Knife sharpening tools: types and rules of use

Knives are very useful tools that can be useful in the household, creativity, or even in repair work. They have been used by man since ancient times, and over time they have only been modified. But, like all good things, knives also have a minus: they need to be sharpened from time to time, and today you will learn how to do it right.

There are a huge number of possible options that can help in everyday life, at work, in a factory - wherever knives are used constantly. These items can help in sharpening of a diverse nature, and each of them is good and convenient in its own way.

The oldest and most primitive knife sharpeners are conventional natural whetstones. However, today this method will not be the best, it can only be used for sharpening a hunting or kitchen knife. There are also other, more accurate options: water or "wet" Japanese stone - novakulit.

Such a stone must be used in combination with a special oil base. Of course, there are its domestic analogues based on ceramics, however, the original will be the best choice. By the way, in the case of the Japanese grindstone, its flat surface is very important. You can check it this way: wet one side and attach it to a sheet of paper. If the print on the paper is perfectly even and evenly distributes the trace over the entire surface, then the tool is of high quality.

Sharpening stones are primitive ways to sharpen some kind of penknife for hiking in the forest or to correct kitchen equipment once every couple of monthsbut if you have something more serious, stones will not suit you.

There are other devices that will help bring your tools to their original state, “like from the factory” - abrasive bars or mantles. They differ in the coatings that are applied to them. If we talk about the differences of such bars, then there are quite a lot of them.

• Diamond sprayed - there are options for various forms, and even grain sputtering. Despite the diamond spraying, their price is not very high, it can even be called democratic.

• Ceramiccombining the properties of a grindstone and diamond spraying.

• Made of artificial stone - here the duration of use leaves much to be desired, but the prices for such stones are much lower. This option is created by mixing diamond-based powder with carbide, and both the ratio of the substances and the adhesive are important there. Even such an option may be of good quality, but it is still inferior to the alternatives.

If we talk about diamond spraying, then there are two main ways to use and place it. Any of the layout of elements is called grit.

• A bunch called galvanic. This arrangement of crystals is very strict. In this case, diamonds are glued with a thin layer on the entire surface of the base, which is most often created from an alloy of nickel. It turns out a solid bar.
• The soft location is characterized by randomness. In this design, it turns out that the adhesive and diamond substances are mixed together and are located on the entire surface, but this mixture does not have a clear structure.

Venevsky diamonds are a unique name for the type of stones used in such tools. They add rigidity to the donkey, which allows sharpening the knife quickly and well;

There are also elbor bars made using cubic boron nitride. They are more expensive, but work much softer, and do not represent a surface with separate sharpening elements, but a full-fledged work area, where each element of the structure is a working one.

Musat - This is a knife sharpener made in the form of a stick or, rather, a file. This type of sharpening tool has several advantages. Musat is more convenient to hold: it has a comfortable rubberized handle and looks more like a screwdriver than a classic whetstone. It can be stored in the middle of kitchen utensils, it is lightweight and will not cause damage even if it falls on your foot.

Musat can be round or oval, but in any case, to draw the edge of the blade along such a “stick” is much more convenient than using a large clumsy stone.

They are often used for sharpening large knives, which can be used to cut any durable materials. The bar has a thick rectangular surface, has a comfortable handle.

If you do not have the skill of correct turning of knives, and do not know for sure at what exact angle you need to hold the tool and conduct movement, then a special device will do this for you. Such "cars" do not take up much space, and are a case that hides the insides, and a whetstone on the side, made in the form of a ring. This form helps him freely and evenly distribute the working elements of the structure over the entire surface of the knife. The ring just spins at a sufficient speed, and that’s it.

In order for the knife to become sharp, just bring it in the correct position to the disk.On some models, there is even a special recess, which is located at the right angle so that there is no chance of ruining the cutting tool.

There are many units that will help you correctly and without problems to make a sharp knife out of a blunt knife. They differ both in size and convenience, and in the variety of work. For example, you attach the device to a table, twist the handle that drives the disc, and expose the knife at the right angle to the disc itself.

There are a huge number of solutions for any functionality, taste and wallet. Now you can buy various hand-made machines of Russian production.

Hand-held devices are a fairly economical choice, they will help you solve most of the problems that arise with your tools. However, in the case of the electric option, you can save a lot of time and organize more comfortable work, from which you can even enjoy.

Moreover, there are special models that even work on battery power. They are more appropriate to use when you are doing some difficult work with a knife. For example, you will need to sharpen several knives during the working day, and then it is much more convenient to simply insert them into the portable device and get the finished result in seconds.

“From simple to more complex and professional” - this is exactly the method guided by the manufacturers, creating machines that in themselves are entire grinding stations. Moreover, they are as versatile as possible, as they are suitable for working with absolutely any knife.

Such devices have at their disposal various powers and modes in which they can sharpen the blade. Everything is just as convenient: you simply insert the knife into a special hole, turn on the stiffness mode necessary for a particular metal, and drag along the entire length of the knife until the result satisfies you completely.

The security of this solution is high. since any elements that can harm you are hidden inside and covered by a body, therefore any untrained person will cope with the task.

This type of tool is more suitable for craftsmen - people who use knives often and already have experience with a wide variety of designs.

If we talk about a manual machine, then it takes up a lot of space on a workbench; they usually assemble it on their own, which is why it is characterized by unsurpassed accuracy. If a professional knows his job, chooses the elements correctly, and perfectly selects all angles, then the accuracy of such a machine will not be equal.

It’s worth cautioning untrained people, as the use of this equipment is not intended for inexperienced users.

There are professional electric machines - this, when compared with the previous options, is already "aerobatics", however, even using such a device is still nothing complicated. It has an impressive size, and the disk is quite wide and massive. Such things are used in locksmith workshops or at home, where there is a private house and household.

The main advantage of this solution is its universality. This is because such an apparatus will help not only just to sharpen the knife, but also bring practically any metal working tool into suitability.

The device’s power is more than enough, whether it’s just kitchen utensils, a chisel, or even the edge of a bayonet shovel. On this machine, you can easily cope with an ax.

There is a special kind of sandpaper that copes with the task of correcting the bluntness of the blade. Usually in construction stores a special mount is sold, which can be conveniently held in hands when working. It is called a form, and it can be easily and comfortably fixed to any of the necessary sandpaper sheets.

This option is very convenient for those people who is very rare to use and tidy up knives. In addition, this choice is characterized by its cost-effectiveness in comparison with any of the above devices. You can choose completely different paper, it can be more or less rigid, it works with different softness, and the form itself, and the sheet you buy has a wide variety of sizes.

Marking is the name of the parameter that is responsible for the stiffness of the paper, more precisely, for the number of work items on a piece of paper. It can be 1000, 3000 and higher. The larger this parameter, the more severe the friction of the two surfaces will be.

You can buy sandpaper in whole sets, and use them for all occasions. You won’t have to change them too often, one segment will be enough for you for a few sharpenings.

If you are only thinking about purchasing any of the above options for home, work, etc., then it will best be based on needs and plans for use.

A simple stone will lie with you for many years, and if you only learn how to work with it correctly, improving the functionality of any knife from the kitchen or from a hunting bag will not be a big problem for you. If you are a fan of something special and more convenient, you can use Japanese natural solution, however, it is not so practical, and is more expensive.

For cooks and people who often use different options for cutting items, a great choice is convenient and soft musat, which can be used at least every time before cooking. Thus, you better prepare your utensils for work.

People working with sharp objects every day are a good fit. machine toolsthe most comfortable of which are electric. Well, if your activity is completely tied to the use of garden utensils or devices for cutting wood, then feel free to take a large professional machine.

In order for your tools to please you, and the result does not cause a desire to remake anything, it is important to use all that is listed above.

To sharpen the knife properly with musat, it is enough to lead the working surface on the edge of the blade, and not on the thinnest cutting surface. After all, the task is to make it thinner, and if we drive it musat, it turns out that it will become even flatter and less sharp. If wet stone is used, it must be lubricated. The instructions for use say more, but in general for this it is necessary to use an oil base.

The angle also needs to be selected correctly. Household blades, as well as any kitchen utensils endure an angle of 30 degrees. Performance varies from instrument to instrument, however, 25 to 30 will be sufficient in most cases.

By the way, the machines must be trained before use: you must make sure that the structure is not broken, the electricity is supplied correctly, and the machine itself is firmly held on the work surface.

Untrained people can make mistakes, and one of the main things will be to use a device that you are not familiar with at all, and hold it in your hands for the first time. If you are a beginner, then the usual musat or bar is best.

In addition, you should not try to drive the grinding surface along the blade itself - so its sharpness decreases even more. Do not use professional machines if you need to sharpen a simple kitchen knife, and always choose the right angle at which you work.

See how to sharpen a knife on a stone in the next video.