To sharpen a stainless steel knife, we need some ingredients considering the right process. But the problem is, we don’t know which materials are going to be perfect for sharpening. For this reason, I am going to show you some simple steps about how to sharpen a stainless steel knife.
Before we go through the steps, I will make you affiliated with some stainless steel knife sharpeners. Alongside, a complete discussion on stainless steel here will clear all your confusions regarding the process. After experimenting all these steps we are suggesting you to ensure a smooth sharpening process.
And if you want, you can use these steps at your home too as the appliances are not troublesome at all.
Now let us not beat around a bush anymore, go through the below abstract.
What’s the best steel for a knife?
All being well, carbon steel is the best steel for a knife. Furthermore, knives that made.for rough uses prefer carbon steel over any other steels. The reason why carbon steel is so superior is because of its durability, toughness, ease in usage, and so on. On the contrary, you will not find any difficulties to sharpen knives steel.
But the problem is, carbon steel lacks chromium content which remains adequate in stainless steel knife blades . Thus, corrosion may attack carbon steel equipment frequently.
How to sharpen stainless steel knives
One of the most common questions we get to hear is, how to sharpen stainless steel knife with simple steps. Alongside, there are many preferable steps that teach us to sharpen stainless steel. For sharpening stainless steel you will need some Japanese Water stones or go for a low-cost sharpening.
Japanese Water Stones
Japanese water stones are none other than abrasive blocks which require cutting lubricants. And for such lubricants, water stones use water to have a nice formation. Again, Japanese stones’ particles start to wear away after getting sharpened.
Suppose you want to sharpen a stainless steel, i.e. Western style kitchen knife. To do this process, you will have to soak your japanese water stone in water for some moments. After you are done with soaking, place your stone on a non-slip utility mat.
Do not forget to splash some water on your stone while working. Or you can use a small spray bottle which will be great for keeping the stone lubricated.
Eventually, you will see some stone particles with water in the mud. If you see so, let the mud build up by itself. Nonetheless, this stone will now work like a stainless knife sharpener.
Furthermore, your stone will start to work better than before.
How to sharpen stainless steel kitchen knives Japanese Water stone
Now, to sharpen your knife, hold it at an angle. Therefore, your knife’s bevel will come in complete contact with the stone. Next, draw your stainless steel knife straight along with its length. Then start working slowly on your knife from its tip and remember to pull your knife’s handle away from your water stone. Also, go with the centre of your centre to ensure a smooth sharpening.
One thing you must consider while sharpening with water stone is to put enough pressure on it which results in some white color at your fingernail’s end. Although this sharpening system looks more like a motion, it does the work more accurately.
How to sharpen stainless steel blade removing burr
First thing first, you will have to take your first stone to raise a burr. Afterwards, you can work with a finer stone in order to remove scratches from your knife. Now and then, a burr will start to form with two intersecting angles in a honing process. On the other hand, you will have to take help of a leather strop to remove burr from your knife.
Make sure your leather strop is made of softwood or rubberized cork which has a polishing compound on the surface.
Onwards, lay your knife where the strop’s face is located and again drop it backward with two to four passes on every level. Then try to hold your stainless steel knife to see if there is any bright thin line. Thus, you can know about the burr’s presence in your knife.
If needed, strop your stone repeatedly and rinse your knife with clean water. After wiping the knife, remember to wash the stones and other metal particles. That’s it.
How to sharpen stainless steel knife at home
Here, I am going to show you some traits that say how to sharpen a stainless steel knife. As a stainless steel sharpener, Japanese water stone always stands first. Other than that, diamond based stones and sandpaper work incredibly to bring out the best from a stainless steel knife blade. All things considered, the above steps also follow how to sharpen stainless steel blade at home.
So let us just have a look on some stainless steel knife sharpener
Diamond based stones
Diamond based stones are another fine substitute for sharpening stainless steel. Although using Diamond based stones seem quite expensive, they last longer than any cold steel knife sharpener. Well, a diamond based stone is more like a flat plate or blocks of a metal which is filled with diamond chips.
Most apparently, there are lots of diamond bases stone shapes. Yet, the flat thin plates with diamond chips are cheaper and cooperates specifically while sharpening a stainless steel knife
Sharpening stainless steel with diamond based stones
Make sure you have drenched your diamond stone. Even if you are using a dry diamond based stone, that will not hamper actually. Still, a wet stone is better for sharpening. Next, put your knife’s edge on your stone keeping an angle of 15 to 20 degree and start giving some gentle strokes. And when you are done with sharpening, check your knife by giving certain glides to your blade.
Sandpaper
Sandpapers are the most budget-friendly stainless steel knife sharpener
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. How do you sharpen a SS knife blade?
By accumulating some useful ingredients and proper steps, anyone can do stainless steel knife sharpening. Besides, some necessary strokes with a 600-grit stone will make your task easier. In times of proceeding with more grade, 800-grit to 1200-grit stones also perform amazingly.
And to give a nice finishing to your SS knife use 2000-grit to 4000-grit stones. Afterwards, hold your knife at a definite angle and keep doing strokes to make the edge sharp.
#2. Can stainless steel knife be sharpened?
For sharpening a stainless steel knife, you will need a 600-grit stone. By using this stone you can sharpen any dull stainless steel knife within a few strokes. If your one is a Western stainless steel knife, then 1200-grit, 2000-grit, or a 4000-grit stone will work amazing.
On the other hand, a Japanese stainless steel knife gets sharpened smoothly with a 400-grit stone or a 600-grit stone. While proceeding more, you can go for 800-grit to 1200-grit and lastly finish with a 6000-grit.
#3. Do stainless steel knives stay sharp?
Since stainless steel knives are a different face of alloy steel, they do remain sharp if you keep it sharp. Unless an object is not kept in proper care, they tend to get inferior over time. Simultaneously, a sharp knife is more prone to rusts as it keeps retaining its sharpness throughout.
#4. Why is it hard to sharpen stainless steel?
We know, standard Arkansas stones or Japanese waterstones play a great role in sharpening carbon steels effortlessly. While newer stainless steels do not hold the same case. The reason is, newer stainless steels contain high carbide which form allies, i.e. vanadium in their mixture. Because of having such a complicated fusion, stainless steel is hard to sharpen sometimes.
The steel that does a tremendous job for chef knives is carbon stainless steel. When choosing a chef’s knife of western style, we mostly recommend going for a high carbon steel stainless knife. Also, many manufacturers suggest high carbon steel since it holds good edge retention.
In addition, toughness and easy maintenance come as an essence in carbon stainless steel knives.
Conclusion
After recommending the best steps, I hope you can now sharpen your stainless steel knife without any hindrances. All the steps are totally safe and meet all confusions regarding how to sharpen a stainless steel knife.
Since there are lots of stones available for sharpening stainless steel, you can choose any one of them as per your convenience.
For instance, using Japanese water stones will be excellent for newbies especially. So if you are trying the process of sharpening steel for the first time, go with the Japanese water stone. Or else, you will better know which material will suit best for you by having a glance of their uses.
Let’s not make any late and try out the steps now.
Up next : Why Do Knives Rust ?
