Sharpening a ceramic knife - HELP !

Legacy Forum Archive techniques-and-sharpening-strategies
1

I know it has been raised before but I’ll be darned if I can find the thread. I am looking for instructions / suggestions on sharpening ceramic knives on WEPS. What stones to use etc.

Thanks.

2

I too am very interested in what others have to say. I originally headed down the path of diamond film, hoping to take a try at sharpening a cheap ceramic knife I’d bought, just for the experience. It was a bad experience. When the blade eventually showed a few tiny nicks, I tried to stone them out starting with my 400 diamond stones. After about an hour of no apparent progress which might also have trashed one of my 400 stones, I said to hell with it and took a few light swipes with my 200. Oops. Looks more like a comb than a knife. In the trash can. Don’t ever do that again.

So from my limited experience (one knife), I’d have to say good luck. Maybe touching up a worn edge, but I don’t think you can remove chips of any size with the WE. It’s just too slow. Maybe with a diamond wheel to do the rough work, then the WE diamond stones to refine the edge.

That said, I picked up one of WoodCraft’s black ceramic blades, hoping to have another run at it.

3

This topic has been discussed a few times before. I don’t have a link to a thread, but you can search for yourself. Use the search tab on this page. (And not the search box in the top right.)

From what I remember from previous threads:
[ul]
[li]Use diamond stones only.[/li]
[li]Ceramic knives are very hard, so they chip easily. Thus: try to avoid coarse grit stones when possible and use light pressure.[/li]
[li]Ceramic knives suck ;)[/li]
[/ul]

4

This is the bottom line on ceramic knives… You HAVE to use diamond lapping films if you want them shaving sharp. That’s how Tom at Jende industries could shave his face with a ceramic knife

5

Correction: his head :lol:

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]NjqnkcPIuCY[/video]

6

http://www.wickededgeusa.com/forum/10-advanced-techniques-and-sharpening-strategies/7371-can-the-weps-sharpen-ceramic-knives-yes-it-can

7

Keep in mind that the ceramic will not react like steel… It will not develop a burr so you have to be careful to 1.use magnification and 2.not keep grinding away thinking you will get a burr.