Knife Sharpeners Have Come a Long Way Over the Years
Sharpening has been in existence for centuries.
Even before civilization, man used to sharpen his tools using his brain and had ingenious methods of doing so.
Since there was no technology around, he made used of stones to sharpen his tools.
Times have changed, and with advancement in technology, there are lots of sharpening articles in the market for helping you with household items like knives, scissors and other tools made of iron and steel.
Knives are the lifeline of every kitchen, and with constant use, they lose their sharp edges.
Even the best and the most expensive knives are bound to become dull when used constantly on a wooden board.
And you know how irritating it is to work with a blunt knife.
You are also at a greater risk of injuring yourself when using a blunt knife as you exert more pressure to perform the task.
This is where the importance of sharpeners comes into picture.
It was not uncommon to see vendors coming on their bicycles which had a grinding wheel fitted on the cycles.
They used the paddle of the cycle to increase the speed of the wheel which was made of abrasive material and sharpened all the blunt knives and scissors in a household.
Today the same working principle is used by companies who manufacture tools for sharpening.
The most basic of these is a whetstone.
It usually comes as a rectangular platform which is used to sharpen the knives.
You can keep it on a piece of cloth over the countertop of the kitchen and sharpen the knives by rubbing the knives across the whetstone in a forward and backward motion.
It is an art that can be mastered with practice.
The most important thing to remember while sharpening with the help of a whetstone is to present the edge of the knife at an angle of 20 degrees as a large angle can cause the whetstone to chop off much steel from the knife thus reducing its life.
These whetstones have a very long life and if you learn how to sharpen the knives, you can save a lot of time and money by doing it at your home.
Today, there are other stones that are being used for the purpose of sharpening and the most popular are the tools made from industrial diamonds.
Diamond as we all know is the hardest known substance and can sharpen knives made from all materials easily.
The shapes and sizes of the sharpening stones has also gone a sea change and today there are many types of knife sharpeners from the most compact and handy to the more elaborate ones available in the market.
Today there are sharpeners that operate with electricity and come with a guiding unit which obviate the need to maintain the knife at a particular angle and thus are very easy to use even for the beginners.
These sharpeners have become very popular and a one time investment as they are very durable and require very little maintenance.
Even before civilization, man used to sharpen his tools using his brain and had ingenious methods of doing so.
Since there was no technology around, he made used of stones to sharpen his tools.
Times have changed, and with advancement in technology, there are lots of sharpening articles in the market for helping you with household items like knives, scissors and other tools made of iron and steel.
Knives are the lifeline of every kitchen, and with constant use, they lose their sharp edges.
Even the best and the most expensive knives are bound to become dull when used constantly on a wooden board.
And you know how irritating it is to work with a blunt knife.
You are also at a greater risk of injuring yourself when using a blunt knife as you exert more pressure to perform the task.
This is where the importance of sharpeners comes into picture.
It was not uncommon to see vendors coming on their bicycles which had a grinding wheel fitted on the cycles.
They used the paddle of the cycle to increase the speed of the wheel which was made of abrasive material and sharpened all the blunt knives and scissors in a household.
Today the same working principle is used by companies who manufacture tools for sharpening.
The most basic of these is a whetstone.
It usually comes as a rectangular platform which is used to sharpen the knives.
You can keep it on a piece of cloth over the countertop of the kitchen and sharpen the knives by rubbing the knives across the whetstone in a forward and backward motion.
It is an art that can be mastered with practice.
The most important thing to remember while sharpening with the help of a whetstone is to present the edge of the knife at an angle of 20 degrees as a large angle can cause the whetstone to chop off much steel from the knife thus reducing its life.
These whetstones have a very long life and if you learn how to sharpen the knives, you can save a lot of time and money by doing it at your home.
Today, there are other stones that are being used for the purpose of sharpening and the most popular are the tools made from industrial diamonds.
Diamond as we all know is the hardest known substance and can sharpen knives made from all materials easily.
The shapes and sizes of the sharpening stones has also gone a sea change and today there are many types of knife sharpeners from the most compact and handy to the more elaborate ones available in the market.
Today there are sharpeners that operate with electricity and come with a guiding unit which obviate the need to maintain the knife at a particular angle and thus are very easy to use even for the beginners.
These sharpeners have become very popular and a one time investment as they are very durable and require very little maintenance.
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