Both masters and beginners use the grindstone. You can sharpen a knife with a bar better and better than with a special installation. Human hands are the most accurate and sensitive manipulator. Follow the simple instructions, and after 15-30 minutes your knife will become sharp again.
Workplace preparation
The first thing to do is prepare the tool and place. Sharpening is best done at the table. It is desirable to fix the whetstone in order to free two hands. To do this, you can use this board:
To sharpen a knife, you will need:
- grindstone;
- knife;
- a container of water;
- magnifier;
- lamp;
- a rag.
Before sharpening, the whetstone is well moistened (left in water for 15–20 minutes). On a wet bar, the blade glides better, sharpened faster and smoother. In addition, water prevents metal chips from flying and clogging into the pores of the stone.
Preparing a knife is also important. The first step is to thoroughly wash it. Then, the blade is inspected using a magnifier and a lamp. Pay attention to the angle of sharpening and the presence of defects on the blade.
Sharpening stages
To achieve the best result, the knife sharpening process should consist of several stages:
- Removing a layer of steel. For this, a high- or medium-abrasive whetstone (600-1000 grit) is used. The knife becomes sharp, but microscopic scratches are visible on its surface, and burrs can remain on the edge.
- Fine-tuning. + At this stage, all scratches are smoothed out and the blade acquires a mirror-like shine. The blade is finished on fine-grained stone (over 1000 grit). Also for these purposes, GOI paste and a leather belt are used.
Very often, kitchen knives do not require sharpening, but straightening, that is, straightening the blade (bends are formed from strong impact on the tip). To remove the steel layer in this case is not required. The blade is ruled by the butt of a second knife, musat or smooth stone.
Making the knife razor sharp is a big mistake. A sharp blade dulls much faster and bends.
Technics
The most important thing about knife sharpening:
- observe the factory angle;
- sharpen the blade evenly on both sides and along the entire cutting edge.
Do not try to sharpen the knife quickly. During the first sharpening, always check whether you are doing everything correctly. See the blade under the magnifying glass. Use the lamp to create glare on the surface.
Set the angle
To sharpen a knife, you need to keep it at a certain angle. If the blade is not badly damaged, stick to the factory sharpening.
- Note the angle at which the blade is chamfered.
- Put the blade on the stone. It is necessary that the point is on the “sloping” edge.
- After completing 5-7 sliding movements, check whether the angle you can withstand.
If the factory sharpening is not visible or the blade is badly damaged, they are guided by generally accepted standards.
Depending on the type and purpose of the knife, the following sharpening angles are observed:
- ordinary kitchen - 25–35 °;
- Japanese cuisine - 10–20 °;
- professional cook for meat and fish - 25 °;
- cookery for vegetables and fruits - 30 °;
- table - 55-60 °;
- chopping - 20-30 °;
- tourist - 30–45 °;
- hunting - from 10 ° to 30 °.
The selected value is divided into two. That is, if you need a sharpening angle of 45 °, the blade is kept at an angle of 22.5 °.
It’s difficult to maintain the same slope for a long time. Therefore, many use special clamps that are attached to the blade. Here's what they look like:
Right grip
As already mentioned, the bar is best fixed in the stand. Then you do not have to hold it. Sharpen the knife preferably with two hands.
Correct grip:
- The working hand covers the handle. The brush is not tense and rotates freely.
- The fingers of the second hand lie on the blade as close to the point as possible. The thumb rests on the butt.
Like this:
Movements
It’s better to practice sharpening with a knife, which is not a pity to ruin. In this matter, it is not so much theory that matters as practice. Similarly with playing musical instruments - hands need to "get used" to certain actions.
How to sharpen a knife manually:
- Hands need to move freely and smoothly.
- The movements are long, uniform.
- At a time, you must strive to hold the entire length of the blade (diagonally).
- It is better for beginners to sharpen a knife from two sides alternately (once from one and the other).
- It is correct to lead the knife first from yourself, and then, turning it over through the butt, towards yourself.
Pressure
Do not press hard on the blade. When using force, the layer of steel will be removed unevenly, deep scratches will appear. The cutting edge will become uneven and wavy. It is correct only to lightly press the knife to the bar. Imagine you need to cut a neat layer of oil.
You can determine the correct pressure by sound. Glide of the blade should be accompanied by a light “teal”, but not “rattle”.
Is it necessary to moisten the bar with water?
Sharpening stones come in several forms. Only a Japanese water stone must be moistened with water. The substance that is formed during sharpening additionally polishes the blade. Other types of bars can not be wet if you do not want dirt. By the way, whetstones are treated not only with water. When sharpening on diamond bars on a galvanic bond, an aqueous soap solution is used. And some types of stones are best treated with oil.
How often do you need to sharpen knives?
It all depends on the quality of the blade and frequency of use. A cheap kitchen knife, which is constantly involved, needs to be sharpened about once a month. Ceramic knives do not get dull for 1-2 years, knives made of stainless steel - 5-6 months.
Which knives can and cannot be sharpened at home?
At home, it is almost impossible to restore the sharpness of knives with a serrated blade, with a blade of Damascus steel, damask steel. The sharpening of these models is best entrusted to professionals. Also do not sharpen ceramic knives at home. To do this, you need a diamond-coated tool. And ceramic is fragile and very easy to break.
A dull knife not only cuts food poorly, but also often causes injuries and cuts. In order to cut something, they have to use force. Often the blade slides off and a cut occurs. Therefore, you need to sharpen knives regularly. The bar is one of the most popular home grinding tools. Everyone can learn to use it. It is enough to understand the technique and practice a little.