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You know you can sharpen various knives with the proper apparatus, and some blades are more difficult to sharpen than others. However, there is not a lot of information around on how to sharpen ceramic knives. You may not think that ceramic knives require sharpening since they are naturally razor sharp. However, they do the same way as any other knife, whether it is a serrated knife, a steel knife, and so on.
Sharpening a ceramic knife is tricky; however, you can do it if you follow the proper instructions on how to do so. Therefore, the topic today is how to sharpen a ceramic knife. Let’s firstly talk about why sharpening a ceramic knife is challenging.
Why Is Sharpening A Ceramic Knife Challenging?
When you think of ceramic knives, the first thing that would come to your mind is that there is no possible way they could be sharp. However, the ceramic used in these knives are not the same type of ceramic you associate with your bathroom or kitchen tiles. Ceramic blades are zirconium dioxide which explains why they are razor sharp. These knives are so easy to hold that they almost feel weightless. However, the biggest challenge for using, let alone sharpening these knives, is that they are incredibly brittle.
That means when you sharpen a ceramic knife, you must never put any significant pressure on it, or else it will break. If you put pressure on the glass, that will break too. Therefore, you can easily compare the two. You have to remember when you sharpen ceramic, you cannot expect the formation of a burr considering the material is not ductile. Therefore, the sharpness of the blade entirely depends on your movements as you do the sharpening job in addition to the final edge grit.
Remember to be very careful when you sharpen this knife as you do not want to use one hand as you could apply too much pressure on it. Now, let’s go into the nitty-gritty of how to sharpen a ceramic knife. Let’s firstly touch on the best tools you can use when sharpening the ceramic knife.
The Tools You Can Use To Sharpen The Ceramic Knife
Many people sharpen their knives with traditional Waterstones, and they can work for ceramic knives. However, the ideal tool to use is the diamond stone. The best starting point for using the diamond stone to sharpen your ceramic knife is the 200 grit option. Once you become more comfortable doing that, you can use 600, 1,000, and finally, move towards 1,500.
The reason diamond stones are the ideal ones for sharpening your ceramic knife is that they are rock-hard. Therefore, they don’t require a lot of work when it comes to removing any material. The diamond stones will help you efficiently sharpen the edge fast and effortlessly. That will also reduce the temptation to apply additional pressure as you sharpen the blade – as you know will cause it to snap. Now, let’s talk more about what you can do to prevent the fragile edge from cracking as you hone it.
How Can You Prevent The Ceramic Blade From Breaking?
You must not sharpen the ceramic blade with one hand as you will quickly end up adding too much pressure to it as it will cause it to break. The critical thing to do is to use both hands when you sharpen the blade. Apply gentle force with your fingers while keeping the edge supported and positioning it the right way for sharpening. Ensure that you stay still as you sharpen it, too, because if you don’t, you will unintentionally apply pressure which will cause it to break.
If you keep the blade supported and use both hands to sharpen it by using a gentle force, you will not break the edge. You also will not have the urge to apply too much pressure when you hold it with both of your hands. That is because you will feel as if you are in control.
The direction of how you position your hands as you sharpen the knife does not matter. You can use them in a downward or upward motion. You can go only up and only down, as well as up and down smoothly. That is as long as you keep your hands steady as you sharpen them. Your blade will become sharp regardless of the direction you use for sharpening.
Ceramic knives remain sharp for a long time as they have long retention after you sharpen them. However, you know that it is crucial to carefully sharpen them with the recommended tool, the diamond stone. That means you want to do what you can to care for your knife and learn about proper maintenance. Let’s go over that now.
How To Care And Maintain Your Ceramic Knife
Proper maintenance of your ceramic knife will keep it from breaking, and it will also reduce the number of times required for sharpening them. The most important thing to remember is that you must hand wash them immediately after using the knife. Never throw them into the sink. That can cause the blade to chip at the very least.
You also do not want to use a glass cutting board when using the ceramic knife. If you do that, it will cause the blade to chip. Only use thewooden or plastic cutting board instead. The only foods to cut with a ceramic knife must be soft and thin. Never use this knife to cut through frozen, thick, or hard foods.
Finally, you want to keep your knives in a protective sleeve individually as you do not want to store them with other utensils. As long as you care for your ceramic knives, they will last you a long time.
Conclusion
Ceramic knives are brittle but very sharp, and you may think that sharpening them is not necessary. However, you need to sharpen every blade, and that includes ceramic knives‘. The idea of doing that job is daunting, which is why you may prefer to hire a professional to sharpen these brittle knives. However, you can sharpen these knives if you use the right sharpening tools and do so gently.
The best tool to use to hone these fragile blades is the diamond stone. You want to use both hands as you sharpen them, too, so you do not have the temptation to exert much force. If you sharpen these blades correctly, you can get the job done quickly, and once you get used to it, you’ll see it is not hard.