What type of sandpaper to use to sharpen knives and how to do it?

All tools, utensils and machines suffer normal wear and tear due to constant use. The same goes for himhe knives, these lose their sharpness according to the time of use, the materials they cut and the environment in which they are found.

Sharpen a knife It is a simple task, but it requires care and knowing how to choose what is going to be sharpened.

Use a sandpaper for to sharpen knives is the best option, since using tools like a file or a grinder possibly damage the knife or reduce its size, shortening its lifespan.

Abrade the cutting area with a tool maybe it will make the knife sharp, but its life time will be shortened or the blade will become weak because it is no longer its original size. On the other hand, when you select the right sandpaper it takes care of the work of discarding the edge wear and leaving it as good as new.

Also, you should know that not just any sandpaper is ideal for treating tool of this type if what you want is to provide adequate maintenance.

The best sandpaper for each knife

Using the wrong type of sandpaper, More than helping to improve the edge, it could worsen it. It is therefore We recommend taking into account the following considerations:

• If your knife is in a state of advanced deterioration and requires extensive sanding work, contains rust or uneven surfaces, the type of sandpaper to choose must be a water-based one, coarse with 180 grain.
• If the knife has only dull a little, one can be used sandpaper emery cloth with aluminum oxide mineral with a grit 320, which will serve to remove the remains of wear and begin to sharpen the tool.
• When the knife is still a bit sharp and has simply stopped cutting as well always, and you want to recover its potential, then you can use a sandpaper 600 or 1000 grain water-based with very fine grain, which will help to recover the little lost edge, leaving the knife as good as new.

There is a wide variety of sandpapers with coarse grains, ideal for sanding rusty surfaces or rough and uneven surfaces. With a type of sandpaper of grain that goes from 36 to 180 you can start this type of sanding.

80 grit sandpaper

Sandpapers that go from 180 to 360 in their grain are ideal for surfaces that are not rough, but that do need a little effort to recover them.

However, those that range from 400 to 1000 have a very fine grain that helps to eliminate any minor irregularities and to polish the surface, even to leave it aesthetically pleasing and looking like new.

The correct way to sharpen knives with sandpaper

We have already referred to how to choose the sandpaper for to sharpen knives according to its state, now we will see how to sharpen the knife without mistreating the tool. This can be easy if we do it the right way.

If you want to take care of the knife, you can cover with Scotch tape the entire area of ​​the blade and the handle, leaving only the edge to be sharpened exposed to proceed with peace of mind.

You’ll need:

• A 180, 360 or 400 sandpaper of aluminum oxide mineral, per sheet, depending on the condition of the knife.
• A 600, 800 or 1000 sandpaper of aluminum oxide mineral, per sheet.
• A stable table or surface.

Step by Step

1. To start sanding the knife, take the sandpaper 360 or 400 leaving a part of it outside the edge of the table. Bend it to fit the shape of the table edge (Square rather than oval is suggested to work best).
2. With one hand he holds the sandpaper and with the other moves the knife edge from the tip to the end of the blade, slightly tilted and inside out. These first passes are made with the sandpaper dry to get the best out of it. Little by little, the change in the texture of the leaf will be noticed, this can be confirmed by caressing the leaf diagonally with the fingertip.
3. After achieving the desired edge, the sandpaper 600 or 1000 is used.. It is placed on the table, just as we did with the sandpaper above, and repeat the operation. This sandpaper is so fine that it will remove the traces of scratches from the previous sandpaper and leave the knife with an original shine and with the desired sharpness.

The angle is essential when we want the knife to cut very well. The important thing before performing the procedure is see the emptying that comes from the factory, that is, the shape of the edge to advance in that same direction.

sharp knife blades

As you see, to sharpen knives it can be a simple and inexpensive task if the right steps are applied. With this technique, there will be no danger of damaging the tool or hurt your hands.