Sharpening a knife to perfect sharpness is a purely masculine art How to use a knife sharpener with round discs

Sharp knives must be used for cooking. Of course, it is easier to turn to a specialist who can sharpen the knife correctly quickly and for little money, but you can do it yourself.

It is necessary to sharpen the knife according to certain rules, otherwise you can ruin the blade.

Correct knife sharpening angle

When sharpening kitchen knives, it is important that the objects are in a certain position in relation to working surface. To do this, select right angle sharpening.

This parameter depends on many factors, for example, the type and strength level of the metal from which the blade is made, as well as the purpose for which this tool is used. So, the degree of sharpening for different type knives:

scalpel and razor blade - from 10 to 15 degrees;
vegetable, meat and fish knives - from 15 to 20 degrees;
other cooking appliances - from 20 to 25 degrees;
hunting blades - 25-30 degrees.

It is important to choose the right sharpening angle, this is necessary to achieve the desired sharpness of the kitchen appliance.

What grit is needed for sharpening knives

When sharpening blades, special stones are used. Their surface is an abrasive consisting of grains of different sizes. The grain size of the stone depends on this indicator. Sharpening devices are divided into the following groups:

the most coarse-grained (especially coarse material);
ordinary coarse-grained;
medium-grained;
fine-grained (delicate abrasive);
micro-grained (material of increased fineness).

How to sharpen a knife correctly? good master knows that using only one kind of stone is inefficient. According to the rules, sharpening is performed alternately, moving from coarse-grained and coarse to delicate, thin stones.

How to sharpen knives on a grinder

The use of the machine is considered effective way sharpening, however, the mechanism is cumbersome, and for this reason it is not in every home. But if you have the opportunity to use it to sharpen blunt kitchen appliances, you should know some of the subtleties of this work:

Keep in mind that you will need a lot of time to work. In addition, you should not take on sharpening on the machine for those who do not have sufficient experience in this matter.

How to sharpen knives with emery

If you have some experience and are aware of how emery works, sharpening knives will not be difficult for you. So, when sharpening blades on emery, follow these rules:

when applying the blade to the abrasive, do not apply great mechanical effort;
the trajectory of rotation of the abrasive should be in the direction from the butt to the edge;
the knife on the emery is moved across the circle, moving smoothly from the handle of the device to the tip of the blade;
when sharpening on both sides, you cannot change the angle of fixation of the blade, you just need to rearrange it to the other side;
at the end of the work, edit the knife with a bar, musat or sandpaper.

Of course, real craftsmen prefer manual sharpening, which allows you to achieve maximum effect. But if it's not about giving the blade the sharpness of a scalpel, but just making it fairly sharp, using emery will get decent results.

How to sharpen kitchen knives with a sharpener

Today you can buy special devices to sharpen knives - these are sharpeners for blades. These devices are mechanical and electrical. If you are not very experienced or have not tried sharpening knives yourself, it is better to use the electric option.

Such a sharpener independently chooses the angle of sharpening, and it is used to sharpen any kind of household blades. The work is done like this:

Once you've completed these steps, you no longer have to worry about ruining your knife. The sharpener will do the job on its own, and you will get a wonderfully sharpened blade. This the best way achieve the desired sharpness of the kitchen appliance at home.

How to use a sharpener for knives with round discs

There are various tools for sharpening knives, including sharpeners with round discs. The difference is that the grinding material in this case is a special rotating roller that grinds the cutting surface at an angle of 45 degrees.

The main advantage of such devices is that after sharpening there is no burr on the blade, and the work is simple. In addition, tools sharpened on roller sharpeners stay sharp much longer than when using V-shaped tools.

Most often, such sharpeners are adapted not only for knives, but also for scissors.

How to sharpen Damascus steel knives

Damascus steel knives have been popular at all times, they are considered the most durable, and their sharpness can hardly be compared with anything. But even this material tends to become dull.

It is important to know that no electric sharpeners can be used here, only manual processing is needed. When sharpening a knife made of Damascus steel, you must adhere to the following principles:

First determine the strength of the metal. This can be done by paying attention to the angle of sharpening, the stronger the material, the sharper it will be.
Use fine-grained abrasives, gradually moving to micro-coatings.
Sharpen the blade only along the cutting surface.
If there are notches, it is necessary to grind the edge along the entire length.
If it is necessary to polish the slopes, this must be done before the cutting edge is sharpened. If you process an already sharpened blade, the tip may simply round off.

If you are unsure that you will do everything right, it is better not to take risks and contact a specialist.

Is it possible to sharpen a knife without a stone

It happens that a knife needs urgent sharpening, and suitable tools No. But do not be upset, you can solve the problem in the following ways:

This will allow you to briefly sharpen a dull device, but such methods cannot be called full-fledged sharpening. Remember that these measures are best reserved for last resort and do not use them constantly, otherwise the blades will quickly become unusable.

How to sharpen a knife on a knife

What to do if the blade is dull, and there was neither a bar nor an electric sharpener at hand? Sharpen your knife! Perform this procedure like this:

attach the cutting surface of a dull blade to the back of another knife;
take the tools so as to sharpen “away from you”, that is, the cutting edges should be directed to the sides;
perform 10-15 vigorous movements, swiping one blade against the other.

This will allow you to briefly “revive” a dull knife, however, such a procedure is not a full-fledged sharpening.

How to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness

Almost any blade can be given a razor sharp edge. To achieve this, use one of the following methods:

When working, be careful not to get cut or damage the blade.

How to sharpen a serrated knife

If your kitchen has serrated knives, then you need to know that these devices cannot be sharpened with ordinary sharpeners. To make this variant of the cutting surface sharp, you need to do the following:

Prepare a special tool for serrated blades, namely a conical sharpening rod, preferably made of ceramic.
Determine the side on which the beveled teeth are located, and sharpen this part of the blade.
Set the sharpener at an angle to the beveled part of the blade.
Sharpen each depression with several movements, moving the blade in the direction “away from you”.
Remove any burrs with sandpaper or the same rod, but do not press on the surface, but act gently.
Sharpen the smooth side of the blade with a suitable tool.

Remember that you can not use a rod with which you edit the serrated surfaces on the side of the blade where they are missing, otherwise you will ruin the knife.

It is believed that every man should know how to sharpen a knife to razor sharpness. But for all the seeming simplicity of the operation, not everyone owns this art. And it's not about the ability to hold the blade at the right angle, but knowledge in the strictest confidence is passed down from generation to generation. In order to properly sharpen a knife, you need to know something about the knife itself, and about the sharpening tool, and about 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 the skill of sharpening.

To safely use a knife, it must be properly sharpened.

A few words about knives

For a good owner, all knives in the house should always be sharp, like a razor. It has been so 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 speeds up the process of working in the kitchen.

But sharpening should be considered not only as a tribute to some abstract traditions. Any cook will confirm that a sharp knife speeds up the cooking process several times. In addition, it is easy to work with him, the hand does not get tired of chopping meat or vegetables.

And a razor-sharp knife makes working in the kitchen safe. Yes exactly! A dull blade can move to the side, after which the hand slips. And, at best, everything will cost a fright. At worst, you can seriously injure yourself or catch one of those present nearby. After all, even a knife that does not have a 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 angle at which sharpening will be carried out depends on the hardness of the steel. This parameter is measured in special units, and hardness can only be determined in laboratory conditions using special equipment. The standard value for most knives is 45-60 Rockwell Hardness Units (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 is the knife dull?

The question is serious. If the steel has the right hardness, then why does the knife become dull and not retain its sharpness, like a razor?

The effort when cutting products is a sign of knife sharpening.

There are several reasons. First: no matter how hard the material is, in the process of use it is subject to external influences. Under the influence of the friction force, microscopic metal particles are detached from the main body, the sharp edge is gradually destroyed. In addition, it is not possible to constantly hold the knife in the so-called "ideal position", when the cutting edge of the knife is in contact with the surface at an optimal angle. The resulting loads have a destructive effect on the metal. As a result, 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 may be the increasing force that has to be applied to cut something with such a knife. The loss of sharpness can also be determined by eye: blunt areas on the blade look like polished, they have a characteristic sheen.

So it's time to sharpen the blade like a razor. To make the process as efficient 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 grinding machine;
abrasive machine;
grinding machine;
mechanical sharpener;
electric sharpener.

To sharpen knives, you can use a special bar.

Let's look at each of them separately. whetstone - ancient instrument, designed to make a knife sharp as a razor. Experienced craftsmen know that in fact there are many bars, with different size grains (the smallest abrasive particle that makes up the bar itself), of different hardness and density. In order to sharpen the blade with high quality and then grind it, you need two bars. One with large grains, the other with small grains. You can determine this 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 micro-chips and returning the sharpness of razors for a while. This time is short, because the musat and the sharpener do not affect the steel at a sufficient level.

An electric sharpener saves us from applying physical effort to sharpen the blade, but it is also not able to return it to razor sharpness.

Special sharpening and grinding machines are able to quickly return to the knife its cutting properties, but the trouble is that it is expensive and dangerous to keep such equipment at home. The machine produces a lot of dust and noise, while taking a decent amount of electricity. But with its help, you can give any of the knives any sharpness you want in a short time and without much effort.

But experts advise not to take up work on grinding machines, if there is no experience 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 properly sharpen so that the blade reaches razor sharpness?

The main thing is to be patient. Steel processing takes time, the more 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.

Consider the classic way of sharpening with a whetstone. The abrasive should be placed on flat surface(table or workbench in the workshop) and place a rough cloth or fleecy material under it. This will facilitate the work process, since the bar will not fidget and you will not have to hold it with your hand all the time.

Knives are sharpened by making passes along the entire length of the abrasive. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the cutting edge of the blade is constantly in a perpendicular position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bar. In practice, it looks like this: the blade has a curved surface, so when moving, the knife should be turned so that each of its sections is at right angles to the axis of the abrasive material.

In the process, it is important to keep the metal at the same angle in relation to the sharpener.

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 large angle. By keeping the angle of metal processing constant, you can sharpen literally any steel to an incredible sharpness.

The blade should be carried along the entire length of the bar, and it is not at all necessary to apply great efforts. Excessively strong pressure will lead to the destruction of the material and the violation of 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 proceed to the next step and change the rough bar to a smaller one. Having achieved uniform sharpening, you should fix the result obtained by grinding.

knife grinding

This The final stage in work with sharpening knives, the result of which will be a sharp, razor-like edge. For work, a special grinding block with a very fine grain is used. It feels like a velvety surface to the touch, but don't be deceived: it can sharpen the blade as sharply as the finest razors in the world.

What is grinding for? It not only gives the cutting edge desired properties but also reinforces them. A polished metal surface is not as susceptible to destruction as a regular one. Thanks to this, the sharpness will remain for a long time.

In the process of grinding, you should follow the same principles as when sharpening. The movements must be uniform and measured, the blade must always be perpendicular to the axis of the bar, the angle of inclination of the metal to the abrasive must also be constant. And there is no need to exert excessive effort, because the metal will level out layer by layer. Razor sharpness will be the result.

It remains to add that you can learn all this, but it will take some practice. But thanks to the acquired skills, each owner will always be able to keep the knives in his house sharply sharpened.

It is simply impossible to describe all the nuances of how to sharpen knives correctly 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, at home, sharpening a kitchen knife to sharpness can be done quickly and easily. But the difficulty lies in the fact 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 has not been removed from the blade.

In this material, we will try to simply and clearly talk about how to properly sharpen a knife with a bar. After all, this method is not only basic and accessible to everyone, but also the most effective. Except step by step instructions on sharpening and finishing, here you will find a selection of instructional videos and an overview of alternative methods - from sharpening systems to the bottom of a ceramic plate.

A little about the choice of stones

Grinding bars are of 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 ones. However, it is better to start with ordinary ceramic bars (such as "Boats"), which are sold in every hardware store. They are durable, durable and affordable. Of the shortcomings, only their uneven abrasion can be called.

Here are some tips to help you find the right partner:

What size should the bar 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 critical.
When buying a bar, make sure it is flat and not chipped.
To get started, you can buy one general-purpose medium-hard whetstone. But if you want, buy one bar with two sides of different grain sizes or two stones with a large and a half grain size. In the future, a couple more stones may replenish your collection.
It is best to try to get a couple of Soviet-made whetstones, say, at flea markets or from your grandfather. Bars marked "Made in the USSR" have one-size grains and high-quality binding material.

To bring the knife to razor sharpness, in addition to grindstones, you can also buy GOI abrasive paste, which we will also talk about working with.

7-step guide to sharpening and finishing a kitchen knife

So, in sharpening a knife, one goal is to abrade 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 for sharpening knives:

The most important thing is to choose the optimal sharpening angle and hold it on the entire cutting edge while sliding along the bar.
Movements should be smooth, without pressure.
All bars must be moistened with water, but rather soapy water: before sharpening (so that the blade glides better and metal dust does not clog pores), in the process (to remove the emerging suspension) and at the end to clean the bar.

And one more important advice- the first time it is better to practice on a knife that you do not mind spoiling. Especially if your main knife is too solid and expensive. Well, let's get down to practice.

Step 1. Rinse the stone with water, and then run it over it, say, with a sponge with a drop of dishwashing liquid.

Step 2. Next, sit down at the table and set the stone on wooden board, for example, cutting. You can put under a stone and a towel. It is more convenient for someone to put the bar perpendicular to themselves, and for someone at an angle of about 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 angle of sharpening and fix the position of the knife. What should be the angle? General principle- the smaller it is, the sharper the blade is, and the larger it is, the longer the blade retains its sharpness.

Ordinary kitchen knives sharpened at an angle of 40-45 degrees. If you are sharpening a fillet knife (designed for cutting thin pieces of fish, poultry and meat), then it should be sharpened 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 bar. That is, to sharpen the blade at 45 degrees, you need to sharpen each side of it at 22.5 degrees to the grinding 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 during the whole work.

Step 4. We put the knife across the bar 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 bar away from us along the trajectory shown in the picture below.

Watch this short and descriptive video:

The bottom line is that the cutting edge sliding on the stone should always be perpendicular to the direction of movement.
At the bend of the blade, the handle of the knife needs to be slightly raised to maintain the selected angle.
Remember also that you can not put pressure on the blade, but you should not give slack either.

Thus, it is necessary to pass the blade along the stone about 40-50 times, namely, until a “burr” (burr, microsaws) appears along the entire length of the RK (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. Visually in the video:

A burr is a small roughness that is difficult to see, but can be felt by gently running your finger along the edge of the blade (but not along the edge, so as not to cut yourself).

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 fine-tuning. To do this, we repeat the same manipulations on a stone with half the grain size. Alternative way fine-tuning - with the help of musat.

Musat is a steel rod of oval or round section with longitudinal notches. It is suitable only for editing and maintaining sharpness, but not for sharpening a knife. Musat is recommended to edit the knife every time before and after work.

How to edit a kitchen knife with a musat can be seen in the following video master class from the respected cutler Gennady Prokopenkov, who, by the way, specializes in the manufacture of kitchen knives.

Step 6. If desired, you can bring your knife to razor sharpness. To do this, take any leather or leather belt, treat it with GOI, Dialux or any other abrasive paste, and then do all the same steps, but only in the direction from the cutting edge.

Step 7. And 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 need to try to shave off the hair on your arm. The sharpest knives can even cut hair, as shown in the photo below, however, 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, roller knife sharpener or 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 reducing its life. Another disadvantage of an electric sharpener is that a good device costs more than $200.
The roller cutter is inexpensive and easy to use. With it, 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 tool from Fiskaris (pictured) is the most trusted among roller cutlers. Do not confuse a roller cutter with a V-shaped cutter. The latter is an option for the most careless.

Grinding systems are good because they allow you to more accurately set and maintain the angle. Such sharpeners are different - with blade fixation (manufacturers DMT and Lanski) and with fixation of the stones themselves at a certain angle (Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker). Separately, you can select a sharpening system in which you can choose desired angle and control the position of the knife is the Edge Pro Apex Knife Sharpening System. Each system has its pros and cons. So, for example, on sharpeners with blade fixation, it is inconvenient to sharpen wide chef's knives, and on Spyderco's triangle, knives are more likely to be corrected than sharpened, and the angle can only be selected 30 or 40 degrees. However, for kitchen knives, just these angles are needed, and using the triangle is very simple. Detailed overview and instruction manual sharpener from Spyderco can be seen in the following video.

What are the disadvantages of Apex Edge Pro? Perhaps this is only a high price - $ 245. However, for sharpening kitchen knives, you can buy a Chinese copy of this sharpener (for example, on Aliexpress).

There is another tricky way to sharpen a knife at home - using a rough risk at the bottom of a ceramic mug or plate. The principle of operation is still the same - maintaining the angle, smooth movements, maintaining the RK (cutting edge) perpendicular to the direction.

"Are there dull knives in the house? Well, therefore, there is no man in it." Where this "sign" came from, now no one will say. However, is it about her? Sharpening your knife to perfect sharpness will save you both time and health.

If you have ever tried to wield a blunt knife, then you know, long, uncomfortable, heavy, and in addition also dangerous. Do not cut with such a knife, but saw. In this case, the knife, having broken, can injure the owner himself. However, it happens that even an unspoken reproach about the owner and blunt knives hurts much more.

Sawing is a sure sign that the knife is dull and needs to be sharpened. Test yourself by organizing good lighting and examining the blade along; if light gleaming stripes are noticeable on it, these are duller areas, and the conclusion is clear. There is also a test from professionals who always need only sharpening a knife to perfect sharpness. And they resort to it whenever the blade is unable to shave off the hair from the forearm or cut the leaf in the air.

Do not confuse sharpening knives with straightening them. That is, if they tell you that diamond knife sharpening is the best in the world, and they offer diamond-coated musat for this, do not succumb to provocation. Musat, like any metal or ceramic disk devices, also useful thing, but it only helps to straighten the knife, and after that you still have to work hard on sharpening it.

The ideal sharpening of a knife is done on sharpeners, or, importantly, they come in different degrees of graininess, and are used for different operations. With a coarse grit grindstone, the correct sharpening angle and the shape of the cutting edge are restored. Medium grit is only suitable for edge restoration. Finally, a fine grain finish is used to finish and dress the blade.

It is better to choose the length of the whetstone equal to twice the length of the blade of the knife you are going to work on. So that at the same time the blade does not break off the bar, a width of 5 cm will be enough. This is the best tutorial how to sharpen a knife to perfect sharpness.

It can be done sitting or standing, it doesn't matter much. True, if you stand, select the appropriate one. Under the whetstone, place a sheet of rubber, position it accordingly. In general, make sure that all sharpening movements are performed correctly and from a position that is convenient for you.

The knife blade is placed flat on one end of the bar. The angle to its surface should be 23 degrees. Performing the movement, gradually move the point of contact between the blade and the sharpener towards the point. Calculate so that at the moment the end of the bar is reached, this point is exactly on the tip. In this case, the blade should remain on the surface of the grindstone.

The blade returns back with the same movement, as if scrolled backwards. This will help to avoid constantly setting the angle between the blade and the sharpener surface.

Don't expect quick results. Sharpening a knife to perfect sharpness is an action that is somewhat comparable to meditation. It can be reached in half an hour, and in an hour, and in three. Some masters spend at least 30 hours on the sharpening process! But the result...

Remember how the movie Shurik in the short story "Partners", preparing to "cut through" the outside of Fedya wrapped in wallpaper, sharpened a knife and checked it by cutting his own hair on the fly? If you think that this is a joke, then you shouldn't. This is how a perfectly sharpened blade is tested.

When sharpening, you will put more pressure on the grindstone - speed up the process to a minimum and wear the bar to the maximum. Yes, and clog with steel particles torn from the blade.

Use another tried and tested sign when working: "Patience and work will grind everything." In our case, the knife blade will be sharpened in such a way that it will be expensive to both see and use it.

With the help of a knife, we cook food, cut food and perform other household chores. Therefore, it is very important that the blade of the knife always remains sharp. Theoretically, there is nothing complicated in sharpening knives, but in practice it turns out that not everyone can sharpen a blade well. To have an idea of how to sharpen knives and how to do it correctly, we advise you to read our article.

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 stay sharp for a long time. Among the shortcomings, it can be noted - oxidation of the knife blade from interaction with food or an acidic environment, because of this, rust and stains appear on the knife, and the products acquire a metallic taste. Over time, after the formation of plaque on the blade, oxidation stops.

- Low carbon blades of stainless steel- made of 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 dull quickly and require regular sharpening. The advantages include - resistance to corrosion.

- High carbon stainless steel blades - more high class knives, with a high carbon content and additives of cobalt or vanadium. Due to a higher quality alloy, this type of knife 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. The Damascus steel knife is a multi-layer blade made of different high quality alloys. The disadvantages include the high cost of knives.

Ceramic knives have gained popularity due to their sharpness and ability to long time don't be dumb. But apart from the benefits, Ceramic knives have a significant disadvantage, which lies in their fragility when falling from a height and poor resistance to fracture.

Sharpening tools

Touchstone (whetstone)

Grinding stones are available with a different number of abrasive grains per square millimeter. Therefore, for rough sharpening and final grinding you need to use bars with a minimum and maximum content of abrasive. In foreign-made whetstones, information about the number of abrasive grains is on their marking. Grinding bars of domestic production have to be chosen "by eye" or ask the seller which whetstone to use for primary and which for finishing sharpening.

Mechanical sharpener

Mechanical sharpeners are mainly used for sharpening kitchen knives. The sharpening process, although it happens quickly, but 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 electric sharpeners, allow you to achieve high quality sharpening, due to the built-in function, automatic detection of the angle of the blade. The electric sharpener is perfect for both domestic use and for sharpening knives in catering establishments. The lineup electric sharpeners are presented in a wide range, so the price may be different, 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 edge of the knife. In shape, musat resembles a round file with a handle. Musats are included in knife sets, and many owners often confuse them with a tool for full-fledged sharpening of the blade. Keep in mind that with the help of musat you will be able to maintain the sharpness of a sharpened knife, but if the knife is completely dull, it will not work 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 your chosen angle. Sharpener "Lansky" consists of a rod with a removable whetstone and two corners connected to each other. The corners simultaneously serve as a vise for the knife and a scale for selecting the sharpening angle. The sharpener also comes with ANSI marked whetstones in various grit sizes.

Sharpening and grinding machines

Sharpening machines are mainly used in production, for high-precision sharpening of blades of rotating shafts. In addition to high-precision machine tools, there are abrasive wheels electrically driven and rotating grinding discs. 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 high temperature heating, with any unsuccessful movement, the knife blade will become unusable.

Self-sharpening blades

Sharpening a knife with a whetstone

The sharpening of the blade, made by a whetstone, is considered the highest quality, of course, provided that it was produced experienced master. To sharpen a knife on a whetstone, do the following:

1. Place a whetstone with a low content of abrasive grains on a fixed surface. If the bar is small, it can be clamped in a vise.

1. Holding the knife at an angle of 20-25 degrees with respect to the surface of the bar, start moving the knife along the whetstone with the cutting edge forward.

Move the blade along the bar in such a way that during the movement it touches the surface of the whetstone, along its entire length.
Try to keep the same blade angle while moving.
After 2-3 strokes, 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.
Change the rough sharpening stone for a grinding stone.
Sand the knife blade until the edge is gone.
Test the sharpness of a knife by cutting through a hemp rope that has been folded several times, or try cutting through a piece of paper.

How to sharpen a knife with a whetstone, see also the video:

Sharpening a hunting knife on a Lansky sharpener

Hunting knives are made of hard steel, so their initial sharpening requires whetstones with a low content of abrasive grains.

Clamp the knife in the vise of the sharpener.
Install a whetstone with a low content of abrasive grains on the shaft.
Select the angle of the bar (for hunting knives it is usually between 20 and 30 degrees).
Insert the rod into the desired hole.
Lubricate the whetstone with the special oil included in the sharpener set.
Start moving the bar along the blade of the knife, from the base to the tip.
Turn the sharpener over and repeat the process on the other side of the knife.
After the edge is formed, change the stone and do the final sanding.
Because the Hunter knives are mainly made with a double-sided blade, then after finishing sharpening on one side, change the position of the knife in the vise and start the sharpening process on the other side.
When finished sharpening, polish the knife blade with felt.

How to sharpen knives in a Lansky sharpener, see the video:

Sharpening scissors

Sharpening scissors must be done on a special grinder. Sharpening blades with the help of improvised (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 sharpen scissors from a professional, then you can try to sharpen 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 must match the factory edge.
The movement of the blade over the stone must be done from the screw to the tip.
You need to sharpen scissors in disassembled form.

When sharpening scissors, do not rush, patience in this matter will be your ally.

How to quickly sharpen scissors, you can also see in the video:

Sharpening plane and chisel blades

Sharpening the blade of a planer and a chisel practically does not differ from each other. Therefore, the sharpening process described below applies to both tools:

Set 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 against the whetstone.
Start running the chisel over the grindstone until a burr forms on the smooth side of the chisel.
Change the touchstone to a fine-grained one and make the final grinding of the chisel.
Check the sharpness of the chisel blade by removing chips from the corner of the bar.

Apart from manual sharpening, the chisel can be sharpened on a machine with a rotating abrasive disc:

Turn on the machine and let the disc reach full speed.
Holding the chisel with both hands, lean its bevel against the grinding wheel.
Be sure to observe the angle of the chisel, otherwise you will ruin the blade of the tool.
Don't press too hard on the chisel and don't hold it too long on the blade, this will overheat the metal and break 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 bar or sandpaper.

Do not forget that when sharpening products on the machine, a lot of sparks and small particles are formed that can get into your eyes, so be sure to work with safety glasses. And in order not to injure your hands on a spinning disk, wear gloves.

You can also learn how to sharpen tools from the video:

Tips for quickly sharpening the blade with improvised means

Stone

To quickly sharpen a knife on a hike or on a picnic, you can use an ordinary cobblestone. Use any stone lying on the ground instead of a whetstone and run the blade of a knife along its surface. You will not 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 and accessories. To do this, you need to take a knife in both hands and start sharpening the blade of one knife on the blade of another. After 5-10 minutes of this work, the knives will become sharper than before.

glass items

The blade of a knife can be sharpened slightly on the rough edge of glass or ceramic objects. For example, about the bottom of a glass or edge tiles. The main thing is that the surface is rough.

Leather belt

A leather belt is more suitable for finishing and razor sharpening a knife blade than for rough sharpening. But if there is nothing at hand except for the belt, then you can try to sharpen the knife on it. To do this, the belt needs to be stretched and begin to drive along it with a blade, strong sharpness you may not achieve it, but you will polish the knife to a shine.

By learning how to sharpen knives and tools yourself, you will acquire a skill that will be useful to you throughout your life!