Unique Ceramic Sharpening Rod - (not spam)

[HoosierQ]

Making a long story short, about 30 years ago, my girlfriend lived in Detroit. Her dad worked at a furnace company. Now these weren't central heating furnaces. These were industrial heat treating, anealing, and other furnaces for use in heavy industry. In Detroit, in the 1970's that was still a lot of that stuff going on. Many of these furnaces were automated and items passed through them on conveyors.

Marv called this thing a "bushing". It is made of some kind of ceramic and WOW does it sharpen a knife! I used a little back then but only more recently have I come to appreciate the quality of the ceramic and the way it cuts so well. Great for kitchen knives. I made the bench stand for it

This thing is one of a kind and it works...used it today on my mom's kitchen knives. Thought it would be fun to share.

 

[stitchawl]

Nice find! Lots of folks in the western states of the US have been using pieces of old ceramic wire insulators they shot off unused electric poles found in the desert. Sometimes you can find boxes full of these at flea markets and swap meets too. They really do work great. Grind off the glaze from the outside and use the ceramic inside bare.

Another ceramic find at flea markets are old pickle vats and crocks. Find one that is about a foot in diameter, hold your knife flat against the inside curve, and you have a great guided ceramic sharpener that was commonly used in grocery stores and delicatessens back in the day. Just run the knife around the vat a couple of times in each direction for a great edge!

I suppose our grand-kids will be using pieces of ceramic tile from heat shields of space shuttles... :thumbup:


Stitchawl

 

[JR42]

That is very cool. :thumbup:

The ceramic tubes used in knob and tube wiring work pretty well if they're not too bumpy, but I've never come across a long one that was straight. Your roller looks straight and well-made.

 

[HoosierQ]

JR

It is very smooth...not quite shiny exactly...and heavy!

 

[ChapmanPreferred]

Fun thread!

 

[hkpokes_you]

I love stuff like this.

I bought a salvaged tungsten-carbide rod off eBay a couple years ago. It's similarly sized -- about eight inches in length by one inch in diameter with a small flat along the side. It was probably part of a highspeed heavy-duty drill at some point. It weighs as much as a baseball bat -- and it produces some excellent highly finished edges.

 

[Uz4u]

My grandfather has a pile of those ceramic rods. Something about protecting wires when there treated using acid, not really sure.

I got a couple off of him for sharpening. Not as good as Sharpmaker stones (diamond and such), but since they were free and not worth much I just use them for sharpening my beater knives.

nice stand you made for it