Traditional Methods of Sharpen a Knife - Tristate Knife Grinding

Did you know dull knives are more dangerous to use, contrary to sharp ones?

Dull knives require more force to cut than sharp ones, which means you are more likely to lose your grip while using them. Master your knife sharpening skills to keep them blunt, and you can avoid a trip to the ER. Test its sharpness by cutting through a tomato or paper. For precise cutting through food and other stuff, always adhere to routine knife sharpening schedules.


If you are not confident to do it yourself, hire a qualified sharpening service for the job. The traditional knife sharpening methods deliver far better results than modern ones like electric and handheld sharpeners. Knowing about them can help you choose the best course for sharpening your knives.
 
Traditional Methods of Sharpening a Knife
 
● Grinding Wheel

Most traditional knifemakers have grinding wheels with a belt to sharpen knives. If you have strong knife sharpening skills, use a bench grinding wheel to sharpen your knives. Place your blade at a 45-degree angle while sharpening, and move naturally with the grinding wheel.

Always follow the natural curve of the blade and move it along the wheel in an even timed manner. Send the knives to a professional sharpening service if you lack accurate skills .Your wrong stokes can hamper the knife's shape and requiring re-shaping through professional sharpeners.

● Whetstones

Whetstone is not the fastest knife sharpening method, but it is the best to sharpen significantly dull knives. It is not necessary to use it each day but depending upon your knife usage, use it once every week or month.


Soak your whetstone for at least ten minutes in cold water, then place the flat side of your blade against it at about a 20-degree angle. Swipe across the stone gently, starting from the base of the blade to ending with the tip. Flip to the other side and repeat the action till you get a sharp knife.

● Stropping

Stropping is a knife sharpening method to make its edge razor sharp. It is less aggressive and removes microscopic level inconsistencies of the edge. Use a leather strop with some grinding compound on the leather. Apply 5 or 6 strokes on each side of the blade and re-align your knife's slightly rolled-over edge.

For intense stropping, you can add the extra grinding paste to the strop and do it for a longer duration. If your knife is already blunt, a routine stropping will sufficiently restore the cutting edge to its original level of sharpness.

Conclusion

Take care of your knives while storing, cleaning, and chopping food. Learn knife sharpening skills accurately before using any method. It is always best to delegate the task to a professional sharpening service if you have expensive knives.

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