If you have complete knowledge of knife sharpening, it can extend the lifespan of knives; spend little time on sharpening of knives; keep knives sharp for long time and it will make cooking in happiness.

　

Main function of  knife sharpeners which are circulated on the market is not for sharpening  knives. It’s for regaining the sharpness of the blades. It means “trimming the blades of the knife” in the profession. Most of the users don’t understand what means”trimming the blades” , however we still use the word “sharpener” to describe this product so the users can easily relate it to this name.

 

If it is based on the production technique and material, unless it is low end price & quality ,  it’s very difficult to blunt the blades of the well-known brands. Generally, there are three steps when go from being sharp to be blunt : the blades movedàthe blades are worn awayàthe blades are damaged on  the sharpest part. It is progressive.  Normally the knives get blunt step by step, unless you use the knife to cut (bone), or the blades are dropped (fallen down on the floor) or the blades are rusted (long time no use and neglect to take care).

 

We will use different sharpening tools and methods to sharpen knives in different steps. For example, the grits of the sharpener should be fine if the blades moved and need to be arranged in series. If the blades are worn off and need to clean the blades, you need to put the sharpeners on top of the table and sharpen the knives at an ideal angel and use more force. If you do steps 1 & 2 alternately and can’t sharpen the blades , it means that the blades are damaged and need to be re-sharpener.   

 

The whetstone which need to be soaked in water is the unique sharpening tool which can really sharpen the knives and doesn’t damage the blades. Why does it need to be soaked in water? Two reasons: One is for lowering down the temperature and one is for lubricating.

 

For lowering down the temperature, maybe some people don't know that the blade will be ground anew
when sharpening, so it is necessary to use more force for creating a new blade angle. Grinding will increase the  temperature when chafe the steels. If you use sharpening tools such as sharpening machine or some kind of whetstone which is not necessary to be soaked in water, the hardness of the blades will be decreased.  
Based on the production technique & hardness ,  the harder the blade, the higher the quality of the knife. Knife will lose its sharpness and durability with a decrease in temperature during production, if the high temperature change the hardness. The only way to regain the sharpness of the blades is to grind the steel which was weak.

 

For lubricating, except hardness, the smoothness of the blades is another main factor which will effect the use of knife. For a professional chef who sharpens the knives, the final purpose is to sharpen the blades in a smooth manner so it will looks like a mirror. When the quality of the sharpener is better, the technique of sharpening is greater. As mentioned above, water is the only way to lubricate the whetstone and make the blades look like a mirror.    

 

It’s very troublesome to use whetstone. It must be soaked in water first and it’s necessary to be well-experienced and know how to sharpen the knives in the correct direction, angle and power. If the steps are incorrect, the knife will be much blunter and harder to be used. The whetstone is really sharpened blades of the knife and the blades will be worn away. The lifespan will be shortened if you use the whetstone to sharpen the knife. For example, if you sharpen the knives on the whetstone often, the lifespan will be shortened from 5 years to two years or less. So, we shouldn’t use the whetstone to sharpen a good knife often. Unless it is blunt.

 

As mentioned above, you can find that when a knife is not sharp, it is not because that it is in blunt but blades moved or were worn away. Now, it’s necessary to find the main function and convenience of knife sharpeners.

 

A good quality of  knife sharpeners are:  convenience, environmental friendly, no damage to blades, convenient for storage, simple for carrying & durable. If you find that the knife is not sharp, you will need to re-arrange the blades in series as mentioned above. Now, it’s the best time to use the sharpeners which are produced by CHUAN CHEUNG.  There are two main points, whether you sharpen the knife on sharpeners or sharpen the sharpener on the knife, the angle and the power. Mostly, the angel of the blades is between 20-50 degree (a few are between 15-30 degree).

 

As mentioned to the special characteristics for every knife : it’s more suitable for slicing if the angle of the blade is smaller; it’s more suitable for cutting & cleaving if the angle of the blade is bigger. Please choose the angle of sharpening according to the characteristics of the knife for your need. The main purpose of the knife sharpener is to reshape the knife. If you don’t choose the correct angle, basically, you can also re-gain the sharpness of the knife. If you want to shave the blades,  the same method and harder power. The best direction for sharpening is to sharp the knife from the back to the blade. It will not damage the blades because of correct direction and will be much efficient for sharpening. Half the work with double the result, if you know correct angle ,direction and power.

     

If you use the whetstone and sharpener alternated at right time, it will increase the convenience of sharpening knife rapidly and extend the lifespan of the knife in doubles. You will be happy and enjoy cooking if knives are sharp at all times.