Kitchen knives require this level of attention yet carefulness. You risk slicing through your skin if your knife is not sharp enough as you would exert force trying to cut through food items.
So, sharpening your knife is a must-do.
There are several sharpening tools that you need to keep your knife responsive any time, any day. However, this sharpening tool requires maintenance too. Plus they might be expensive at half the price.
You need the nearest yet better alternative; probably you’ve asked can you sharpen a knife with a rock?
Yes, you can! And be rest assured that sharpening a knife on rock is easier than you would think, even if it is your first time. You’ll only have to learn how to sharpen a knife with a rock.
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Can you use all rocks to sharpen knives?
As you may know, some stones are too coarse and most of these rocks have irregular crystal structures trying to sharpen a knife with such a stone would destroy the blade of the knife.
What kind of rock do you need?
You have so many rocks to choose from, so you need a somewhat porous rock; ensure they are free of pits and holes. Why? This might render sharpening counterproductive.
Porous rock, such as sandstone makes sharpening worthwhile as it provides the necessary grit to hone a blade.
What if you cannot find any in shops? Well, some hard carbon stones can do a great job sharpening your areas. So if you find yourself around volcanic areas, you might want to start looking around.
More so, you can find very good rocks next to rivers and streams. They often make great stones. Do not worry the river helps smooth the rock and the rocks often come in manageable sizes.
If however, you found a rock that best suits your needs and it is not flat enough or it has holes and pits. You can pick another stone and rub them together, wet both with water until you were able to flatten the two surfaces.
So now you’ve found a great rock for your knife. What’s next?
Let’s sharpen it!
Read: How Long Do Kitchen Knives Last?
Step-by-step to sharpening a knife with a rock
Step 1: Prepare your workspace
It is ideal to prepare your workspace, whether indoor or outdoor, it is a knife you’re dealing with. If you’re sharpening stone is slippery or if you don’t trust the stability of the stone. Place your sharpening object on a moist towel on top of a flat surface.
Step 2: Let the coarse side face up
This is one of the quickest ways to sharpen a knife. You can lubricate the stone. First, check if the stone requires that.
Step 3: It is time to sharpen
Place the blade of the knife against the rock. You would want to position the knife in a not not-too straight angle.
Step 4: What’s the ideal angle?
With your knife at a 22.5-degree angle, slowly draw the knife down and across the stone in a smooth motion.
Maintain a consistent angle otherwise you dull the knife. For a rewarding result, repeat the process by turning the knife blade over and sharpening again.
Step 5: test your knife
You would have to test your knife to check the sharpness. So do this by cutting a piece of material such as a stick or piece of rope.
For finer grit, you could use another stone (if you have another) to round up the sharpening process you are done sharpening.
Read: What Dulls a Knife the Fastest? (Find Out)
Conclusion: Can You Sharpen a Knife With a Rock?
Like other tools always remember that your knife and rock need to be In good shape to produce an effective result.
So do what you must to maintain them. And now that you know you can sharpen a knife with a rock it is best to know the best type of rock to achieve the best result.
Remember to play safe with your knife!