The peculiarity of the
ceramic knives The main feature of the ceramic knives is that they do not dull for a very long time and do not rust. However, they must be handled with care. The ceramic blade is quite fragile, and if you break it, then it will not be restored. For this reason, it is forbidden to try to cut them with bones, heavily frozen meat, ice, and the like. Bending the blade can not be, because it does not withstand bends and breaks, it is also impossible to shred products on glass boards and open canned food in cans.
Depending on how often you will use a ceramic knife, you need to sharpen it only 1-2 times a year. With very careful handling, you can do without sharpening a couple of years, but then the blade will still become worse cut, and it will need to be sharpened.
Famous manufacturers of cutting tools made from zirconia ceramics offer services such as dressing and sharpening, but not everyone can afford to contact a specialized service center. Often broken knives for some time lying in the drawer for cutlery. They are even sometimes used, but then they are sent to the dustbin. Life can be prolonged with a knife if you try to sharpen it at home. There are several ways to do this.
How to sharpen
To sharpen an object, you need a material that will be harder or at least the same in hardness. Finding a material harder than zirconia is quite difficult. The most suitable tools are diamond coated. You can use:
- specialized sharpeners for ceramics;
- electric emery;
- diamond paste.
Paying attention to the problem of sharpening, the Japanese company Kyocera released mechanical and electric sharpeners. This company initially specialized in the manufacture of fine ceramics, so it knows all the nuances associated with its use and maintenance. Although the cost of sharpeners is quite high, if you like ceramic knives and give them preference over all others, such a sharpener should be purchased.
There are other, mostly Japanese, American and Chinese, manufacturers of sharpeners. If you choose them, always pay attention to what thickness of the blade the devices are designed for, what type of knives they can sharpen and at what angle. Some models of sharpening can even straighten small chips. Manual sharpeners are less expensive, but in order to use them you need to have experience with sharpening and certain skills.
In addition to special sharpeners, you can use electric emery to sharpen a ceramic knife at home. Be sure to install abrasive wheels with diamond-coated. The grain size should be 40 microns or less. Abrasive paste must be 5 microns or less.
How to sharpen
The easiest way to use a special electric sharpener at home. All you need to do is to install the blade inside the fixture and fix it at the desired angle. In some models, the blade is not fixed, but periodically held them in the groove of the device. Everyone who ever sharpened ordinary knives will be able to work with a manual sharpener. The process is simple, but will require more time.
If you sharpen on an electric machine, then set a low speed, minimum beating and accurately observe the angle. The sharpening angle should be observed as precisely as possible, the edge should be slightly rounded, the blade should not be strongly pressed against the circle during operation.
To sharpen a knife with a paste, it needs to be applied to a wooden plate and hand sharpened. It takes quite a lot of time, as a result, the edge is sharpened, but not very well.
I would like to note once again that you need to carefully handle the ceramic knife, use it for its intended purpose, and then it will serve for several years. If he blunted you, and there is no special sharpener on hand, then it is better to contact a person who knows how to sharpen knives and does it all the time. Without the proper experience, it is quite difficult to perform the grinding, even with diamond tools.
