Use diamond knife sharpening tools to sharpen your knives.
Diamonds are one of the hardest materials known to man. While it used to be that the task of sharpening a very dull knife was an ordeal that would take an enormous amount of time, many products are currently on the market which employ diamond abrasives that shorten the process considerably. Does this Spark an idea?
Flat Diamond Hones
Flat diamond hones, modeled after traditional sharpening stones, are sold by a number of manufacturers, most notably, DMT. These hones consist of a flat surface of a soft metal, like nickel, which has been impregnated with diamond bits. They are used in exactly the same way as old-fashioned stones of past days, except for the fact that the abrasive is much more aggressive and works much more quickly.
Customers who buy these stones are often disappointed that their coarseness and ability to cut seems to go away a bit shortly after they start using them. In reality, these products are experiencing a breaking-in period. When the products are made, there are a lot of bits of diamond abrasive which are only loosely adhered to the surface and come off very quickly. The manufacturer understands this, and these loose bits are not calculated into the advertised coarseness or grit number.
Don't apply too much pressure when using these hones or the diamonds will work their way loose from the metal they're embedded in, and they will wear out.
Diamond Rods
Diamond rods are a more modern sharpening alternative. Diamond rods come as a kit which opens to form a base to hold the rods during use. This base contains holes which allow the user to arrange the rods pointing upwards at an angle for knife sharpening. Simply draw the knife down the rod while holding the knife vertically to quickly achieve a sharp edge at the correct angle.
The best sets provide a variety of holes for a variety of angles depending on the type of knife or intended use.
One other type of diamond rod is used like a kitchen steel except it has diamond abrasive on its surface. It is intended as a cross between a kitchen steel and a sharpening devise. It is used to touch up knives that have become only a little dull or to maintain an edge during extended periods of work.
Portable Devices
Diamond sharpening devices also come in small, portable, pocket-size units which you can take into the field on a camping trip or toss into a suitcase or backpack without taking up too much space or adding too much weight.
These portable sharpeners are either rods or flat hones. Some are small enough place on a keychain; others come with small cases which allow you to put them in your pocket.
The most common are made by DMT and have a butterfly-knife like design in which the stone is contained within two hinged pieces which unfold to form a handle.
Because diamond stones wear out, try not to use one of these small portable devises for anything other than to touch up a slightly dulled edge. If one is employed in an attempt to sharpen a very dull knife, the hone will surely wear out before the project is complete.
Tags: diamond abrasive, dull knife, kitchen steel, knife sharpening, much more, small portable, very dull
