This tool is very similar to a file: a long rod with a round cross-section, with a notch and a handle. It is mainly used for editing. cutting edge knife. The thing is useful, as it allows you to constantly keep the knife in working order. But if the blade is very dull, it is not an assistant for you - you need a major sharpening.
2. Mechanical sharpener
cook-r.ruNot a bad thing that every housewife should buy. Good for sharpening kitchen knivesbecause it does it quickly and easily. True, the quality is not always pleasing, and the knives dull as quickly as they sharpen. For a kitchen knife, this method works, but no more.
3. Electric sharpener
klevin-knife.ru A great way to quickly and at the same time sharpen high-quality knives with any type of blade, as well as scissors and even screwdrivers. The device is able to sharpen in two minutes and then grind any blade. It is important that it automatically detects the desired sharpening angle, but we will talk about this below. Such a thing will cost from 2 to 50 thousand rubles, depending on the sharpening speed, guide system and power.
4. Machine with an abrasive wheel
kak-eto-sdelano.livejournal.com it professional tool, with its help sharpen and grind the blades on industrial enterprises... Without experience, it is better not to climb to the machine: steel is hardened at a certain temperature, therefore, uncontrolled heating on the machine during sharpening can irreparably damage the knife. Leave this method to the professionals.
5. Sharpening stone
tojiro.spb.ru Sharpening with a whetstone is one of the most effective ways... This process is not easy, but entertaining. Perseverance and some experience with the bar are required. For sharpening, two stones are needed: with small grains and large ones.
There are two types of whetstones: natural and artificial. The whole difference is in grain size: natural stones usually fine-grained, they are used for grinding. And artificial ones are initially made more versatile, with different degrees of graininess on different sides of the bar.
How to sharpen knives
vottak.net Before proceeding to the sharpening process, immerse the sharpening stone for 15 minutes in oil or water. This will prolong the life of the bar, since particles of steel will not be clogged between the grains.
Sharpening should start with a coarse-grained stone. It is important to correctly position the blade relative to the surface of the bar, as the final result largely depends on this. Also important correct angle Sharpening: Experts advise sharpening the blade at a 20 degree angle, but this can vary depending on the type of knife.
- Professional chef's and fillet knives require a 25 degree angle.
- Japanese kitchen knives should be sharpened at an angle of 10-20 degrees.
- For hunting blades, an angle of 30 to 45 degrees is used. A larger angle is required for greater blunt resistance.
- For household kitchen knives, an angle of 30 degrees is sufficient.
The rule here is simple: if you want to make the knife sharper - we decrease the sharpening angle, and for greater resistance to dullness - we increase it.
It is necessary to sharpen in continuous movements, raising the handle at the moment when the bar reaches the bend of the blade. This will maintain the angle of the cutting edge. It is important that the movement of the blade is perpendicular to the edge, with some pressure on the blade.
Grinding
lastday.club When we have completed the main sharpening, we start grinding. This will require a fine-grained stone. Sanding is necessary to level the surface and remove the burr. The technique remains unchanged.
Conclusion
In theory, everything is pretty clear, but in practice, the process of sharpening a knife is far from the easiest. We'll have to be patient and attentive: one awkward movement, and all the work down the drain. Theory is great, but you can't do it without practice. And the process itself is not cheap, since good whetstones cost a lot of money.
If you just need to sharpen your knives, without all this fetish, get an electric sharpener. The result will be the same, and this method will also save your nerves and time.
How to sharpen a knife - with a musat, a touchstone, or maybe it is better to use a hand or electric knife? We will consider all the options - after all, each instrument needs individual approach.
Sharpening a knife - it would seem, what could be easier? But no - there are a lot of wisdom in this matter, and here you need, if not skill, then at least knowledge of the basic rules of high-quality sharpening. But you should not immediately carry your knives to the workshop, it is unlikely that there will be someone looking for an individual approach to each blade. They will be driven through a circle spinning at high speed, and immediately given to you. And hot metal needs proper cooling. In production, strictly observing the technology of steel hardening, they do this, but in workshops they do not.
Is it possible to do without sharpening?
Unfortunately, even the best knife, if used constantly, will sooner or later become dull. Micron by micron, the blade will wear off - not very quickly, but it will. And those manufacturers who convince that their products are never blunt are simply silent that they provided sharpening of kitchen knives in special stands and sheaths. Also regularly, as you grind the blade on the food, the blade is straightened when you remove it from such a slot.
Home processing is not subject to:
- knives with serrated edges, obtained as a result of factory laser sharpening;
- tool with hardfaced carbide or "magnetic" blade.
And since with all the other types you cannot do without sharpening, then it's time to learn how to sharpen knives correctly at home. The choice of method will depend on the material from which the blade is made and on the availability of a suitable tool.
We use musat
An unusual device that vaguely resembles a file with a comfortable handle. When buying a set of knives, it is usually included Musat can be cylindrical, faceted or flat in shape. The cheapest sharpeners are made from durable serrated steel that will work with most common kitchen knives. Ceramic musats are much less common. And the best tool is rightfully considered a diamond-coated tool, like on emery. It is worth choosing if you often use durable professional blades.
Correct sharpening of knives on musat begins with the exact position of the blade. The tool must be vertically resting against the table or board, and the blade at the very base must be leaned perpendicularly closer to the handle. After that, the knife makes arcuate movements, shifting it down and towards you. Sharpening is performed on both sides.
You can simply hold a knife in your hand and run musat along its edge, but here you have to take into account the direction of the notches. For such work experience is required, although it is worth training. By the way, this tool is practically useless for rough sharpening, so if you don't have another way to keep the knives in order, you need to use musat more often.
Touchstone
Today you can find not only natural whetstone, but also its artificial counterpart. The second, by the way, is made large enough and with coarse grains of abrasive. For finer dressing of the blades, a fine dusting is often done on the back of the bar. Natural stone will cost less, but because of the fine grain, it is more suitable for finishing already sharpened knives. A very thick and completely dull blade with its help will be difficult and time-consuming. But it is ideal for sharpening blades made of soft steel grades.
The touchstone is the simplest and most reliable tool for manual sharpening... But not everyone knows how to sharpen knives with a bar correctly, so we give detailed instructions:
- Take a whetstone by one end or place it on a table, holding it by the edge.
- Lean the blade against the surface of the donkey at an angle of 20-25 ° and with light pressure pull it up the bar. If so, then it is better to increase the slope to 30 °.
- At the very end of the movement, the angle can be raised smoothly by removing the knife from the bar - this will make it sharper.
- Repeat the procedure several times, without changing the clamping force and the direction of movement of the blade, but increasing the speed.
- Turn the knife over and sharpen the second side of the blade.
On a double-sided bar, sharpening is performed first on the coarse-grained side, and then the knife is "brought" on a fine abrasive. In the same way, you can perform the final sharpening fixed on wooden block emery, only the skin is better to choose fine-grained and moisture resistant.
A little trick: before you sharpen the knife on the stone, grease the surface of the bar with special oil and let it saturate for 10 minutes. This will prevent adhesion of metal dust and maintain the abrasive properties of the touchstone.
Sharpeners
The universal tool with a comfortable handle has several cavities with installed abrasive wheels. The angle between them has already been selected, so it is not difficult to use such a tool. Simply insert the base of the blade into the slot and pull the knife towards you through it. The blade is sharpened from both sides at once, so that half the effort will have to be made.
It is similar to manual knife-sharpeners and the construction of household electric sharpeners, but the circles there also rotate. Working with them goes much faster, although the result is not always satisfactory. When using electric scissors, do not hold the knife for too long. grinding wheels - the thickest and most hopelessly dull blade will take five minutes.
Sharpening on the machine
Since not only steel tools have long appeared in houses, but also their modern counterparts, questions began to arise as to how to sharpen a knife, if it is, for example, ceramic. Manufacturers and experts unanimously advise not to do this at home, so as not to spoil the fragile blade. But if you really need to, you can violate this prohibition and learn how to bring the ceramics into working order yourself.
For work you will need grinder and a diamond-plated circle. Ceramics are not afraid of overheating, but in order not to crack it, you need to choose the right abrasive disc. When the machine is working, the blade must be pressed without effort, very easily. Of course, such a sharpening will take a lot of time, but you will get excellent results.
For steel it is better to choose grinding disc with white fused alumina so as not to burn the blade. Mechanical sharpening should be carried out at medium speed - about 1500 per minute. It is also useful to cool the blade in water more often.
You can check how well the knife is sharpened on a piece of paper rolled into a tube. A sharp blade will cut it smoothly, a blunt one will tear and leave teeth. After work, do not forget to rinse the kitchen tools and wipe them dry - this will remove the smallest particles of removed steel and abrasive.
Fine finishing
Of course, any kitchen knife can be brought to surgical sharpness. To do this, you need to grind off one side of its blade until small notches appear, and then level the edge, processing the other. Such a sharpening, of course, will not last long, but at first the knife will cut almost any product. Blades are refined using various grinding materials that can be found in any home.
Ceramic polishes the blades well, if you choose a sufficiently rough surface. Turn the earthenware bowl upside down - usually there are unglazed areas. It is on them that you need to drive the blade in order to bring the knife to perfect condition.
For jewelry work on the blade, you need a piece of genuine leather and polishing paste type GOI. The surface of the flap is saturated with it, and then the blade is polished. Before proceeding with fine finishing, all visible notches are removed from the edge with a fine-grained donkey. Polishing is carried out in one direction - from the base to the edge with a diagonal tilt of the knife.
Despite the abundance of mechanization in the kitchen, the knife was and remains the No. 1 tool. No blenders, meat grinders and combines will be able to cut the product into pieces as accurately and portionwise as a good blade. With it, you are in complete control of the situation.
Any tool needs maintenance, and a kitchen knife is no exception. It must be sharpened periodically.
Why does the knife blunt too quickly?
- Use of any cutting boards, except for wood, negatively affects the sharpness of the edge. Stone and glass instantly round off the cutting edge. The plastic board does not blunt the point as quickly, but is still less blade friendly than wood;
- Bones and Tendons. The natural hardness of these constituent carcasses of animals or birds makes it necessary to tidy up the cutting edge after each cutting of meat. Fruit pips are not far away;
- Fish scales and bones. If you cut an unpeeled fish, strong scales grind off the edge quickly enough;
- Dirty vegetables. Sand and lumps of earth on the surface of potatoes or carrots grind your tool as well as sandpaper. Before peeling or slicing, vegetables must be thoroughly washed;
- Improper storage. A knife lying in a pile of metal cutlery quickly deteriorates. It is better to store it on magnetic holders or in special stands.
How to sharpen kitchen knives correctly?
Of course, there are no directive documents defining the sharpening procedure. However, the centuries-old experience of using a popular device allows us to form some rules. First of all, you need to know at what angle to sharpen different types blades:
| Appointments and conditions of use | Sharpening angles |
| Table knives. Designed for cutting prepared food in a plate. They do not require special sharpness, but they quickly dull on the ceramics of cutlery. | 55 ° - 60 ° |
| Kitchen knives for household use... Cutting and dicing raw products, low intensity of use. The work is carried out both on wooden and on boards with a harder surface. | 30 ° - 35 ° |
| Intensive use on wood cutting surfaces. | 25 ° - 30 ° |
| Cooks, for processing fish on an industrial scale. There is no compromise between durability and sharpness. Regular sharpening is required. | 25 ° |
| Knives for professional processing vegetables. Also used in the home kitchen. | 35 ° |
| Tourist and hunter knives Type 1, for cutting soft foods, processing vegetables. Emphasis towards the sharpness of the blade. | 30 ° - 35 ° |
| Tourist and hunting knives of type 2, for cutting fish and animal carcasses, processing wood. Emphasis towards blunt resistance. | 40 ° - 45 ° |
| Chopping and embankment. With their help, meat is cut, separating it from the bone. Tendons and cartilage are cut. | 25 ° - 30 ° |
Hello again!
He comes up to me somehow, my friend:
- Tyomich, - he says, - went all over the Internet and did not find information on how to sharpen a knife. Will you write an article?
- Yes, no problem, Lech! - I say to him, - just something I can't believe that you, a well-known "hacker" in narrow circles, could not find the necessary information.
To which Lech answers me:
- Yes, I found it, of course, but everything is somehow abstruse, and you will explain it on your fingers ...
Well, I think why not. So an article about sharpening knives was born.
Introductory
Sharpening was carried out on a simple kitchen knife, produced by unknown comrades from the Middle Kingdom. The knife was cleaned of dirt, a little polished and, of course, sharpened. You can see what happened below.
It is unlikely that everyone uses Japanese Damascus kitchen makers, although the principle of sharpening is the same. Still, it doesn't matter what to sharpen: a Chinese knife for 100 rubles or a Japanese (German) knife made of VG steel10 thousand for 15 rubles, or even more.
The only question is how long the knife will keep sharpening. And this just depends on the quality of the steel and the geometry of the blade.
Theory
A bit of theory. As in any business, we cannot do without theoretical knowledge.
Knife geometry
If you still do not know the anatomy of a knife, that is, what a knife is, I advise you to read. The article is encyclopedic, but the main terms, I hope, will be clear.
Take any knife and look at it from the side of the edge.
What do you see? Well, except for the tip. Can't you see anything? Strange! Must see WEDGE. Have you seen now? Here's something similar:
The cross-section of the knife is a wedge formed by the slopes. Which allows the knife to cut or chop (it all depends on the purpose of the knife).
And since the slopes form a too sharp angle, somewhere on the order of 10 degrees, this will not allow the knife to remain sharp for a long time (the cutting edge will surely curl up or crumble, depending on the steel). In order to prevent this from happening, they do carts, which form the cutting edge (RK).
For some steels, such a "feint with the ears" is also used, such as micro leads. Micro leads allow to increase the service life of RK on some steels, but this feint does not always work.
Thus, the task of sharpening is to create the correct lead-in angle. This angle can be different. Different tasks require different angle sharpening.
For example, a fillet knife (designed for thin cutting of meat and fish) is sharpened at an angle of 30-40 degrees,
A machete or a survival knife, which is most often used for chopping something, is 50-60 degrees. But most often, knives are sharpened at an angle of 40-45 degrees, which is recognized as optimal for solving most household tasks.
Let's move on to physics.
Physics of the sharpening process
Did everyone study physics at school? How hard and soft interact with each other, if more soft material rubbing about a harder one?
Most often, soft, under the influence of friction force, wears out. This is also the case for sharpening. Soft, in our case, is a knife, and hard is an abrasive bar.
Under the influence of solid inclusions of a grindstone, metal particles are abraded. This, in turn, leads to the appearance of a sort of micro-saw on the cutting edge of the knife.
This micro saw can be seen on the cutting edge of any knife if you look closely. It can be seen especially well on new knives. Here I tried to photograph her.
Do you see vertical transverse stripes on the cutting edge? These are the marks of a whetstone. In the picture below, you can see in more detail.
Thus, it turns out than smaller size hard inclusions of a whetstone, the smaller the micro-saw on the cutting edge will be. Accordingly, the finer the micro-saw, the longer the knife will stay sharp. Which is what we need.
That's all physics ... And now it's time to move on to practice.
Practice
Theory is good, but you need to practice as much as possible, then your hands will remember and the whole process will settle down in your head.
The most important thing in sharpening is correct retention of the angle. This takes practice. The more you practice, the better you get. Well, as in any business that requires skill and patience. I dare to assure you that the first time you will not be able to sharpen the knife. But with due diligence ... you get the idea.
Tool
So, for sharpening you need a sharpening stone, a little of any machine oil and a knife, which we will sharpen.
Grindstone
At any hardware store, buy a plain bar. It comes in the shape of a boat, but it is better to buy a double-sided and longer one. When you start to succeed, you will acquire something more solid. Diamond bars, for example ...
The bar should not be shorter than 150 millimeters. Why so, you can be convinced just by trying to sharpen on bars of different lengths. The longer the block, the more convenient it is to sharpen.
Oil
We need machine or gun oil. Oil is needed to lubricate the bar during the sharpening process, so that the bar is not clogged with metal particles.
In no case should you use organic oil such as sunflower oil. The bar will instantly become greasy and can be thrown away.
For the first time, do not take a new knife or one that you use constantly. Find a knife you don't mind ruining. And train on this. My experimenting knife was this old, old kitchenette.
Well, there is a tool, let's start sharpening.
Sharpening process
We sit down comfortably. We put the block on the table in front of us, with the short side facing us. You can put something like rubber mat or newspaper so that he does not crawl on the table when sharpening.
We take a knife and start sharpening it.
The sharpening process takes place on whetstones of different grain sizes. From large to small. The coarser the grain, the faster metal is removed from the blade. And the smaller the grain, the finer we get a micro-saw on the cutting edge, and the finer the micro-saw on the RK, the longer the knife will stay sharp.
Since we sharpen a kitchen knife, we do not need a razor sharpness, it is enough for the knife to cut food well. I will talk about checking the sharpening result below. And now I will repeat myself.
The bar lies on the table, with the short side facing you and the large grain facing up. Easily and naturally, without much pressure, we begin to form the cutting edge. Pre-dripping a few drops of oil on the bar.
Moving away from you, shown in the picture below.
Please note that the movement of the knife on the stone should be clear and consistent. From the mouth to the tip.
They brought it to the edge, tore it off again. Repeating this movement many times, we achieve the formation of a burr on the back of the blade, along the entire length of the cutting edge.
Many times - I “bent” it a little, of course. Kitchen knives, if they are not "Japanese", are made of fairly soft steel, it will be enough to make 40-50 movements to get the desired result. Do not forget to add a few drops of oil as the bar gets dirty.
The burr can be seen or felt. Slide your finger across the cutting edge, feel that your finger is clinging to something. A certain roughness is felt. This is the burr, which should be uniform along the entire length of the cutting edge.
Well, we're done with one side. Now you need to perform the same actions on the other side.
You can sharpen the other side by holding the knife by the handle with your left hand, but for example, it's not convenient for me, because I keep the knife in right hand, but I do not sharpen from myself, but to myself.
We carry out the procedure for obtaining a burr along the entire length of the cutting edge on the other side of the knife.
Now you can go to the shallower side of the grindstone. On the shallow side of the bar, you need to repeat all of the above.
That's the whole sharpening process. It seems to be not difficult, but it requires certain skills and a lot of patience.
Sharpening angle control
It is very difficult to hold the knife in the right position. After all, the most important thing is to keep it at a certain angle during the entire sharpening process. And if on the one hand it is even more or less convenient, then on the opposite side it is quite difficult to get to the right corner.
You can use the "crutch method". That is, some improvised devices or techniques.
Crutch first
A simple stationery clip is used. We put it on the blade and get an approximate angle of 20-25 degrees (meaning half of the total sharpening angle).
Instead of a clamp, you can make small templates at the desired angles, for example, from wood.
Second crutch
This is not an adaptation, but a technique. Take a simple permanent marker and paint over the carts. When sharpening, the paint will be erased at the points of contact between the carts and the sharpening stone, which will allow you to see what needs to be done - raise the butt or lower it.
Crutch third
A technique for experienced grinders, but the most effective one.
The correctness of the angle is determined by the highlights on the leads. When illuminating the sharpened side at a certain angle, glare appears on the leads. These highlights clearly show where the corner is filled up.
I can't show you a picture, it's rather difficult to photograph it, and you can't explain it with words. This is a must see ...
There are several more devices and techniques, but I will talk about them in another article. After all, we still need to check what happened. How good, after all the efforts, we sharpened the knife.
Pungency check
A well-sharpened knife should easily shave off forearm hair.
After sharpening the next knife, from wrist to elbow, not a single hair remains, and only on my left hand. Looks cool - one hand is hairy, and the other is carefully shaved)))
The poems are taken from an excellent public brutalica.ru
The knife should shave off the hair, and what is called, "with a rebound." That is, without pressure and at the slightest touch.
But in fact, such a sharpness is not needed.
Especially women will swear. After all, they cook delicious meals with a knife. And with such a sharpness, you can cut yourself like hello. And you will not feel anything, you will notice only when the blood flows. Checked on myself.
Therefore, a well-sharpened kitchen knife should easily cut a soft, fresh loaf of bread, shred tomatoes for salad (just not shop balls from abroad, but such good juicy tomatoes with thin skin, you can find them on the market with grannies) and easily deal with cling film, stretch film is also called (if the knife is dull, it is easier to tear this stretch film with your hands than to cut it).
Does the knife pass all three tests, or at least one of them? Congratulations! You have managed to sharpen the knife properly. If not, you will have to work harder ...
Conclusion
What can I say. When sharpening, you need to develop certain skills. This is not a bicycle where I learned once and remembered for my whole life. This requires constant training so that the hands remember the position of the knife and the angle of its inclination.
In general, sharpening a knife - good method relaxation and distraction. Hands are busy, and the head turns off. You sit ... shirk ... shirk ... shirk ..., turned it over ... and again - shirk ... shirk ... shirk ... The most important thing is that the wife does not need a sharpened knife at this moment ... to chop up the salad :-)
So, I advise you to sharpen (sharpening, there is also such a thing as “editing a knife”, this is a little different) to approach thoroughly, and not from a running start.
In this funny picture, let me take my leave until the next article ...
Always available in a modern home kitchen a large number of all kinds of supplies and accessories that help in the household and ease the worries of the hostess. One of the most ancient kitchen attributes can be safely called a knife; its prototypes were used by people in the most ancient times. The knife performed various functions and even then a person understood the necessity and irreplaceability of this attribute in his daily life.
Over time, the shape and purpose of the knives have been transformed, the methods and materials of manufacture have improved. They began to be distinguished by their use, and now there is a wide variety of specific knives for various purposes, but they are most widespread in use in the kitchen.
It is impossible to imagine cooking without using a knife and how unpleasant it can be when at the most inopportune moment it turns out to be dull. In order to return the sharpness of the blade to the knife, it is necessary to sharpen it. For all the seeming simplicity of this process, there are a number of rules, the observance of which will make the blade sharp, and not spoil it. A sharp kitchen knife is the key to the convenience and safety of the cook. When cutting, microscopic particles are torn off the surface of the blade, due to the mechanical effect of the friction force between the surfaces of the knife and the product. Any steel knife, even made of the highest quality steel, gradually wears out and dulls over time. The speed at which the blade becomes dull depends on the quality of the steel and its processing. Modern kitchen utensils have knives in their arsenal that do not require sharpening, and such a procedure can only ruin them or render them completely unusable. There are models that, thanks to modern technology, do not need sharpening, since their cutting edge is covered with a special layer that has a solid metal base. This layer provides a self-sharpening effect and increases the wear resistance of the cutting part of the knife. When sharpening, this coating wears away and the blade loses its excellent qualities. The only drawback of such knives is fragility; when dropped from a height or bent, they break. The use of zirconium oxide gives ceramic knives some flexibility, but they cannot be called absolutely reliable. The quality and hardness of the blade affects the sharpening angle, and the purpose of the knife depends on its value, that is, the ease of use for certain work with various materials. In order to properly and efficiently sharpen a dull blade, you need to be patient, with special equipment and knowledge of how to sharpen a knife correctly. For home sharpening of knives, both long-known old-fashioned methods are used, as well as new recently appeared tools that facilitate this process: Each device performs its inherent functions. Some are capable of making a severely dull blade very sharp. Their use affects the period during which the knife will retain good sharpening quality. Others are able to bring the sharpness of the blade to the absolute value, quickly and efficiently. When choosing a sharpening tool, you need to decide on the properties of each, ease of use and acquire the necessary skills to work with them, and only then decide which one is better to acquire for home use. Musat is called a rod with a handle, which serves to align the already sharpened knife blade and give it absolute sharpness. According to the material of manufacture, musats are divided into metal, diamond and ceramic. Metal ones have characteristic frequent notches, friction against which aligns the blade. Diamond and ceramic have a finer structure and can be used to trim and polish the surface and edge of a knife. Musat shape can be round or faceted. The sharpening result does not depend on the shape and only affects the usability. For home use, the length of the product is 20-25 cm. The force should be low and should be distributed evenly over the entire surface of the blade. Regular use of musata keeps the knives perfectly sharp. The most widespread use of sharpening stones for sharpening knives. It is a well-known method for complete sharpening, from setting the sharpening angle to grinding. For manufacturing, natural and artificial materials are used, with an abrasive surface having various grain sizes. Artificial stones are made with different spraying: ceramic, aluminum or diamond. The abrasive surface of the whetstone is strewn with fine, sharp grains that are tightly bound together. During the sharpening process, the sharp corners of the grains erase small particles of metal, sharpening the point. The stone, which must be moistened with water, must be immersed in water for a few minutes before starting work so that it is saturated with it. The need for preliminary preparation of the stone for work is written in the attached instructions; some modern sharpening stones do not require additional preparation. The versatile appearance of mechanical knife sharpeners is united by their common functionality. Several sharpening discs are placed in a plastic case with a comfortable handle. Sharpeners can have one or more holes for sharpening and dressing the blade. Usually a mechanical sharpener is used for kitchen knives, so the sharpening angle fixed in its design is optimal for the kitchen. A sharpening set serves as a special device for the correct sharpening of knives. It consists of a base on which a clamp for the knife blade and holes for the guides are located, to which the sharpening stones are attached. The blade is fixed in the clamp with the cutting surface forward. Depending on the required sharpening angle, a hole is installed and a sharpening bar guide is inserted into it. The movements running on the blade are carried out several times from the handle to the edge of the knife. Having changed the position, they also sharpen the blade on the other side. A set usually includes several bars with different grain sizes, so you can sharpen and finalize the blade. When sharpening, the knife must be held perpendicular to the surface of the holder, this will provide the required sharpening angle. Carrying out a knife from the handle to the edge along the ceramic rod, its edge is sharpened. The use of rods with different grain sizes makes it possible to sharpen the blade well and correctly. 
Using a blunt tool requires much more effort, and the quality of the resulting cut is significantly inferior to the result obtained when using a sharp product. A dull blade does not cut the product, but tears it with its uneven surface.
A knife with a dull blade slips off much more often when cutting and this not only makes the result ugly, but can injure the cook's hands. Therefore, keeping knives sharpened is a guarantee of high-quality, fast cutting and personal safety. In order for the products to serve for a long time and successfully, you need to know how to sharpen knives correctly.
Periodically, you should refurbish the sharpness of the blade using special devices that make light straightening. After several such procedures, you will have to seriously sharpen the blade, and this requires diligence, time, special tools and possession of some skills.Sharpening - not sharpening?
Thanks to modern machines capable of complex laser sharpening, it became possible to produce knives with a cutting edge having a complex gear structure. These products are convenient and practical to use, but it is not possible to sharpen them at home. Such products have high strength and protection against deformation, but the serrated edge is not suitable for all products.
Recently introduced ceramic knives quickly gained popularity and took their rightful place among kitchen utensils. In the manufacture, special machines are used to sharpen them. They have a hard, durable ceramic blade that retains good cutting properties for a long time and does not oxidize when in contact with food. Such a knife remains sharp for a long time and when it becomes necessary to sharpen it, it is better to contact a specialized workshop. At home, you will need a grinding machine with a special diamond wheel and the ability to handle such fragile material as ceramics.Angle of the sharpened blade
You can determine the sharpening angle yourself. To do this, you will need scissors, between the open blades of which you need to insert a blade so that the tip fits snugly without leaving gaps. By measuring, the angle between the blades of the scissors determines the sharpening angle of the knife. Razors and scalpels are very sharp and have a sharpening angle of 10 to 17 degrees. For everyday kitchen work, knives with a cutting edge angle of 20 to 25 degrees are used. This sharpening is convenient for processing the main part of the product. Hunting and camping knives designed for rough processing of difficult-to-cut materials are sharpened at an angle of 25-30 degrees. They also sharpen the blades on kitchen cleavers and hatchets, designed for chopping and cutting large pieces of meat and bones. For heavy work on cutting cardboard, hose or carpets, knives with a sharpening angle of 30-40 degrees are used.
The smaller the angle of the blade, the sharper it is. With an increase in the angle, sharpness is lost, but the cutting qualities of the tool remain for a longer time.Tools and fixtures
Musat
During operation, the cutting edge of the knife undergoes deformation, in order to give it its original even appearance, alignment is necessary. Musat will do an excellent job with such a task. There are basic rules to follow when using musata. Holding the handle, you need to rest the sharp end on the table, setting the device vertically. The knife blade, looking down, near the handle is applied to the base of the musat, at an angle of about 20-25 degrees. Moving, with a hand with a knife, down and towards yourself, they pass the entire surface of the knife from one side. The movement begins from the handle of the knife and ends at the tip, describing an arc. The next movement is done in the same way, but on the other side of the blade. The procedure is repeated alternately on each side of the knife several times.
Musat is suitable for daily blade sharpening, which is why many of today's knife sets come with this handy tool. The surface of the device is magnetized, therefore the worn-off particles stick to the rod, leaving the knife clean after leveling. Musat is not suitable for sharpening a dull blade and adjusting the sharpened angle; it is used only for fine-tuning the sharpness.Sharpening stones
The grain size of the stone indicates the number of grains on a certain surface area, the lower this indicator, the larger the grain of the grind. Such stones are used for initial work, which requires grinding off large particles of the blade. Grinding and imparting the necessary sharpness is carried out with fine-grained grinding stones with a high grain size.
Sharpening stones are distinguished between water and oil, according to the method of processing its surface. Before starting work, the surface of the grindstone must be moistened with water or applied with a special oil. Such a procedure will not allow fine sawdust to clog the surface of the abrasive, making it glossy and reducing the quality. The set for sharpening knives includes oil specially designed for processing stone surfaces. You cannot use ordinary sunflower or machine oil, it is extremely difficult to wash the surface of a knife and stone after using them.
For perfect knife sharpening, the blade must be processed with several bars, with different grain sizes. They start with a coarse-grained stone, it must be securely fixed on the table so that it does not move during operation. The knife blade near the handle is placed on the stone at the required angle. Controlling the level of inclination with one hand, and with the other, pressing the knife to the sharpening stone, holding the handle, they make a smooth movement along the stone, with a shift towards the edge. At the bend of the blade, slightly raise the handle, this will ensure uniform sharpening of the cutting edge. This movement must be repeated several times, leading the knife in one direction. After a while, the knife is turned over and sharpening is carried out from the second side and in the opposite direction. For correct sharpening, the movements must be with the cutting edge forward.
In the process of work, burrs form on the tip, they cannot be broken off; to remove them, you need to go to a finer sharpening. For this, a stone with a medium-grained surface is used, which will remove burrs and make the surface of the blade smooth and sharp. Finishing is carried out on a fine-grained stone, this will grind the blade, make the edge smoother and increase the service life.
The same effect can be achieved by using sandpaper for work, with varying degrees of grain. The paper must be firmly fixed and carry out the same manipulations as when working with a stone.
At the end of the work, the sharpening stones must be rinsed under running water to remove metal shavings clogged in the pores of the abrasive material.
The video details and shows the sharpening of knives at home, using sharpening stones:Mechanical sharpener
It is a simple, convenient and safe tool to use. The knife must be immersed in the cell on the body and held with effort from the handle to the point, between the grinding discs. If necessary, the operation is repeated several times. Caring for a mechanical sharpener is simple, just rinse it under running water and dry, it is ready for use again.
Another type of knife sharpening kit consists of a holder and a set of rods, with different grain sizes. Special holes are made on the holder, rods inserted into them are fixed at a certain angle.
The design of such devices is quite simple, so home-grown inventors often, from scrap materials, create a machine for sharpening knives with their own hands.