Whetstone

A whetstone is a stone used to sharpen knives. Any sandstone can be used for sharpening - gray clayey sandstone is probably best. Quartz is also good, but hard to come by. Granite is also available. The key is that the sharpened blade must be sharp and durable, and not prone to chipping. Introduction Sandstone: It is a kind of sedimentary rock. It is made of stone particles that have been eroded by water and deposited on the river bed. They have become solid after thousands of years of accumulation. Later, due to the earth's orogeny, today's mine was formed. Main ingredients: quartz, clay, calcium, iron, minerals, and other substances. Sandstone is a matte stone that does not produce light pollution caused by light reflection and is a natural anti-slip material. Marble and granite are smooth stones. Only light can show the decorative effect, and they are prone to light pollution. Sandstone is a zero-radioactive stone. Whetstone Whetstone is a relatively fine grinding stone and has different particle sizes. The whetstones in western Hubei are divided into three types: coarse, fine and whetstone. Coarse grinding stones are rough and "eat" iron quickly, so farmers use them to grind blunt and chipped household items. There are several types of sharpening stones in Cuiweishan, including shale, siltstone, sandstone, etc., all of which contain a lot of clay and can sharpen various cutting tools such as kitchen knives, scissors, machetes, guillotines, razors, axes, etc. . use When sharpening the knife, hold the handle of the knife firmly with your right hand, gently press the knife surface with the fingers of your left hand, and move it in a clockwise direction. The surface of the whetstone should be kept moist. The blade surface and the surface of the whetstone should maintain a stable angle. The stone chips on the blade surface will remind you of the corresponding angle. Do not apply force with the fingers of your left hand when the blade is pulled back, as this may easily cause backlash. Gradual pressure reduction when sharpening your knife will result in a finely sharp edge. The other side should also be ground back and forth in a clockwise direction. ① First select the whetstone. Choose different whetstones according to different types of tool functions or the degree of repair required: Bone knife sharpening Since the cutting edge of the bone knife is thick, you can follow the following three steps when sharpening: (1) Coarse grinding (approximately 120# whetstone), commonly known as "raising the edge" (2) Medium grinding (approximately 180# whetstone) (3) Fine grinding (natural powder stone), commonly known as "removing the edge" Chopping knife sharpening (1) Medium grinding (2) Fine grinding Blade grinding Because the cutting edge is thin, it can be sharpened with a medium whetstone. For general sharpening, use a powder stone. ② Use different angles for regrinding according to the functional category requirements of the tool. Under normal circumstances, the angle between the chopping knife and the meat slicer knife is 15 to 20 degrees (that is, the angle between the contact surface between the back of the knife and the knife stone is about the height of one finger), and the regrinding angle for the bone chopping knife is 25 to 30 degrees (that is, the angle between the back of the knife and the knife stone) The angle between the contact surface with the knife stone is about the height of one and a half fingers); the special strange knife will be sharpened at a 10-degree angle on the left side. ③ Pay attention to the gestures and methods of sharpening the knife: Hold the knife handle firmly with your right hand, press the knife surface with your left hand, hold the knife body tightly, put your fingers close to the back of the knife, press down slightly, keep the same angle, put it flat and push forward (front section) , pull it and then push forward (middle section), pull it back and then push it forward (rear section), use the force evenly divided into three sections: front, middle and back for repeated grinding. Remember, each time in front, middle and back The same angle must be maintained for each section of regrinding. During the re-sharpening process, you will hear the sound of the whetstone rubbing against the blade. If the sound is clear and clear, it means that the blunt edge of the knife has been sharpened (because the dull edge rubs against the whetstone. The sound is quite messy) but remember, never place the kitchen knife flat on the whetstone (except for strange knives made with special craftsmanship). This will not sharpen the knife quickly. Knife sharpening tips Soak a dull kitchen knife in salt water for 20 minutes, then sharpen it, pouring salt water on it while sharpening. This will not only make it easier to sharpen, but also extend the service life of the kitchen knife. Taking a kitchen knife as an example, for the convenience of description, we define the two sides of the blade: after holding the knife, the side that the thumb touches is the inner blade surface, and the other side is the outer blade surface. 1. Preparation before sharpening: 1.1. First observe the blade: point the blade towards the eye, so that the blade surface and the line of sight form an angle of ≈30°. You'll see an arc on the blade - a white line on the blade that indicates the knife is dull. 1.2. Prepare a sharpening stone: Be sure to prepare a fine sharpening stone. If the blade line is thicker, prepare a rough whetstone for quick sharpening. If there is no fixed sharpening stand, you can find a thick cloth (towel type) to place under the whetstone. Pour some water on the whetstone. 2. Start sharpening the knife (taking the thicker blade line as an example): 2.1. Grind the inner blade surface first. Make the kitchen knife and whetstone at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees (the height of one finger). When sharpening the knife back and forth, keep this angle basically unchanged. After grinding for several dozen times, observe the blade according to the method in 1.1 until the blade line is very small. If you continue to sharpen the knife, the edge will curl and the edge line will become wider. 2.2. Grind the outer edge surface again. Make the angle between the kitchen knife and the whetstone 15~20° (the outer blade surface ensures that the cut vegetables can be smoothly separated from the kitchen knife, but it should not be too large). When sharpening the knife back and forth, keep this angle basically unchanged. After grinding for several dozen times, observe the blade according to the method in 1.1 until the blade line is very small. If you continue to sharpen the knife, the edge will curl and the edge line will become wider. 2.3, fine grinding. Replace with a fine whetstone. Sharpen the knife according to steps 2.1 and 2.2. Grind until the following results: A No rough grinding marks can be seen on the blade surface. The blade surface is bright. B. Touch the blade along the blade surface with your hand. The blade should not be curled (not curled). C Observe the blade according to the method in 1.1 until the blade line is very small and the blade is almost invisible. At this point, a kitchen knife is sharpened. The size of the blade angle depends on your cutting experience. I can only provide a range of blade angles. Generally speaking, it is best for the inner blade of the kitchen knife used for slicing to be as flat as possible.