Everyone knows that it is more convenient and productive to work with a sharpened knife. Unfortunately, the blades cannot be sharpened by themselves. This is just a publicity stunt: sooner or later, the blade will dull anyway. But few know how to sharpen a knife correctly. Let's look into this issue.
Sharpening on musat
If the knife is dull, the cutting edge is adjusted using musat or a fine grindstone. The operation can be performed several times, then it will still have to be sharpened thoroughly.
A solid steel or ceramic rod is called musat. Usually it resembles a file with grooves along the axis. If you are thinking about how to sharpen a knife, here is a tip for you: take the cutting edge away from you along the musat, while smoothly move the knife from the handle to the tip.
Sharpening using various devices and devices
An uncontrolled heating of steel occurs on the grinding wheel with high speeds, from which the blades deteriorate. Therefore, it is impossible for non-specialists to sharpen knives on them. Sharpening a knife on sandpaper is also not recommended.
Now there are special sharpeners, but they are not advised to use them, since the angle of sharpening often does not coincide with the initial angle of the blade. The movement creates longitudinal grooves. From this, the blade loses its cutting properties.
How to sharpen a knife on a whetstone
Grinding stones come in varying degrees of granularity:
- rough - to restore the shape of the tip and the angle of sharpening;
- medium - for sharpening;
- subtle - to eliminate minor flaws.
Large bars maintain the correct sharpening angle. Optimally, if the length of the stone will be two lengths of the blade, and the width is 5 cm. The bar should be placed on the lining so that it does not scratch the floor and does not slip.
The knife is led along the bar in a direction that is perpendicular to the cutting edge at the point of contact.
It is necessary to constantly maintain a sharpening angle of 20 degrees on either side of the blade. If you have no idea how to sharpen a knife in compliance with this rule, then know that the blade needs to be installed at an angle of 20 degrees to the surface of the stone and point it forward with the point of contact, while the contact point is constantly moving further and further from the handle. Make sure that at the end of the passage the blade does not come off the surface of the bar, otherwise scratches will appear on its side surface.
Pressing the stone strongly should not be, this can lead to a loss of accuracy. Grind to a burr along the length of the blade. Sharpening on a medium stone is corrected on a thin one. During this operation, the blade becomes more even.
So you have learned how to sharpen knives correctly. I would like to warn that you do not need to check the quality of sharpening with your hands. Even a shallow cut can become inflamed by microscopic metal filings. Better try cutting a sheet of paper with a knife by weight. If this succeeds on the first try, it means that your blade has been sharpened perfectly!
Finally, a few tips for the care and maintenance of knives:
- keep them separate;
- use as directed;
- cut on plastic or wooden surfaces;
- do not wash in the dishwasher;
- Do not sharpen serrated blades or diamond ceramic coating.