Now there is an increased interest in knives, and industry and trade are experiencing a real "knife boom". As a result, sharpening bars for knives are no less interesting. Moreover, they have several types: they are manufactured and used in different ways. This article is intended to answer the most common questions about what sharpening bars are and how they differ.
Types of bars
Along with time-tested grinding stones, all kinds of artificial whetstones are now common. In general, they can be divided into four types: natural, diamond, ceramic and artificial. Let's consider each of them separately.
Natural knife sharpeners
The most famous natural stones are "Arkansas stone" (novaculite) and Japanese water stone. Both that and the other modern industry has learned to do artificially, so they can be called natural only with a certain stretch. However, evenmanufactured industrially, these bars are very expensive, and working with them requires special patience and skills. So, for example, a water stone should be soaked for a long time before work, and in the process of sharpening it should be constantly lubricated and washed off metal dust from the surface. In addition, these bars grind quickly and unevenly, and it is difficult to restore them. Meanwhile, they give the highest quality of sharpening and therefore are popular among professionals. A beginner should hardly buy or use such stones.
Diamond stones for sharpening knives
This is a very popular type of bar. They have a lot of advantages and practically no disadvantages. Available in a variety of sizes and grits, they are easy to find on the market. Diamond blades for sharpening knives are inexpensive, wear-resistant, and highly efficient. True, it should be borne in mind that the high efficiency of metal processing requires a certain amount of caution, since it is easy to spoil the edge of the blade with a diamond bar. Such a stone is probably the best choice for a novice master. Especially good results can be achieved by using a diamond stone together with a ceramic one (for finishing).
Ceramic knife sharpeners
Ceramic stones are the most modern type of sharpening stones in use today. They are made from a special ceramic powder and combine the advantages of natural and diamond stones. Their use allows you to achieve the same high quality sharpening as that of natural stones, but at the same time"ceramics" practically does not wear out and does not change shape.
However, ceramic bars have a serious drawback. Sharpening with their help is extremely slow and time consuming, and therefore they are used mainly for finishing after sharpening with other stones, such as diamond.
Abrasive artificial stones
This is usually aluminum oxide or various carbides in soft binders. These bars for sharpening knives have been known to everyone since Soviet times and need no introduction. They pick metal well, but wear out quickly and are not suitable for filigree sharpening, but they are extremely cheap and available.
