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I could probably get that sharp on my Hapstone V7 ... but what would be the point? I would never use ceramic over steel. Who uses's ceramic blades? Are you trying to get through a metal detector ...
Excellent problem solving!!! I'd probably just treat it like an obsidian or flint knife. When the original edge becomes dull use a series of pressure flake removals to create a very sharp but serrated blade. And yes...just like any stone blade you will be eating stone micro-flakes. But we've been eating them for the past 3.5 million years. It's only been in the last few thousand that we've been eating steel burrs. Thanks for the video.
The shape of the abrasive means a lot. While a 325 grit DMT works fine on my Maxamet pm2, the 320 grit diamond plate on my worksharp pocket sharpener instantly puts chips all along the blade. So it's certainly more than just grit rating.
@@billdickson871 I reckon thats what it is too, but I wouldn't call it a plate, it looks more like a big square block, but its still a surface plate, the only requirements are for it to be flat and hard.
As someone who has worked with ceramics manufacturers before (a competitor and slightly higher-end brand than the Kyocera knife shown here), i can tell you that Ceramics can't be sharpened because the material is porous. As you wear away material on the blade's edge, you're essentially revealing tiny internal bubbles which naturally become pits when exposed to the air. Those pits aren't big enough to feel with your fingers, but (as you explained around 9:00) they are big enough to catch rough edges of a diamond wetstone and cause bigger chips in the blade which is why it gets dull when you sharpen it. I'm surprised you were able to sharpen it at all. Manufacturers I'm familiar with don't even sharpen the blade when it's manufactured; instead they're molded and pressed into shape and that's it, which is why they're sharp but not usually good enough to shave with out-of-the-box. I'd love to see what you could do with a Dia-Titan titanium/ceramic hybrid knife, which have the edge retention of a ceramic blade, but a less porous and slightly softer material.
The geometry is completely different on a microscopic level. Ceramic erodes, while metal bends/rips. When a knife starts to go dull, it's generally because the very edge of the blade has curled over microscopically. So you end up cutting with the side of the edge, which is still small enough to be "sharp" enough to "cut". This is why running the knife along something like leather or metal, sharpens it. What it's really doing is folding that curled edge back over, trying to straighten it out. Ceramic on the other hand, does not deform like that, it just chips away until it is dull. You can sharpen a ceramic blade, but you need diamond grinders and you need to re-bevel the whole edge.
A honing steel only straitens the curled over edges. Once the edges flop over and are straightened a few times, they will become work hardened and will break away, leaving an irregular edge. Once you reach that point, a hone won't improve the cutting edge very much, and you need to use a stone to grind down the metal to a fresh edge.
Kinda like how Indians made arrowheads back in the day they took a hard object and learned how to break sharp edges onto it. Take some hard steal and try the Knapp it into an arrow head it can’t be done. Haha
Metals have a crystaline molecular structure, making sharpening easier as each molecule removed will find the edge of the next molecule. Ceramic has a granular structure, like sand or clay. It tends to clump hence the 'microchipping'
That granularity is due to it being made through sintering, as opposed to the metal that was probably melted at some point during refinement It’s kinda like if you put crushed ice in a cup and water in another cup and then stuck them both in a freezer
Not even, bro. Metals have a flexible matrix, but Crystals have precisely fixed crystalline matrix forms. The angles of the Faces HAVE TO be precise and match the materials natural face angle formation to avoid chipping
@@jolves4432 I had no idea how seriously people take sharpening before I posted this. I now cower in fear over ever mentioning anything sharp without a PhD in stropping.
I would say a water stone taper but that doesn't do much. Do not add another bevel. Lay the blade flat on one side and grind the whole face to an apex. Then strop the opposite side at a slightly different angle to form the micro bevel. Use lots of polish, little heat. Do not press into the stop. Do not let the blade bounce. Strop along the opposite face, not the flat face. Hold the edge against the strop at different angles (base to tip, tip to base). Never strop flat edge. All you need to do when you need a touch up. Lay flat face against your strop and polish the face flat. A quick glide across the Smiths ceramic honing stick on the opposite face you should have a beautiful edge. Also lube your stone with water.
I used to work in a sushi bar and I brought one of these in with a dull edge. The sushi chef was a serious knife guy and he attempted to sharpen it out of curiosity. He improved the edge from dull to meh and then decided it wasn’t worth bothering with.
@rollinrat4850 One of my best friends is a sushi chef too, and he'll bring out his knives for me to admire, but he will not let anybody else actually touch them.
Most likely he managed to get it to "alternate sharpness", where instead of looking like A it looks like П. Yeah, knives made of hard material can cut some stuff while having a flat edge
@rollinrat4850 I'm happy to sharpen the knives of my friends and family also and I've done quite well with the ladies for what I can cook for them but to this day, I've yet to meet a lady that likes, owns, appreciates or even want's to be near a sharp knife. They all seem scared as hell when one edge is sharper than the other, and when they hold a (possible sharp) knife, they hold the back end of the handle to stay far away from that scary blade edge. Exceptions to every rule I know, but I've still yet to meet a female that prefers knives that have a decent edge on them. If you give them one or sharpen one for them, they will toss it in with other dull knives to work it down to dullness without even using it. I'm not making this up, I like women very much, but they don't understand much about things, and how things work, unless that thing is a relationship, they are the experts there.
Honestly? Yes. Even a relateively be inexpensive one (but never cheapo) will fullfil most common needs. I've got an eyewitness set, and they do everything I need. These ceramic (and those stupid coloured knives) are just a waste of money and the Earth's finite resources
UA-cam: Hey wanna see a man sharpen a knife using terminology and techniques that you don't even understand because you have no idea how sharpening works? Me: Um yes please
Kyocera sells a battery powered diamond wheel sharpener specifically for their ceramic knives. I have sharpened quite a few knives successfully with it very easily. It seems to only work with their brand knives as you need a lot of blade or the plastic handle prevents you from making contact with the grinding wheels. Never shaving sharp though - but a perfect working edge for soft foods like tomatoes.
Dude I'm not even into knifes or nothing but the montage of him building a thing to sharpen the blade made me laugh out loud , I'm definitely subscribing
I just had an opportunity to sharpen a ceramic knife, which was chipped pretty bad. Your video has been the only truthful video out there. Thank you for coming up with the disk idea because I’m going to try that. I’ve been sharpening now since I’ve been 12 years old I’m 62. This is a true challenge of my talents. Thank you so much.
When i was little (ten years ago), my father brought us a ceramic knife from japan. The knife is still sharp, not as sharp as it used to, but still decent edge. Ceramic knives are made mainly to cut vegetables, not harder things eg. bread. It also depends on the quality od the ceramic knife you buy. As i've said a good ceramic knife used properly can last you a decade and more.
ceramic knives are used SPECIFICALLY for leafy vegetables like lettuce. The metal wilts the leaf, ceramic doesn't. That's why they last basically forever. You never need to use it on something tough.
So for rich people? 20$ knife and a 50 cent sharpening stone will last for so long the handle will break or the user will die before the thing is used up.
@@Mic_Glow You would be surprised how many people will just throw their knives away after a year or two and buy new ones because they never hone or sharpen them. In fact most people do just that so of course they would rather spend 20 dollars on a ceramic knife that might last them 5 years vs something they will throw out in a year or two.
I don't own a stone. I bought one of the swappable blade razor knifes. Mine came with 5 blades and the original is still sharp enough for cutting strapping and boxes at work 5 months later.
"This looks like a blade for me, so everybody, just sharp with me, i'll strop this blade into controversy, because it's feels so dull without me." - Eminem of Universe 2661 (Jason version)
I've been wondering about this for years. I didn't obsessively pour through all of the information available on the web, but I did dig a bit, and came up empty-handed. Thanks a lot for doing this with such tenacity. I have a lot of respect for your abilities, and I love your videos. I would love to see an edge retention video for ceramic. Thanks again
His information is outdated, elastic ceramic/high impact ceramic is a thing now. It's not easily available, but its flexible, it outcuts any steel and its resistant to chipping/cracking. It's definitely still ceramic and after a point of stress it will fail, but it can be sharpened on diamonds. Rahven for example is one maker.
As a dentist I've never sharpened a knife. But I work with ceramics every day in my opinion sharpening ceramic knives is similar to polishing ceramics in order. We begin with large grit diamond to lowest grit diamond burs. Then we switch to carborandum with rubber mixture burs beginning with higher carborandum ratio, ending with pure rubber bur. This recipe will give a glass glossy finish without the need for glazing. But be aware of over heating the ceramic as it will chip and crack , continuous irrigation and water cooling is needed. If you follow the order I'm sure you will have a razor blade sharp knife.
taking about hardness stainless steel is about 215 mpa whereas ceramics vary from 120 to 950 mpa with a thickness of a knife let's say 3mm ceramic hardness should be between 300 to 900 to withstand lateral forces, otherwise it will be breakable by hand. I think that this knife is made of zirconia which is a 800 to 950 mpa. that's why it's so hard to be sharpened.
As a dental sharpener trained in factory H/F , I would concur , I personally use mechanical systems to sharpen ceramic knives, diamond belts and diamond wheels 🤙🦘
As a dude sharpening ceramic knifes periodically I can tell you that you are right. I am sharpening my ceramic knifes with special diamond 2 step mixture for raw sharpening and fine sharpening. (Its a sharpening tool by TESCOMA brand) I never finished them with rubber as you mentioned but I dont need my knifes glossy.
Thanks! I might get some of that 1 micron paste because I do like the feel of ceramic kitchen knives, and comfort = safety. I don't think the micro-chipping should be any more of a concern than material that wears off of steel knives.
Maybe finding out how the manufacturer does it... probably proprietary information. I knew a guy who could make transparent ruby glass. He died with his secret. Never even told his wife where the full specifics were. Every employee compartment separated from the others. Nobody figured it out because the specific process was never written down... it was only in his head. Think he did some lenses out of quartz or borosilicates or something for satellites to pay the bills. Guy just made crystals for fun. He liked Guinness stouts.
You can sharpen ceramic with a common/cheap carbide or diamond stone, the key is that you only sharpen "rearward". IE, the edge should always be at the behind the direction of motion. The chipping you got was what happens when you push the edge into the abrasive, so a standard forward-and-backward motion is terrible for ceramic.
Exactly, this whole video is all wrong. The reason he couldn’t sharpen with the stone is because he was pushing towards the stone creating chips. And with the wheel he was effectively pulling, so nothing to do with the grit. I have been sharpening the black kyocera knives that are a lot harder than the white ones without issues.
@@MismanagedFutures Yep. There's also "elastic ceramic", or more precisely HIC (High Impact Ceramic), that flexes and doesn't chip even when cutting bone or harder materials. Sadly only one single company has access and the ability to make knives out of it, Rahven knives. Luckily they're cheap as the design is kept very minimalistic for this exact purpose, but they ship straight from Switzerland so if you live in the americas or asia it can be a bit pricier and slow.
tbh... ive cut myself on many things: paper, cardboard, glass, iron nails, toenails, even bread (dont ask me how... even i don't know how i managed that XD). but i never managed to cut myself on a knife. i have a butcher knife, a japanese chef knife (and dang they are sharp af!!!), a bowie knife,... not a single cut... not even a scratch... even when the tip of my chef knife balances on my finger, not even a mark...
Basian I’ve only ever gotten one tiny cut and that was from me putting my fixed blade back in its sheath... and bread I get it if it was toast but bread
I'm pretty impressed really... considering the comment section generally says you're the worst sharpener on earth. 😉 - This is by far your best "epic-video-victory- montage" to date!
I tried to do some of the things you did here to resharpen a ceramic knife but to no avail. I then got an idea one day and tried flaking the edge like a stone knife. It came out pretty good but it now was no longer a smooth continous edge but more like a bread knife. It no longer could cut thin paper in strips but did pretty good on most meat and vegetables. The notches I took out of the edge were maybe .5mm so not that deep but it worked. I'm satisfied with the results as the knife only cost $8 at Harbor Freight in the first place. If it no longer is able to cut again I feel I could get at least 5 more reshapes before giving up on it for good. I used a awl sharpened to a fairly sharp point to do the work on it. My whole reasoning here was, what have I got to lose by trying it and the answer was .....nothing!
I saw a video on Kyocera ceramic knives. In it they showed a very high-tech manufacturing process and the way the clay is selected, etc. I was surprised to see that they sent all the new knives out to a small home based sharpening guy. Kyocera offers "free" lifetime sharpening with a $20 "handling and shipping" fee. The re-sharpening service was shown. A guy takes them out of the return boxes and immediately puts a new edge on them by hand on a high-speed, flat spinning diamond disk. I have re-sharpened my ceramic knives using the WorkSharp machine. First I use a diamond belt offered as a "ceramic sharpening belt". The edge is polished using a strop belt.
Oh man, that come-back montage was great! The music was so compelling and victorious, I could just feel the determination! lol. Very funny. Thanks for the great research.👍 Glad I don't have to do it now! 😂
Hi Alex .. Tried sharpening a ceramic with my diamond plate a few years ago and could not get it to apex. They are very, very brittle. Dropped one, a Boker pocket folder on a ceramic tile floor and voila! It broke into three pieces aaahhhh. Bought a few kitchen ones, cheaper than the Boker , more or less to experiment as you did and finally threw in the towel. Your a better man than me to keep going , but you did have some success. I was told that the Japanese company Kyocera ( whom I believe was the developer / manufacturer of the ceramic tiles on the Space Shuttle, pioneered this technology. They apparently tried and more or less succeeded in making a razor, (not sure if it was a DE blade or Straight Razor ) that was actually much too sharp to shave with, it was apparently so fine it would just flay the skin off your face. Ouch! Great 👍 video! P.S. just a thought, you might want to wear eye protection while sharpening a ceramic on the power bench grinder. If it should shatter ooooh that would be bad news.
I don't think a wheel grinder would work - too much variation in wheel diameter - which varies the angle of the stone to the edge. A flat lapping disk would be better, but a person would have to rig something to hold the knife. I have various ones I use for gemstone faceting, but am not interested in doing such experimentation.
I came to the same conclusion as you did about why I couldn’t sharpen my ceramic knife and what was happening to its blade as it dulled while being used. I also agree that that hardness of the ceramic material is both a pro and a con when used as a blade material. I could not find a finer grit diamond impregnated sharpening stone as you were able to prove my conclusion, so thank you for your hard work and sharing your results.
Use a High Impact Ceramic knife(HIC) then, these old "ceramic" knives are outdated and lack performance. Like the one made by Rahven. Its made out of a type of flexible ceramic that can be sharpened on diamond abrasives, and has high resistance to chipping and cracking.
I'm glad you figured it out. I agree about the "where do the chips go?" micro shards of ceramic in your intestines probably. At least they should get entangled with some fiber and pass through instead of punching holes. Ceramic isn't ductile like steel so the sharpening techniques that rely on drawing out metal don't work.
Edge leading passes are not recommended for ceramic knives. Edge leading passes will almost always will cause chipping. Edge trailing passes may help but only your trial could tell us how much.
When a ceramic (zirconia) knife goes very dull, I pass a couple of times a flexible fine diamond disc with a dental handpiece , at about 20 000 rpm, after that a felt disc with some polishing compound... I never tried it on paper but my wife was happy with the results...
@@CooKiesHouseCannabisCo i'm afraid you have it precisely backwards. Ceramics are usually made by sintering, which is applying pressure to a powder under high temperature, which causes the grains to fuse together. This is a great way to make a porous solid. Metals are usually molten, and melting usually makes for a very solid, unporous result (there are exceptions, cast iron for example). I'm not saying that ceramic knives suffer from porosity - probably they don't, but metal knives aren't porous either.
I've purchased 3 ceramic kitchen knives and LOVE them... all 3 have a 'guarantee' that if they get dull, send it back to be 'sharpened.' I have long suspected they would send a new one. That said, The oldest of the three I have had for a decade and it still works perfectly fine for kitchen use. I paid $20 for 2 of those knives over a decade ago and one was purchased recently for less than $20.
Kyocera ceramic knives are spectacular kitchen knives. They do not ever go dull if you don't throw them in with a bunch of metal silverware, which you shouldn't do with steel knives either.
Like one of the comments mentioned that ceramic cracks and chips with sudden temperature change, like a dry sharpening. That's why ceramic tile installers cut their tiles with liquid cooling. Even a paste is not liquid enough to cool it down. I would suggest to dilute the diamond paste with some liquid, perhaps even water, and use as a liquid coolant and abrasion at the same time targeting the edge. Also for the spinning wheel surface I would use some sort of leather hide that is not too soft.
great production homie, it’s easy to tell that you put thought and care into your videos. as a fan and consumer of knives i’m butthurt that it has taken me this long to find your channel
Good insight into why it is so hard to sharpen ceramic knives. The edge chips. I think it is both as you mention that the diamonds could be fracturing the edge, but also that the pressure of the edge on the stone creates enough bending that the edge breaks off.
That makes sense. It's so hard and brittle, that when you manage to apply enough force to break off any material, it finds a fault further in and breaks off more. With finer dust it's ground more uniformly on micro-scale, which better distributes the forces over the blade and makes it harder to break on a fault due to uneven load, but you can't stop micro-chipping completely since the core issue remains. Thanks, I've always wondered why ceramic knives are considered to be impossible to sharpen.
I agree that they're difficult to sharpen but I use a standard diamond rod most kitchen knife sets come with. I use ceramic knives mainly because they stay sharp for a good while if properly cared for, and because they don't have any "bite" or whatever the term is (the reason why it would hardly shave your arm). Really good for vegetables, fruits, and any boneless meat since it'll glide right through without sticking. Plus they're cheap (I use a $3 one I found at Walmart). It's really up to preference but you're much more skilled in knife work and such so I advise everyone who reads this to take his advice much more seriously than my own
@@Sebastian-ed5kt not really sure. The original one I got for like $6-$7 is still cutting through veggies and meat like floss through cake. I also got a 5 piece set from Amazon for $20 with a peeler and 4 knives in various sizes. If you're not an aggressive chopper then I can recommend ceramics enough
I don't need a new knife, I have my knife out of 1.2519 (61hrc) which only needed sharpening once in the last two years because I dropped it😂😂 Just wanted to know if they stay sharp longer than my knife
@@Sebastian-ed5kt whatever works for you lol. They both have their pros and cons. I usually recommend ceramics to people mainly for the price and low maintenance
As someone who works with ceramics, it makes sense that you need a tiny grit. Clay platelets are 1/256 of a mm. You are dealing with super small pieces, hence the chipping. Very impressed you were able to sharpen it! Always wondered if it was possible myself.
Need a ceramic sharpener for ceramic knife carried one for years in a warehouse nothing better for cardboard but you can get a super edge with ceramic sharpener
The 1-micron stropping wheel is still moving stone particles out of the edge of the blade. This is because the blade is perpendicular to the travel of the wheel. Reduce the angle and the surrounding stone should support the edge more effectively. Arrange this so the wheel is almost parallel to the knife edge.
Big respect to you. I am a metal machinist, I Turn, I Mill and I Grind, although I have been out of the industry for some time now. When grinding 'soft' material like mild steel we use a hard wheel like silicone oxide, or was it aluminium oxide (it's a long time ago and I am old) anyhow, when we needed to grind a 'hard' material like we use in the aerospace industry we use a soft wheel, it sounds daft I know, but have a chat with your grinding wheel supplier, they will sell you a grit to do the job. Besides, Impossible to sharpen, awww c'mon, how do you think the manufacturer made it sharp.
I use a ceramic knife in a professional environment, and some days it gets more use than any of my other steel knives. It's best used for delicate herbs, tomatoes and other easy to bruise fruits and vegetables. The one I currently use, I've had for 4 years and only had sharpened once. When it needs sharpening, I take it (along with the rest of my kit) to a professional who uses a belt grinder setup and gets them all to a razor fine edge, including the ceramic. They simply hold their edge because there really isn't anything that wears it down through regular use.
@Nospam Spamisham I agree with you about the purpose of this video, but I used to see edge on microscope to see how sharpening is going, you can see the burr and where its directed, where are the areas that needs more work, actually I recommend purchasing a microscope for knife beginner as it helps to see what happens on metal
you bring up a very good point - " where do the chips go " - some definitely remain embedded in the food being cut so the next question is - will those chips harm a person internally ? when the food id eaten
Dennis White I’m inclined to believe the only thing that bad that would happen worst case is chipped tooth or a cut butthole if the chip was big enough
In reference to your video, it’s actually good that you significantly dulled the knife because as everyone knows, you should never, ever run with a sharp object.
You made my day. Good video post and it takes lots of work to make to this quality. Well done. I find it informative and entertaining. Each tool has its edge and ceramic knife is just not for all season type of usage. For fruit and vegetables cutting are just perfect and prevent from browning.
Here is a suggestion, part of your problem is you are grinding or lapping off the edge which will induce chipping. Try a couple of different approaches, try and run the blade edge either inline with the lapping wheel or with a slight lead into the lapping wheel and you may reduce the micro chipping. Also don't let the blade get hot as the ceramic will expand at differential rates.
I have a ceramic knife similar to yours. It pretty much sits unused in the drawer. Excellent tutorial on ceramic knife edges and how to (sort of) sharpen them. Thank you!
@@rolandlee6898 Steel knife edges don't dull because they chip off, they dull because they curve in. The sharpener is what wears them away. So where do they go when they wear away? Not into the food.
@@RendezvousWithRama Depends on the steel whether it will chip or roll. Any steel will abrade with use, this includes cutting food, not just sharpening. And yes, it will go into the food. And its not a health hazard in either case. And youre not supposed to sharpen rolled edges from normal use on a kitchen knife. Thats why you hone the knife, not sharpen it. A properly maintained steel knife doesnt need any sharpening for as long as a ceramic one would last. As you demonstrate - people dont know how to take care of their tools, thats why ceramic knives were invented - they dont need maintenance.
@@rolandlee6898 I never said anything about correct knife maintenance techniques, I said that a sharpener is what wears the knife down. I'm glad you googled all of that, but I was only addressing your question, since it was evident that you didn't quite know how steel knife wear works. A properly used well made steel knife does not chip into your food. As for "all steel will abrade with use," that means very little. Everything abrades with use - the question is how exactly it does it, and over what period of time.
@@RendezvousWithRama Tell me about googling, kid... I never said a good knife chips into your food. Learn to read properly, ok? Might help you not embarrass yourself in the future.
Most whetstones have an overall mohs hardness of 7, and the ceramic in zirconia is usually 8-8.5 so it makes sense that it didn’t work too well You should be able to get it sharper if you have it in a buffing/polishing setup with some running oil/water as lubricant Some finer polishing paste such as 0.5-0.25 micron diamond, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide should also help
I wonder how food safe ceramic chips are. I'm guessing pretty safe if they allow these to be sold, despite it's extreme ease to chip. I think I'll stick with steel. DOPE VIDEO!!!! The music is always a nice touch.
@Creeping Death Your allegations regarding steels being poisonous to ingest are pretty ridiculous: You're not welding or acid etching them, and unless you obsessively drink a glass of acid with dissolved sharpening dust every day, you'll be fine. And...a smooth steel knife, wether carbon, alloy or stainless is pretty easy to keep clean. It's not a rusty nail in the woods.
@@rolfbjorn9937 cobalt and nickel are dangerous elements for some people, allergies and so on. Badly maintained edge will slowly degrade and oxidize, releasing these elements into your food. Well, the quantity will be so small and insignificant in regards of drinking city water or breathing behind exhaust gas. Lol
I got a boker folder for x mas last year and loved it until I was making some jalapeño poppers and noticed all the sudden the tip was chipped off and I couldn’t find it anywhere.
@@ArthA122 I'd be more worried about what you're cooking your food in. I went back to good old cast iron for most things now. The all natural kind, not the stuff with the glazed surface.
I wouldn't call it a gimmick. They have advantages - one of the unique selling points is that they have a completely closed surface structure, unlike metal knives with their grain pores and surface finish, and don't pick up any tastes from one food and transfer it to another.
I have an older Japanese steel knife, A Northcraft 700 that I bought in the eighties. A cheap knife. I spent years trying to sharpen it. I finally was able to get somewhat of an edge on it with a small belt sander!
Maybe you could try this. At the moment you hold the knife “perpendicular” to the grinding direction. Either it is a stone or wheel. What would happen if the blade was aligned to the grinding direction. In theory you would get material both in front and behind where you grind and that would prevent chipping or make the chips smaller. You could also try to use a belt. Turn a sand belt outside in an put some paste on it. Low speed an aligned blade. Years ago I did some experiments around that with the belt passing through water to keep the blade cold and not throw sparks.
I found glossy magazine paper works pretty good on ceramic, they use an extremely fine silica film in the process if making glossy paper for them. It's the only thing I've ever found that can sharpen ceramic, I could cut the hair on my arm with it after doing it, just use the magazine like it's strop but without any compounds. The down side to this though is that the blade must already be in a fairly sharp state for it to work, blades that are completely worn out will take months / may not be possible using this method.
Ceramic knives are good for fruits and vegetables, when cutting on a soft cutting board, or even better - without any cutting board. When used that way, and that way only (NEVER use them in contact with something like a PLATE) they will keep sharp for many years, with no need for sharpening. It's the only advantage they have.
I know from making arrow heads from big ceramic pieces and Flint napping them makes them really sharp but it leaves a jagged Edge because you have to go back and forth on each side.
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I could probably get that sharp on my Hapstone V7 ... but what would be the point? I would never use ceramic over steel. Who uses's ceramic blades? Are you trying to get through a metal detector ...
You soud buy a same type knife, and sharp it whit its own matetial:-)
would it be safe to say that the diamond stones are knapping the edge off of the ceramic? Microscopically
Excellent problem solving!!! I'd probably just treat it like an obsidian or flint knife. When the original edge becomes dull use a series of pressure flake removals to create a very sharp but serrated blade. And yes...just like any stone blade you will be eating stone micro-flakes. But we've been eating them for the past 3.5 million years. It's only been in the last few thousand that we've been eating steel burrs. Thanks for the video.
The shape of the abrasive means a lot. While a 325 grit DMT works fine on my Maxamet pm2, the 320 grit diamond plate on my worksharp pocket sharpener instantly puts chips all along the blade. So it's certainly more than just grit rating.
We need to see more of that rock... I think it has potential.
Yeah, serious peace of, I assume granite.
@@markcahoon2534 looks like a granite surface plate
@@billdickson871 I reckon thats what it is too, but I wouldn't call it a plate, it looks more like a big square block, but its still a surface plate, the only requirements are for it to be flat and hard.
Custom scales available ?
lmao yes, please.
As someone who has worked with ceramics manufacturers before (a competitor and slightly higher-end brand than the Kyocera knife shown here), i can tell you that Ceramics can't be sharpened because the material is porous. As you wear away material on the blade's edge, you're essentially revealing tiny internal bubbles which naturally become pits when exposed to the air. Those pits aren't big enough to feel with your fingers, but (as you explained around 9:00) they are big enough to catch rough edges of a diamond wetstone and cause bigger chips in the blade which is why it gets dull when you sharpen it.
I'm surprised you were able to sharpen it at all. Manufacturers I'm familiar with don't even sharpen the blade when it's manufactured; instead they're molded and pressed into shape and that's it, which is why they're sharp but not usually good enough to shave with out-of-the-box. I'd love to see what you could do with a Dia-Titan titanium/ceramic hybrid knife, which have the edge retention of a ceramic blade, but a less porous and slightly softer material.
Well, I enjoyed your information. Thank you.
Where can I find more info on a titanium ceramic hybrid?
Apparently he doesn’t talk to people like you, he’s monetized!
And for that reason, I’m out!
@@matt25675 The company that makes them is called "Forever" - they're no longer operating in the USA. Not sure if you can find them outside of Japan.
Was a ceramics machinist. Use a resin bond diamond grinding wheel and coolant. Sharpen right up.
The geometry is completely different on a microscopic level. Ceramic erodes, while metal bends/rips. When a knife starts to go dull, it's generally because the very edge of the blade has curled over microscopically. So you end up cutting with the side of the edge, which is still small enough to be "sharp" enough to "cut". This is why running the knife along something like leather or metal, sharpens it. What it's really doing is folding that curled edge back over, trying to straighten it out. Ceramic on the other hand, does not deform like that, it just chips away until it is dull. You can sharpen a ceramic blade, but you need diamond grinders and you need to re-bevel the whole edge.
C North
Or you need rub it against superfluorinated polymers and slowly dissolve both sides in an uniform fashion until you get an edge.
A honing steel only straitens the curled over edges. Once the edges flop over and are straightened a few times, they will become work hardened and will break away, leaving an irregular edge. Once you reach that point, a hone won't improve the cutting edge very much, and you need to use a stone to grind down the metal to a fresh edge.
I love comments like these!!!!!
Kinda like how Indians made arrowheads back in the day they took a hard object and learned how to break sharp edges onto it. Take some hard steal and try the Knapp it into an arrow head it can’t be done. Haha
WHYY? Why does there a small particles of iron in my sharpening stone when i sharpen a blade??! Please answer dude.
Metals have a crystaline molecular structure, making sharpening easier as each molecule removed will find the edge of the next molecule.
Ceramic has a granular structure, like sand or clay. It tends to clump hence the 'microchipping'
NOW YOU PEASENTS ! PRAISE THE LORD OF THE SHARPENING KINGDOM !
That granularity is due to it being made through sintering, as opposed to the metal that was probably melted at some point during refinement
It’s kinda like if you put crushed ice in a cup and water in another cup and then stuck them both in a freezer
Not even, bro. Metals have a flexible matrix, but Crystals have precisely fixed crystalline matrix forms. The angles of the Faces HAVE TO be precise and match the materials natural face angle formation to avoid chipping
@@jolves4432 I had no idea how seriously people take sharpening before I posted this. I now cower in fear over ever mentioning anything sharp without a PhD in stropping.
I would say a water stone taper but that doesn't do much. Do not add another bevel. Lay the blade flat on one side and grind the whole face to an apex. Then strop the opposite side at a slightly different angle to form the micro bevel. Use lots of polish, little heat. Do not press into the stop. Do not let the blade bounce. Strop along the opposite face, not the flat face. Hold the edge against the strop at different angles (base to tip, tip to base). Never strop flat edge. All you need to do when you need a touch up. Lay flat face against your strop and polish the face flat. A quick glide across the Smiths ceramic honing stick on the opposite face you should have a beautiful edge.
Also lube your stone with water.
I used to work in a sushi bar and I brought one of these in with a dull edge. The sushi chef was a serious knife guy and he attempted to sharpen it out of curiosity. He improved the edge from dull to meh and then decided it wasn’t worth bothering with.
@rollinrat4850 One of my best friends is a sushi chef too, and he'll bring out his knives for me to admire, but he will not let anybody else actually touch them.
Most likely he managed to get it to "alternate sharpness", where instead of looking like A it looks like П. Yeah, knives made of hard material can cut some stuff while having a flat edge
Ceramic knives are cheap consumables. And they are ugly
@rollinrat4850 I'm happy to sharpen the knives of my friends and family also and I've done quite well with the ladies for what I can cook for them but to this day, I've yet to meet a lady that likes, owns, appreciates or even want's to be near a sharp knife. They all seem scared as hell when one edge is sharper than the other, and when they hold a (possible sharp) knife, they hold the back end of the handle to stay far away from that scary blade edge. Exceptions to every rule I know, but I've still yet to meet a female that prefers knives that have a decent edge on them. If you give them one or sharpen one for them, they will toss it in with other dull knives to work it down to dullness without even using it. I'm not making this up, I like women very much, but they don't understand much about things, and how things work, unless that thing is a relationship, they are the experts there.
5:08 Never have more true words been spoken! "It will cut you..... if you cut yourself." You must be the patron saint of sharpening.
Lol!
I think it was Confucius.
Reminds me of "people die when they are killed".
"We are really weak against stronger people"
"Impossible to sharpen"? kiwami japan would like to have a word with you.
i was thinking the same thing when i saw the title
He would just grind it into powder and make a new knife.
He said almost tho 😂
LMAO I was thinking that
Adrian Vargas Kiwami Japan just uses stones tho.
I've learned that if I want to sharpen a ceramic knife, I should give up and buy a steel knife.
but we all knew this! the ceramic industry trying its hardest to sell! ^_^
Honestly? Yes. Even a relateively be inexpensive one (but never cheapo) will fullfil most common needs. I've got an eyewitness set, and they do everything I need. These ceramic (and those stupid coloured knives) are just a waste of money and the Earth's finite resources
This is the way
UA-cam: Hey wanna see a man sharpen a knife using terminology and techniques that you don't even understand because you have no idea how sharpening works?
Me: Um yes please
Underrated comment
It's not rocket science, you grab the thing, and make it thinner in a point so the force is concentrated.
I had a phone made by this company
@@bioemiliano Force is a Physics term so you are now talking about science
King Henrik NYR welcome to UA-cam recommended
This was the most emotional anime I have ever seen. 12/10. Really recommend
This...this is the comment ive been looking for.
At the end of the video a commercial was a japanese music video.😂 I'm taking it for the ending.
(due to vpn connection to internet through Japan)
UwU
Kyocera sells a battery powered diamond wheel sharpener specifically for their ceramic knives. I have sharpened quite a few knives successfully with it very easily. It seems to only work with their brand knives as you need a lot of blade or the plastic handle prevents you from making contact with the grinding wheels. Never shaving sharp though - but a perfect working edge for soft foods like tomatoes.
Dude I'm not even into knifes or nothing but the montage of him building a thing to sharpen the blade made me laugh out loud , I'm definitely subscribing
U made me laugh like “I’m not even into knifes” lmao 😂
I dislike ur comment by mistake so here take a free like
This editing is still top notch. Feels like a movie featuring the rock
Blade
Well it actually does feature an genuine rock.
Nah the rock sux this guy is much better
I just had an opportunity to sharpen a ceramic knife, which was chipped pretty bad. Your video has been the only truthful video out there. Thank you for coming up with the disk idea because I’m going to try that. I’ve been sharpening now since I’ve been 12 years old I’m 62. This is a true challenge of my talents. Thank you so much.
When i was little (ten years ago), my father brought us a ceramic knife from japan. The knife is still sharp, not as sharp as it used to, but still decent edge. Ceramic knives are made mainly to cut vegetables, not harder things eg. bread. It also depends on the quality od the ceramic knife you buy. As i've said a good ceramic knife used properly can last you a decade and more.
This
What kind of bread are you eating that is harder than a carrot?
@@StUtter-so8ju i think he meant it as in harder to cut
@@serdarsdnc i think you underestimate the difficulty of cutting carrots
@Lallungmuana Chenkual nah, just squeeze them on the front and back, and use long strokes
music changes everything, I felt like i was watching someone overcome the most difficult tribulation in his life! Loving this channel keep it up man!
Y know the song
ceramic knives are used SPECIFICALLY for leafy vegetables like lettuce. The metal wilts the leaf, ceramic doesn't. That's why they last basically forever. You never need to use it on something tough.
They're good for people who never sharpen their knives and that's it, because they stay sharper for longer and break before they're completely blunt.
So for rich people? 20$ knife and a 50 cent sharpening stone will last for so long the handle will break or the user will die before the thing is used up.
@@Mic_Glow You would be surprised how many people will just throw their knives away after a year or two and buy new ones because they never hone or sharpen them. In fact most people do just that so of course they would rather spend 20 dollars on a ceramic knife that might last them 5 years vs something they will throw out in a year or two.
@@MaethorDerien welp, i sharpen my knife every 2 weeks. Not all though, since it'll be too long
@@Mic_Glow lots of people have bad hands. Or disabilities. So sharpening a knife isn't feasible. Ceramic knives are great for them
I don't own a stone. I bought one of the swappable blade razor knifes. Mine came with 5 blades and the original is still sharp enough for cutting strapping and boxes at work 5 months later.
Eminem aint even quit, he just beasting on some knives
diss that knive down
Gotta have them sharp knives when you cut your meatballs in mom's spaghetti
Knees weak arms are heavy, the ceramic's goin dull already. Paper's confetti.
"This looks like a blade for me,
so everybody, just sharp with me,
i'll strop this blade into controversy,
because it's feels so dull without me."
- Eminem of Universe 2661 (Jason version)
I've been wondering about this for years. I didn't obsessively pour through all of the information available on the web, but I did dig a bit, and came up empty-handed. Thanks a lot for doing this with such tenacity. I have a lot of respect for your abilities, and I love your videos. I would love to see an edge retention video for ceramic. Thanks again
Pore
His information is outdated, elastic ceramic/high impact ceramic is a thing now. It's not easily available, but its flexible, it outcuts any steel and its resistant to chipping/cracking. It's definitely still ceramic and after a point of stress it will fail, but it can be sharpened on diamonds. Rahven for example is one maker.
What about that one asian dude who turns random things into knives.. LIke feathers and stuff lol
Just watched his “World’s sharpest chocolate knife” video earlier. 🤣
That guy is crazy ! He has to put DAYS into some of those videos. Good stuff.
We're talking about normal humans. The creator of this video is a normal human. That Asian guy is a god of creation, it's not a fair comparison.
Candi Soda oooo yea
kiwami japan is my religion
Me: browsing UA-cam at 3am
UA-cam recommendations: hey wanna see some guy try to sharpen ceramic knives?
Me: why not
Same
Me rn 😅
4.30
2:00 :)
same
4:38 "it feels like chips" *literally feels some chips*
I had to give the video a like after that.
Same
Great craftsman, and actually funny.
As a dentist I've never sharpened a knife.
But I work with ceramics every day
in my opinion sharpening ceramic knives is similar to polishing ceramics in order.
We begin with large grit diamond to lowest grit diamond burs.
Then we switch to carborandum with rubber mixture burs beginning with higher carborandum ratio, ending with pure rubber bur.
This recipe will give a glass glossy finish without the need for glazing.
But be aware of over heating the ceramic as it will chip and crack , continuous irrigation and water cooling is needed.
If you follow the order I'm sure you will have a razor blade sharp knife.
FYI all metals aren't able to cut ceramic. carbide, stainless will roll over ceramic and will leave marks as the will wear out against ceramic.
taking about hardness
stainless steel is about 215 mpa
whereas ceramics vary from 120 to 950 mpa
with a thickness of a knife let's say 3mm ceramic hardness should be between 300 to 900 to withstand lateral forces, otherwise it will be breakable by hand.
I think that this knife is made of zirconia which is a 800 to 950 mpa. that's why it's so hard to be sharpened.
Interesting. It somewhat meets my suspicion.
As a dental sharpener trained in factory H/F , I would concur , I personally use mechanical systems to sharpen ceramic knives, diamond belts and diamond wheels 🤙🦘
As a dude sharpening ceramic knifes periodically I can tell you that you are right.
I am sharpening my ceramic knifes with special diamond 2 step mixture for raw sharpening and fine sharpening. (Its a sharpening tool by TESCOMA brand)
I never finished them with rubber as you mentioned but I dont need my knifes glossy.
Everytime he said DMT, Joe Rogan's neck hair tingled.
First time I saw one of those stones in the hardware store I did a double take
This deserves more likes
Its ringing
RE D lol
i smoked one of those stones. coughed? now have silicosis?
maybe in didn't do it right... wasn't as good as Joe Rogan claims....
1 &1/2 stars 🌟
Oh my gosh! ... "Stand back. I have Damascus!" That is the greatest line. I'm totally stealing this. :)
“It feels like chips” *pours out and touches chips for comparison*
you're sharp
Yeah, i thought he would just show it. He even touch the chips and im like what the hell.
I instantly cringed when he ran his finger down the blade. Nomatter how dull that was just an instant red alert in my mind.
kiwami : turn potato into the sharpest knife
and a minute or 2 later, "What"
My favorite part was him feeling the potato chips in slow motion.
yeah that was pretty intense
Thanks! I might get some of that 1 micron paste because I do like the feel of ceramic kitchen knives, and comfort = safety. I don't think the micro-chipping should be any more of a concern than material that wears off of steel knives.
"Feels like chips" Proceeds to touch chips. You sir have earned yourself a like and sub
Ditto
“It’s feels like chips”
Proceeds to slow-mo chips falling then you touch them. Take your sub and like.
First reply
And no longer the only
Maybe finding out how the manufacturer does it... probably proprietary information.
I knew a guy who could make transparent ruby glass. He died with his secret. Never even told his wife where the full specifics were. Every employee compartment separated from the others.
Nobody figured it out because the specific process was never written down... it was only in his head.
Think he did some lenses out of quartz or borosilicates or something for satellites to pay the bills. Guy just made crystals for fun.
He liked Guinness stouts.
You can sharpen ceramic with a common/cheap carbide or diamond stone, the key is that you only sharpen "rearward". IE, the edge should always be at the behind the direction of motion. The chipping you got was what happens when you push the edge into the abrasive, so a standard forward-and-backward motion is terrible for ceramic.
Exactly, this whole video is all wrong. The reason he couldn’t sharpen with the stone is because he was pushing towards the stone creating chips. And with the wheel he was effectively pulling, so nothing to do with the grit. I have been sharpening the black kyocera knives that are a lot harder than the white ones without issues.
@@MismanagedFutures Yep. There's also "elastic ceramic", or more precisely HIC (High Impact Ceramic), that flexes and doesn't chip even when cutting bone or harder materials. Sadly only one single company has access and the ability to make knives out of it, Rahven knives. Luckily they're cheap as the design is kept very minimalistic for this exact purpose, but they ship straight from Switzerland so if you live in the americas or asia it can be a bit pricier and slow.
@@em4703that company made a knife for Spyderco. I think it's called Mule MT40.
I physically cringed when you slid your finger across the blade
You can only physically cringe lol. Edit: you can mentally cringe but physically cringing is just cringing.
tbh... ive cut myself on many things: paper, cardboard, glass, iron nails, toenails, even bread (dont ask me how... even i don't know how i managed that XD). but i never managed to cut myself on a knife. i have a butcher knife, a japanese chef knife (and dang they are sharp af!!!), a bowie knife,... not a single cut... not even a scratch... even when the tip of my chef knife balances on my finger, not even a mark...
Basian I’ve only ever gotten one tiny cut and that was from me putting my fixed blade back in its sheath... and bread I get it if it was toast but bread
@@SurGhostly it was probably angry cause i ate its parents XD
@@basian7365 i actually almost cut myself on bread. i did it while trying to grind down some dry bread.
I'm pretty impressed really... considering the comment section generally says you're the worst sharpener on earth. 😉 - This is by far your best "epic-video-victory- montage" to date!
Haha thanks brother 👍👊
I really like that the 12 minutes of your time is all content and no prolonging shit everyone else is doing... Keep up the good work man!
I tried to do some of the things you did here to resharpen a ceramic knife but to no avail. I then got an idea one day and tried flaking the edge like a stone knife. It came out pretty good but it now was no longer a smooth continous edge but more like a bread knife. It no longer could cut thin paper in strips but did pretty good on most meat and vegetables. The notches I took out of the edge were maybe .5mm so not that deep but it worked. I'm satisfied with the results as the knife only cost $8 at Harbor Freight in the first place. If it no longer is able to cut again I feel I could get at least 5 more reshapes before giving up on it for good. I used a awl sharpened to a fairly sharp point to do the work on it. My whole reasoning here was, what have I got to lose by trying it and the answer was .....nothing!
Never was a fan of ceramic knives and here you prove me right! That’s Alex hahaha
Timo Savelkouls bet it beats Gerber
I like them in the kitchen
The heroic story of the ceramic knife at the mercy of the sharpening authority.
Your humor is top notch, rock and chips bits had me rolling
In the mechanical seal business, hard faces were tungsten carbide, silicon carbide, and ceramic. We only used diamond paste to lap the seal faces.
I saw a video on Kyocera ceramic knives. In it they showed a very high-tech manufacturing process and the way the clay is selected, etc. I was surprised to see that they sent all the new knives out to a small home based sharpening guy. Kyocera offers "free" lifetime sharpening with a $20 "handling and shipping" fee. The re-sharpening service was shown. A guy takes them out of the return boxes and immediately puts a new edge on them by hand on a high-speed, flat spinning diamond disk. I have re-sharpened my ceramic knives using the WorkSharp machine. First I use a diamond belt offered as a "ceramic sharpening belt". The edge is polished using a strop belt.
WHy is this comment not at the top?! It's the answer. lol.
Oh man, that come-back montage was great! The music was so compelling and victorious, I could just feel the determination! lol. Very funny.
Thanks for the great research.👍 Glad I don't have to do it now! 😂
The editing, effects, fun parts and the content you put in to your videos make your channel unique. Congrats and keep on.
Thanks for the explanation. I picked up a couple of ceramic knives today and will just toss them when they get dull, or use them in the garden.
In the words of the great poet Will, from Alec Steele, and I quote, “There is no life, there is only sanding.”
"Hows the hand sanding going Will?"
aaron marriott silence 😂
*only HAND sanding
Flamin Chicken my bad
Crap.
I'm close to collapse from laughing.
Hi Alex ..
Tried sharpening a ceramic with my diamond plate a few years ago and could not get it to apex. They are very, very brittle. Dropped one, a Boker pocket folder on a ceramic tile floor and voila! It broke into three pieces aaahhhh. Bought a few kitchen ones, cheaper than the Boker , more or less to experiment as you did and finally threw in the towel. Your a better man than me to keep going , but you did have some success. I was told that the Japanese company Kyocera ( whom I believe was the developer / manufacturer of the ceramic tiles on the Space Shuttle, pioneered this technology. They apparently tried and more or less succeeded in making a razor, (not sure if it was a DE blade or Straight Razor ) that was actually much too sharp to shave with, it was apparently so fine it would just flay the skin off your face. Ouch! Great 👍 video!
P.S. just a thought, you might want to wear eye protection while sharpening a ceramic on the power bench grinder. If it should shatter ooooh that would be bad news.
Always ! Eyes are important . Two are better than one ! Yup
I don't think a wheel grinder would work - too much variation in wheel diameter - which varies the angle of the stone to the edge. A flat lapping disk would be better, but a person would have to rig something to hold the knife. I have various ones I use for gemstone faceting, but am not interested in doing such experimentation.
I came to the same conclusion as you did about why I couldn’t sharpen my ceramic knife and what was happening to its blade as it dulled while being used. I also agree that that hardness of the ceramic material is both a pro and a con when used as a blade material. I could not find a finer grit diamond impregnated sharpening stone as you were able to prove my conclusion, so thank you for your hard work and sharing your results.
Use a High Impact Ceramic knife(HIC) then, these old "ceramic" knives are outdated and lack performance. Like the one made by Rahven. Its made out of a type of flexible ceramic that can be sharpened on diamond abrasives, and has high resistance to chipping and cracking.
I'm glad you figured it out. I agree about the "where do the chips go?" micro shards of ceramic in your intestines probably. At least they should get entangled with some fiber and pass through instead of punching holes.
Ceramic isn't ductile like steel so the sharpening techniques that rely on drawing out metal don't work.
Edge leading passes are not recommended for ceramic knives. Edge leading passes will almost always will cause chipping. Edge trailing passes may help but only your trial could tell us how much.
I keep getting recommended older videos and get exited because I think you're back
6:12 "Everyone knows you run faster with a knife" - FPS Doug
Mike Taylor
I too am Canadian, so i get this reference.
And a new pair of shoes 🔥
When a ceramic (zirconia) knife goes very dull, I pass a couple of times a flexible fine diamond disc with a dental handpiece , at about 20 000 rpm, after that a felt disc with some polishing compound... I never tried it on paper but my wife was happy with the results...
Not a lot of people have access to a high speed turbine head
@@philchia4764 But a Dremel should be possible to get for almost everybody. They do the 20k revs easily.
@@dranoelr dental high-speed Handpieces get to 800,000, with most at 400k. "Slow speed" is 40k.
My point is to be a flexible disc to don't chip the edge...Dremel will do it, don't need amazing RPM
Finally you got it. To paint a better picture I will use an extreme example. Sharpening ceramic is like trying sharpening glass. It is bridle
I came from DBK lol I was watching their knife vids and saw this in recommend you sir have gained a sub!
If I remember correctly, you can send those knives back to Kyocera, they will sharpen them for free, just cover shipping.
From the Kyocera website "Sharpening fees: USD $12.00/1st knife + $7.00/each additional knife. Shipping and handling: USD $9.00 flat fee"
Clarence has been mailing in his ceramic knives and they've been sending them back to him without touching 'em! 😂🤣
@@rockyrocker23 I do and they send the same one back.
I need ceramic knifes because ceramic knifes are not porous vectors for disease and infection.
Cookie's House Cannabis Co you could just, you know, wash them?
@@CooKiesHouseCannabisCo i'm afraid you have it precisely backwards. Ceramics are usually made by sintering, which is applying pressure to a powder under high temperature, which causes the grains to fuse together. This is a great way to make a porous solid. Metals are usually molten, and melting usually makes for a very solid, unporous result (there are exceptions, cast iron for example). I'm not saying that ceramic knives suffer from porosity - probably they don't, but metal knives aren't porous either.
I've purchased 3 ceramic kitchen knives and LOVE them... all 3 have a 'guarantee' that if they get dull, send it back to be 'sharpened.' I have long suspected they would send a new one. That said, The oldest of the three I have had for a decade and it still works perfectly fine for kitchen use. I paid $20 for 2 of those knives over a decade ago and one was purchased recently for less than $20.
Kyocera ceramic knives are spectacular kitchen knives. They do not ever go dull if you don't throw them in with a bunch of metal silverware, which you shouldn't do with steel knives either.
Dude, hilarious. And informative. Loved it.
Wait a minute, what’s a phone book?!
You use them with your rotary phone
Bradley Burdett o - o
Bradley Burdett it’s called sarcasm
my grandpa wanted to use one cause he needed propane, i ended up just looking it up on google
a book to hit people
Like one of the comments mentioned that ceramic cracks and chips with sudden temperature change, like a dry sharpening. That's why ceramic tile installers cut their tiles with liquid cooling. Even a paste is not liquid enough to cool it down.
I would suggest to dilute the diamond paste with some liquid, perhaps even water, and use as a liquid coolant and abrasion at the same time targeting the edge. Also for the spinning wheel surface I would use some sort of leather hide that is not too soft.
great production homie, it’s easy to tell that you put thought and care into your videos. as a fan and consumer of knives i’m butthurt that it has taken me this long to find your channel
you look like LinusTechTips but with knives
really appreciate how you stayed the course and thought through the problem
I drop almost everything, especially washing the dishes. I'll never own one. Thank you for another reason.
The editing on this is amazing, still don't know why I'm watching this but I sub'd!
Good insight into why it is so hard to sharpen ceramic knives. The edge chips. I think it is both as you mention that the diamonds could be fracturing the edge, but also that the pressure of the edge on the stone creates enough bending that the edge breaks off.
come for the knowledge stay for the production quality
Me too, AND the humor.
@@denniswhite166 5:47
Get one of those cheap usb microscopes from Amazon
This is a great idea, i would like to see that in future videos
That makes sense. It's so hard and brittle, that when you manage to apply enough force to break off any material, it finds a fault further in and breaks off more. With finer dust it's ground more uniformly on micro-scale, which better distributes the forces over the blade and makes it harder to break on a fault due to uneven load, but you can't stop micro-chipping completely since the core issue remains.
Thanks, I've always wondered why ceramic knives are considered to be impossible to sharpen.
How do you not have millions of subscribers? You're not only amazing at your craft, you're hilarious! So glad I found this channel!
I agree that they're difficult to sharpen but I use a standard diamond rod most kitchen knife sets come with. I use ceramic knives mainly because they stay sharp for a good while if properly cared for, and because they don't have any "bite" or whatever the term is (the reason why it would hardly shave your arm). Really good for vegetables, fruits, and any boneless meat since it'll glide right through without sticking. Plus they're cheap (I use a $3 one I found at Walmart). It's really up to preference but you're much more skilled in knife work and such so I advise everyone who reads this to take his advice much more seriously than my own
How long is a "good while"?
Just for reference
@@Sebastian-ed5kt not really sure. The original one I got for like $6-$7 is still cutting through veggies and meat like floss through cake. I also got a 5 piece set from Amazon for $20 with a peeler and 4 knives in various sizes. If you're not an aggressive chopper then I can recommend ceramics enough
I don't need a new knife, I have my knife out of 1.2519 (61hrc) which only needed sharpening once in the last two years because I dropped it😂😂
Just wanted to know if they stay sharp longer than my knife
@@MrSuseguru the one I get has diamond. If they don't come with it then I just get another one
@@Sebastian-ed5kt whatever works for you lol. They both have their pros and cons. I usually recommend ceramics to people mainly for the price and low maintenance
As someone who works with ceramics, it makes sense that you need a tiny grit. Clay platelets are 1/256 of a mm. You are dealing with super small pieces, hence the chipping. Very impressed you were able to sharpen it! Always wondered if it was possible myself.
Need a ceramic sharpener for ceramic knife carried one for years in a warehouse nothing better for cardboard but you can get a super edge with ceramic sharpener
Got a link to one?
The 1-micron stropping wheel is still moving stone particles out of the edge of the blade. This is because the blade is perpendicular to the travel of the wheel. Reduce the angle and the surrounding stone should support the edge more effectively. Arrange this so the wheel is almost parallel to the knife edge.
one of the two smartest comments on here.
The main thing i like watching alex for is his comedic relief. It's great lol
Big respect to you. I am a metal machinist, I Turn, I Mill and I Grind, although I have been out of the industry for some time now. When grinding 'soft' material like mild steel we use a hard wheel like silicone oxide, or was it aluminium oxide (it's a long time ago and I am old) anyhow, when we needed to grind a 'hard' material like we use in the aerospace industry we use a soft wheel, it sounds daft I know, but have a chat with your grinding wheel supplier, they will sell you a grit to do the job.
Besides, Impossible to sharpen, awww c'mon, how do you think the manufacturer made it sharp.
I use a ceramic knife in a professional environment, and some days it gets more use than any of my other steel knives. It's best used for delicate herbs, tomatoes and other easy to bruise fruits and vegetables. The one I currently use, I've had for 4 years and only had sharpened once. When it needs sharpening, I take it (along with the rest of my kit) to a professional who uses a belt grinder setup and gets them all to a razor fine edge, including the ceramic. They simply hold their edge because there really isn't anything that wears it down through regular use.
. . a comprehensive approach to any issue makes all the difference . . great example --
I would recommend using microscope to check the edge after each level, it will show the progress
@Nospam Spamisham I agree with you about the purpose of this video, but I used to see edge on microscope to see how sharpening is going, you can see the burr and where its directed, where are the areas that needs more work, actually I recommend purchasing a microscope for knife beginner as it helps to see what happens on metal
you bring up a very good point - " where do the chips go " - some definitely remain embedded in the food being cut so the next question is - will those chips harm a person internally ? when the food id eaten
cassanoa no the chip would come out you ass eventually
Well, it certainly can't be good for us that's for sure.
Dennis White I’m inclined to believe the only thing that bad that would happen worst case is chipped tooth or a cut butthole if the chip was big enough
@@lunargentleman3750 well, I don't know about anyone else, but a cut butthole to me sounds very very very unpleasant. Lol!
BIG WIGGLE happens to me sometimes with a big turd 😅
Great video - answered all my questions I ever had about ceramic knives.
Impossible to sharpen?
*Edge of glory has entered the chat*
In reference to your video, it’s actually good that you significantly dulled the knife because as everyone knows, you should never, ever run with a sharp object.
Unless your sergeant yells fix bayonets
You made my day. Good video post and it takes lots of work to make to this quality. Well done. I find it informative and entertaining.
Each tool has its edge and ceramic knife is just not for all season type of usage. For fruit and vegetables cutting are just perfect and prevent from browning.
4:51 "dmt stone" Joe rogans ears peaked and his pupils dilated.. haha
Jamie, pull that over
Here is a suggestion, part of your problem is you are grinding or lapping off the edge which will induce chipping. Try a couple of different approaches, try and run the blade edge either inline with the lapping wheel or with a slight lead into the lapping wheel and you may reduce the micro chipping. Also don't let the blade get hot as the ceramic will expand at differential rates.
the second, smartest comment on here.
I have a ceramic knife similar to yours. It pretty much sits unused in the drawer. Excellent tutorial on ceramic knife edges and how to (sort of) sharpen them. Thank you!
"Where do chips go?"
"Well, uh... They... Hmm... Ok I'm going with steel knives."
Where do you think the steel goes as it wears away?
@@rolandlee6898 Steel knife edges don't dull because they chip off, they dull because they curve in. The sharpener is what wears them away. So where do they go when they wear away? Not into the food.
@@RendezvousWithRama Depends on the steel whether it will chip or roll.
Any steel will abrade with use, this includes cutting food, not just sharpening. And yes, it will go into the food. And its not a health hazard in either case.
And youre not supposed to sharpen rolled edges from normal use on a kitchen knife. Thats why you hone the knife, not sharpen it. A properly maintained steel knife doesnt need any sharpening for as long as a ceramic one would last. As you demonstrate - people dont know how to take care of their tools, thats why ceramic knives were invented - they dont need maintenance.
@@rolandlee6898 I never said anything about correct knife maintenance techniques, I said that a sharpener is what wears the knife down. I'm glad you googled all of that, but I was only addressing your question, since it was evident that you didn't quite know how steel knife wear works. A properly used well made steel knife does not chip into your food.
As for "all steel will abrade with use," that means very little. Everything abrades with use - the question is how exactly it does it, and over what period of time.
@@RendezvousWithRama Tell me about googling, kid...
I never said a good knife chips into your food. Learn to read properly, ok? Might help you not embarrass yourself in the future.
Most whetstones have an overall mohs hardness of 7, and the ceramic in zirconia is usually 8-8.5 so it makes sense that it didn’t work too well
You should be able to get it sharper if you have it in a buffing/polishing setup with some running oil/water as lubricant
Some finer polishing paste such as 0.5-0.25 micron diamond, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide should also help
Abdega, don't think that's going to help either. Go up to Garrett Ird's comment and you'll see why ceramic blades just are impossible to sharpen.
He was using diamond plates though not regular stones
Best advice I've seen so far on ceramic.
I wonder how food safe ceramic chips are. I'm guessing pretty safe if they allow these to be sold, despite it's extreme ease to chip. I think I'll stick with steel. DOPE VIDEO!!!! The music is always a nice touch.
Ceramic chips are probably fine. Stable & inert. I doubt stomach acid can dissolve.
@Creeping Death Your allegations regarding steels being poisonous to ingest are pretty ridiculous: You're not welding or acid etching them, and unless you obsessively drink a glass of acid with dissolved sharpening dust every day, you'll be fine. And...a smooth steel knife, wether carbon, alloy or stainless is pretty easy to keep clean. It's not a rusty nail in the woods.
@@rolfbjorn9937 cobalt and nickel are dangerous elements for some people, allergies and so on. Badly maintained edge will slowly degrade and oxidize, releasing these elements into your food.
Well, the quantity will be so small and insignificant in regards of drinking city water or breathing behind exhaust gas. Lol
I got a boker folder for x mas last year and loved it until I was making some jalapeño poppers and noticed all the sudden the tip was chipped off and I couldn’t find it anywhere.
@@ArthA122 I'd be more worried about what you're cooking your food in. I went back to good old cast iron for most things now. The all natural kind, not the stuff with the glazed surface.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that Kyocera has transitioned from making cell phones to making gimmick cutlery?
Actually, they started as an industrial ceramics manufacturer (original name is Kyoto Ceramics Corporation), then turned towards electronics later.
I was going to ask if you got a free printer with the knife
Their cooking pans are pretty darn good.
I wouldn't call it a gimmick. They have advantages - one of the unique selling points is that they have a completely closed surface structure, unlike metal knives with their grain pores and surface finish, and don't pick up any tastes from one food and transfer it to another.
I have an older Japanese steel knife, A Northcraft 700 that I bought in the eighties. A cheap knife. I spent years trying to sharpen it. I finally was able to get somewhat of an edge on it with a small belt sander!
Maybe you could try this. At the moment you hold the knife “perpendicular” to the grinding direction. Either it is a stone or wheel. What would happen if the blade was aligned to the grinding direction. In theory you would get material both in front and behind where you grind and that would prevent chipping or make the chips smaller.
You could also try to use a belt. Turn a sand belt outside in an put some paste on it. Low speed an aligned blade. Years ago I did some experiments around that with the belt passing through water to keep the blade cold and not throw sparks.
I found glossy magazine paper works pretty good on ceramic, they use an extremely fine silica film in the process if making glossy paper for them. It's the only thing I've ever found that can sharpen ceramic, I could cut the hair on my arm with it after doing it, just use the magazine like it's strop but without any compounds. The down side to this though is that the blade must already be in a fairly sharp state for it to work, blades that are completely worn out will take months / may not be possible using this method.
I have never had problems polishing ceramic blades, I use the same equipment that is used for smoothing diamonds. Works well
Ceramic knives are good for fruits and vegetables, when cutting on a soft cutting board, or even better - without any cutting board. When used that way, and that way only (NEVER use them in contact with something like a PLATE) they will keep sharp for many years, with no need for sharpening. It's the only advantage they have.
Thanks for the comment. The one that I used on a regular plate to cut food became dull but the other used only on cutting board is still sharp.
Why did I get so hyped when he was building the stropping wheel…
Haha, same
I know from making arrow heads from big ceramic pieces and Flint napping them makes them really sharp but it leaves a jagged Edge because you have to go back and forth on each side.