Ceramic Rod Q

T

timbit

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Jul 21, 2011
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I don't have a 'steel' in my kitchen. I strop my blades when they need a touch up. What would a ceramic rod do for me that a strop does not?


I am looking for some gift ideas for my auntie to buy me. She keeps on bugging me about "What do I want for christmas?" I don't want to tell her 'nothing' because she REALLY wants to buy me something.

Any recommendations on reasonably priced and good quality ceramic rods?
 
Heavy stropping or stropping a lot over time will slightly convex the edge. A rod would be a decent way to bring it back to a full V edge.
 
The rod should be used to straighten out the apex of the blade, and not to sharpen it. Think of it as a tune-up tool between full sharpening. I use mine in my kitchen every 2 or 3 uses of my kitchen knives. Keeps them sharp longer. I only really sharpen them about once every couple of months under normal use. Your mileage may vary. I have a good set of kitchen knives that are stored in a block holder.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
Thanks guys. I actually keep a convex on my kitchen knives, which is why I strop. I'll give the ceramic rod a go and see how I like it.

What do you guys use for a ceramic rod?
 
A ceramic rod absolutely will sharpen (remove steel), as the material is very hard and aggressive for the effective 'grit' size (usually very fine). It can be used to align an edge, as mentioned, but it'll also add a lot of 'bite' with some actual honing taking place. Ceramics obviously won't remove a lot of material, which is a good thing, and this is why they're ideal for a touch-up tool.

I like ceramics best for removing burrs or wire edges. With some very ductile steels (VG-10, ATS-34, 420HC), stropping alone won't do much to remove a stubborn wire edge, so a ceramic hone/rod can be used to very gently burnish it away (use extremely light pressure).
 
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timbit said:
Thanks guys. I actually keep a convex on my kitchen knives, which is why I strop. I'll give the ceramic rod a go and see how I like it.

What do you guys use for a ceramic rod?
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I have made my own knife sharpner out of them and that is all that I have used. my kershaw leek can shave the hair off of my arm when I am done with it.
 

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richard thurman said:
I have made my own knife sharpner out of them and that is all that I have used. my kershaw leek can shave the hair off of my arm when I am done with it.
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You've mentioned making your own sharpener often.

How about make a new post here with a How-To, ie, simple plans of how you made it?

Thanks!

~ P.
 
I took the factory one and added 3 inches to it so the wood is 9 inches long. then I took there angles and made them cross so it is a v shape not just two of them seprated. now you can just pull threw and dont have to worry about holding the knife at the right angle. does that help you out??
 
richard thurman said:
I took the factory one and added 3 inches to it so the wood is 9 inches long. then I took there angles and made them cross so it is a v shape not just two of them seprated. now you can just pull threw and dont have to worry about holding the knife at the right angle. does that help you out??
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It's a good start. Thanks!

I was mostly curious, because of the different times you've said "I made my own" with no further explanation.

I have a ceramic rod sharpener in which one set of angles, the 44° holes (22° each side) are as you describe, the holes drilled so that the rods cross each other when in place. The 30° holes (15° each side) on the other hand simply leave the rods next to other. I'm not experienced enough to know of the potential pros and cons of using the crossed rods as a "pull through," but they do make it easier to check the knife blade's perpendicular bearing in relation to the rod(s).

Where did you get your ceramic rods?

~ P.
 
back when I was running a bussness I had a tax number. so I order them threw one of my supplier. I think I had a stroke but all that I know is I woke up on the floor and I had a hell of a time just to get my bed room door open. I scoot my self to the kictchen and live off ice. I lost my cell phone so I could not call for help. one of my friends called in a check so the police came out here to check on me. I yell please help me. I have a realtors lock out side of my house. they called it in and open up the door. I was taken to the hosptal then to rehad so I could learn how to walk again. I ran out of the sticks and I can't find any one local to get me some.
 
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now THAT is a story! Too bad you can't order through your old supplier without a business license. I wonder if you could call in the 'stroke' card and get some more. After all, you DO have a pre-existing business relationship with them...you just aren't able to continue on the same scale now...
 
The set from Lansky with both brown and white sticks is usually around $40.

I've bought just the sticks before, and spent about the same money for a set of four.

If I remember, Smokey Mountain sells the rods alone a little cheaper. They should be 5/16"x10". The smaller ones are cheaper, but not nearly as effective.
 
in this thread another member said Smokey Mountain had some and monday I am going to try them and see if they have them in stock.
 
timbit said:
I wonder if you could get them from a pottery or ceramic supply house?
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The word 'ceramic' really just means made from non-metallic minerals... like clay. There are all different types of 'ceramics,' ranging from 'Play-Doh' to the heat shields used on Space Shuttles. The stuff you'll probably find in a pottery supply house will be in 'raw' form. To be usable as bowls, jugs, electric line insulators, space shuttle heat shields, and sharpening rods, they need to be made from use-specific material and then baked at a specified temperature for a specific period of time.

If you are looking for really effective ceramic hones (without looking in knife sharpening supply houses) go out in the desert and find some of the old electric insulators, or pieces there of. Pieces are easier to find as folks have been shooting at those things for the past 50 years, since the high electric power lines were installed instead of the low power poles along side the roads. Those old insulators are fantastic sharpeners! If you ask a local electric line worker, they can tell you were to find them easily.

Next bet would be flea markets and swap meets, looking for old thick crock pots. The bottoms usually are not glazed, and that also works like a charm! Buy the broken ones for 10 cents... you don't need it to hold water. You're going to use it upside down anyway!

Last on the list are the OLD mugs you used to find in dinners. Really thick, heavy mugs. The older the better. At flea markets, look for ones with really crazed and cracked glaze. Again, it's the unglazed bottom that you want to use on those.

And for those who prefer a guided system, pick up an one gallon pickle crock. Lay your knife flat against the inside curve and just rub it around the circumference! Be sure to go in both directions to get both sides. The natural curvature of the crock will give you just enough of an angle to touch up your blade. The narrower the crock, the steeper the angle. Flea markets and yard sales are great for finding these too!


Stitchawl
 
I do kitchen knives for friends/customers and always ask if they have a "Steel" and most do.. I tell them to toss it, since most people don't really know how to use it.
Spent some time on a friends kitchen block set.. worked up a real nice edge on all of them, couldn't really understand how this set got so chewed up... but worked thru them. got them nice and sharp. They invited us to dinner (BBQ) and I watched in horror as he "Stropped" a freshly sharpened knife on his "Steel" (as he learned how from his dad) and then blamed me for a poor sharpening job. discussion actually got a little heated at the table that night as I tried to explain the damage he caused by "stropping" (his term not mine).
I ordered him a ceramic for christmas with a note that explains if I ever see him use the "Steel" again, not to ask me to sharpen them.

From my experience both steel and ceramic remove material, the question is to what degree.. I request all my customers use a ceramic, the hard part is finding them on a store shelf.
 
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