How to properly sharpen a meat grinder knife yourself

Every housewife must have a meat grinder in her arsenal. It is very convenient and is used in many processes. But due to frequent use, her knife breaks. At one point he simply stops cutting food. And then many immediately rush to buy a new one. But you can do it without extra costs. You just need to sharpen the old one. You can give it to the masters, but you can try and cope with this task yourself. However, it is important to know how to sharpen a knife for a meat grinder correctly so that it later functions as perfectly as before.

How does a meat grinder work, why do the blades lose their sharpness?

Regardless of whether your meat grinder is mechanical or electric, it has a stationary cutting mesh and a moving four-bladed knife.

Meat grinders work like this: a special auger begins to rotate and presses the product into a special grid with sharpened edges, and a four-bladed knife separates the pieces from the entire mass. The only difference is that when using a mechanical one, you rotate the cutting elements yourself, while with an electric one everything happens automatically.

The sharper the cutter, the faster this product becomes minced meat. But this is influenced not only by the degree of sharpness of the cutting edges, but also by the tightness of their fit.

During operation of the device, the knives are sure to become dull. This process is accelerated by tendons and small bones, which enter the device along with the meat. First, the unit begins to “chew” the product, and then completely stops processing it.

The dullness of cutting elements is also affected by improper care of the device, due to which it oxidizes and rusts. And even sometimes irregularities and depressions form on the cutting parts. And the mesh’s flatness may be disrupted, causing a gap to form between the two parts, which is unacceptable. However, during sharpening all this can be corrected.

Of course, all elements can be replaced. For example, if you need a Bosch meat grinder knife, you can easily find it in stores. But if you don’t want to spend money, you can sharpen the parts yourself.

Meat grinder device

Before moving on to the process of sharpening a knife for a meat grinder, it will be useful to understand what the device itself is, what is inside it and how it works.

A meat grinder (a similar device used in industry is called a grinder) is either a completely mechanical or electromechanical device that is used for the purpose of grinding meat and other types of food products. Thus, the meat grinder will be useful not only for those who love homemade cutlets, but also for those who want to make spaghetti, noodles and even cookies with their own hands. In addition, the device can also be used to obtain juice from not too hard vegetables and fruits.

This useful household device was invented back in the 19th century by a certain baron named Karl Drez.

The device of the simplest manual meat grinder contains the following parts:

• body with meat receiver;
• grate;
• knife;
• screw shaft;
• handle.

Principle of operation

The food product that needs to be processed using a meat grinder first enters the screw conveyor, with the help of this conveyor it is pressed against the grate, and then cut using a knife that slides along the surface of the grate. The meat receiver, which is installed on a manual meat grinder, has ribs. These ribs are used to cut smaller pieces of meat from those pieces that were too large to pass through the auger.

Unlike the same blender, the process of cutting the product inside the meat grinder occurs without interruptions. That is, the food product is placed in the meat receptacle. He comes out through the bars.

In order to work with a manual meat grinder, you must constantly apply considerable effort to its handle. For this reason, the device itself must be firmly fixed to some surface (usually attached to a table). For these purposes, hand-held devices are equipped with a clamp. For electric drive devices, however, a clamp is not required, and they are created in a floor or tabletop version.

Household versions of electric meat grinders, as a rule, contain a longer and narrower neck of the meat receiver, as well as a pusher, which prevents fingers from accidentally getting into the auger.

To make the electric drive device more convenient to use at home, you should cut the meat into small pieces before serving it in the receiver.

Knives and their main problem

Rotating knives may differ in appearance in different models and configurations of devices, but their operating principle is absolutely the same. Today, purchasing a knife for a device that chops meat does not present any difficulties, and with a high probability you can find what you need in any specialized household store.

If you already have a knife and it’s just dull, then what’s the point of running to the store and spending money when you can just sharpen it. As usual, users of meat grinders discover the problem of the knife becoming dull during the meat grinding process itself. As a rule, at first everything goes like clockwork, and then suddenly the device begins to jam the meat or other product, and the whole process gets out of control.

How often should you sharpen

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The frequency of sharpening parts is affected by how many times a week and how much food the meat grinder processes. For example, if you use a meat grinder several times a week, then after one and a half to two months the sharpened cutters will become dull and will need to be sharpened. A Bosch meat grinder knife can last longer. Especially if it's completely new. Its service life without sharpening can reach four months.

As soon as you see heavy passage of products through the mesh, and the screw sometimes begins to spin idle, then sharpen the spare parts in the near future. Disassemble the device, clean the parts well and let them dry completely. And then start sharpening. Sharpen not only the knives themselves, but also the grill.

Sometimes cutters need to be completely sharpened. They just need to be updated a little and any unevenness removed by sanding. There is no need to set the angle. This is quite easy to do using sandpaper or a special machine.

Determine the degree of dullness of your cutting elements yourself. Check them monthly, and if you see that they are already bad in appearance, or you feel that the meat no longer passes through normally and does not become beautiful minced meat, but turns into an incomprehensible slurry, then it’s time to sharpen them.

Regular inspection of the device will allow you to avoid situations when you urgently need to grind something, but the cutters refuse to do it.

It is clear that there are different situations, but it is better to protect yourself in advance.

We use sandpaper

Another good thing about this method is that it is safe. Any housewife can do this task. Even one who has no experience in such a process. It is very important to choose a good piece of sandpaper. The abrasive should lie on it in a dense layer.

You need to do this:

- Place sandpaper on a flat surface. We secure its edges. The paper should be without creases and well straightened; - take a knife and put it on sandpaper. Press down with your fingers. We move the knife along the abrasive. Counterclock-wise. Movements must be fast. Sharpening is carried out within 2-3 minutes; — put the disk on the working side. We carry out the manipulation as with a knife; — sharpened products must be degreased, rinsed with water, and dried.

IMPORTANT! Please note that the quality of sharpening can be determined when the knife is connected to the disk. Then you need to press on the blade and try to move the parts. When no shift is observed, this means that the products were sharpened well.

Rules and nuances of proper sharpening

In the process of sharpening cutters for a meat grinder, as in any other matter, there are some nuances. Of course, this is very easy to do and anyone can learn it. But in order for everything to be of the highest quality and without any surprises, you should go a little deeper into understanding the process and study all its subtleties. Otherwise, a few wrong movements and your knife will be irrevocably damaged. Then you will be forced to find and buy a new one. Therefore, to prevent this from happening to you, we are sharing some important nuances of sharpening device parts.

In order for the cutter you sharpen to work well, you need to follow several main rules:

1. Sharpen it only on a surface with a fine abrasive. If it is large, it will scratch the surface of the device, leading to the formation of irregularities and indentations that will ruin it.
2. The mesh must be sharpened on the side where it touches the knife.
3. The surface of the material on which you sharpen the cutting elements must exceed the size of the cutting parts.

As a rule, the entire process takes no more than a few minutes.

• If you are going to sharpen the cutting element with a whetstone, then use a metal ruler to check that it is positioned exactly horizontally.
• If you plan to do this with sandpaper, then try additionally fixing it on some surface.

Before you start sharpening, lubricate all parts with any oil you have in the house. Let them sit for a while. Do the same with the unit with which you will perform this process. This must be done so that during the sharpening process a gentle abrasive paste is formed. The oil will also reduce the number of scratches and splinters. You need to place the knife on the sharpening surface, pressing it at the central point. This will allow the unit to remove even layers of metal.

Please note that the knives in meat grinders are completely different. So first, determine what type you are. This affects the entire sharpening process.

You can find out about the type of cutting parts by simply reading the technical data sheet of the device from the manufacturer. It also describes the nuances of what their blades should be like when sharpened.

Next we will tell you about a couple of effective and simple methods on how to sharpen knives for a meat grinder.

Using a whetstone

This method is suitable for those who have no experience in sharpening meat grinder knives. To get started, buy a corundum sharpening stone at the store.

It is recommended to purchase a model with a diameter of approximately 180 mm and a grain size of 40 to 60 microns. Once you have purchased such equipment, you can proceed to the knife sharpening process itself:

To get started, place the stone in the sink and wet it generously. This is necessary so that the water acts as a lubricant and cools the metal. Then fix the sharpening stone itself. You can use a rag for this - place it under a sharpening stone.

Take the cutter and place it with the blade facing the stone. Then perform circular movements clockwise with equal pressure on the knife itself. Continue sharpening until the surface of the element is shiny.

Upon completion of sharpening, you should make sure that the fit is tight. To do this, you should put them together and look at the light. No cracks should be visible. To finish the job, rinse the knives under running warm water. This is done in order to wash off the abrasive.

That's all, after finishing sharpening the knife, try using the meat grinder.

Sharpening knives in the workshop

If you want to sharpen knives for a meat grinder in a special workshop, then take care of everything in advance. Regularly, at least once a month, inspect the meat grinder for possible defects. Specialists will sharpen your cutters using a special grinding machine and using abrasive stones.

If your workshop also has such a machine, then you can do everything yourself.

• To do this, lubricate the washer with oil and sprinkle abrasive powder on top of it. It should cover it as evenly as possible.
• Then turn on the machine, install the spare part on the washer, pressing it in the center, and sharpen. A four-bladed knife must be sharpened at an angle of 80 degrees.
• After sharpening, you need to polish all the parts on a vulcanite stone.

It is very important to verify the skills of specialists. Check their qualifications. Moreover, if they say that they will sharpen with a laser and ask for more money, then under no circumstances give them your knives. Such offers should alert you and force you to use the services of other masters.

Laser sharpening is a hoax and a common marketing ploy. The sharpening process itself is absolutely no different from the usual one.

Read on to learn about different ways to sharpen meat grinder knives at home.

How to sharpen meat grinder knives at home

Regardless of which method you choose, you first need to prepare. This will give you the opportunity to sharpen with maximum speed and quality, without damaging spare parts.

As a rule, the entire process of restoring sharpness to knives at home takes about half an hour. You can use a sharpening stone, a sharpening machine, abrasive discs or sandpaper. You don't need any special skills to do this. And you won’t need to spend a lot of money on additional devices.

Let’s now look in more detail at how to properly sharpen a knife for a meat grinder at home, and what kind of knife is used to sharpen the grate.

On the grindstone

Using a corundum sharpening stone, which is on the shelves of any specialized store, it is very easy to sharpen meat grinder knives without any experience.

The process should take place under a small stream of water. Place the stone in the sink and wet it well. Water is needed to lubricate and cool the metal. Fix the whetstone. You can do this with a rag. Take the cutting element, place it with the blade towards the stone and begin sharpening in a clockwise circular motion. At the same time, press evenly on the entire cutter. It is necessary to sharpen until the surface of the cutting element begins to shine.

You do exactly the same thing with the grid. Once you've finished, check to see if the two elements fit snugly together. To do this, simply put them together and look at the light. Make sure there are no gaps between them.

A whetstone is an excellent assistant for a meat grinder whose blades have not yet become too dull. Otherwise, you are unlikely to get the desired result.

If you are going to sharpen very dull cutters, then try doing it in a different way, which is a little more complicated, but more effective. Wear gloves, secure the cutting element, or simply take it in your hand, press the stone against the knife and rub it in a circle. This must be repeated several times.

On the grinding machine

You can also manually sharpen all parts using a sharpening machine. But if you don’t have it at home, don’t buy it on purpose, it’s better to just try a different method. The fact is that working with him is not so easy. And you can just buy it, and then you won’t be able to work with it, and it will stand.

• Buy a rotary sharpening disc. Apply goyim abrasive paste to it. It will dry and, with the help of small particles in its composition, will create roughness on it.
• Take paste number 4 with a grain size of 17-8 microns.
• Then turn on the unit and carefully press the mesh against the moving element. It is important to do this with an evenly distributed force throughout the object.
• If you are inexperienced with this, you may have problems sharpening a four-blade cutter. Sharpen it in several stages.
• First, sharpen each piece individually, pressing it at an 80-degree angle. The most important thing is maintaining this angle.
• And then grind off the resulting burrs. This must be done in the same way as you uploaded the grid. Be sure to rest the parts so that they cool down.

This is an excellent method for sharpening any parts, for example, a Bosch meat grinder knife. Although in this case you will have to do this much less often. After completing the process, disassemble the unit and clean it.

On sandpaper

Sharpening meat grinder knives with sandpaper is the easiest method that everyone can afford. At least a few of its sheets are sure to be found in any kitchen. And even if not, it will definitely be found in any specialized store. And this paper costs much less than all of the above devices.

Use fine-grain paper so that it does not damage the spare part.

Take a leaf and place it in the place where you will sharpen the part. Secure it with additional devices if necessary. Rub the knife, turning it in a circle until it begins to shine and becomes sharp. Sharpen the mesh in the same way.

Sharpening with abrasive discs

You can sharpen meat grinder knives by using two abrasive discs. Sometimes they are even added to the meat grinder set upon purchase. They should be used like this:

1. Replace one of the knives in the device with a disk.
2. Start rotating the meat grinder slowly. This way you will sharpen the knife that remains in the device.

Using the same principle, process the second cutting element. Don't overdo it and don't do more than 90 turns.

A block complete with a meat grinder and a homemade block

Modern kits already contain a special sharpening stone that is optimally suited to the type of metal of the meat grinder knives. This method is available to both men and fragile women. Before the procedure, read the instructions for the device and follow the instructions.

As a rule, a sharpening stone is put on instead of a disk with holes and the meat grinder is cranked as usual. In this case, you need to turn the handle evenly, slowly increasing the speed. To sharpen the disc, a second block is provided, which is put on instead of a cross-shaped knife and then the handle begins to rotate. If marks begin to appear on the block, then the disc has already been sharpened sufficiently.

You can make your own whetstone. This is the simplest and most affordable sharpening method, but it is only suitable for knives that are slightly dull. It will not save a very dull blade. To do this, take fine-grit sandpaper and wrap it around a block of wood or other hard, smooth object.

It is important that the block has a smooth and hard surface! Wrap the block with sandpaper and securely fasten it so that the structure does not fall apart during the process.

Carefully begin to rub the blade along the surface of the sandpaper. Continue the procedure until you get the desired result

Continue the procedure until you get the desired result.

How to control the quality of sharpening

To make sure that you were able to sharpen the meat grinder knife well, you need to evaluate the quality of the work. Check that you have not violated the plane of the elements. Connect them and make sure they fit well together. They should “stick” directly, so that no gaps are visible between them.

If this rule is not followed, then even the best cutting elements, for example, Bosch meat grinder knives, will not function normally. And you will be very upset with the quality of your device.

If there is a gap, then try sharpening the parts a little more in the right places.

And a few more tips on how to sharpen a knife correctly.

Method 1: unusual file

First of all, I went to a hardware store and asked the seller to show me all the tools for sharpening knives from a meat grinder that were in stock. He shrugged his shoulders, glanced at me with an indifferent glance and declared that they didn’t have anything like that, never had one, and were unlikely to ever have one.

I continued to insist. If there are meat grinders and knives for them on sale, then there is an item that can restore the functionality of these same knives. Even if they get it for me from under the counter, even from underground, I still won’t leave otherwise. The seller thought for a minute, then perked up, went to some stand and a minute later returned with a file in his hand. He solemnly handed it to me, declaring that this file is called musat and together we will be happy forever.

I heard somewhere that ordinary knives can be sharpened with a file. But I didn’t know that it was used for sharpening meat grinder knives. However, the thing was interesting, it was inexpensive, and I would definitely find a use for it, so I decided to buy it.

As a result, I made more than once attempts to put the knife in order using the same musat. No positive changes were observed, quite the contrary. But ordinary knives were sharpened well, which, however, did not solve the problem with the meat grinder.

Helpful information

To better sharpen the cutting edges of the device, experts advise:

1. Lubricate cutting parts with any oil. This avoids overheating. You can use sunflower, olive and any other oil.
2. During the process, the elements must be wetted. Therefore, we sharpen them under a small stream of water.
3. It is worth periodically turning the parts around the axis.

Sharpening a knife for a Bosch meat grinder is as easy and simple as possible, and it needs to be done extremely rarely.

If the methods we have told you about are too complicated for you, and sharpening the knife is very necessary, then do it using a plastic or wooden circle with sandpaper on it. Just insert it into the grinder and wrap the handle about 30 times. This, of course, will not make the knives super-sharp, and they will not work well for long, but for the first time it will help.

A few words about laser sharpening and self-sharpening steel

Today, workshops offer incredible and modern methods of sharpening knives. And many who do not want to do it themselves, or think that it will work better in a workshop, use their services. But not all of these methods are as effective as they are described. For example, this sensational and very popular laser sharpening is an absolute myth and a marketing ploy.

The laser is not capable of sharpening absolutely any object. It is only needed to indicate the correct angle. And the sharpening itself is carried out by a special stone. In fact, this procedure is no different from the usual one.

There is no self-sharpening steel either. Therefore, knives made from it become dull just as quickly as regular ones. It’s just that better quality cutters made of any metal last longer without sharpening. Therefore, you should not waste your money on this fantastic thing.

What knives cannot be sharpened yourself?

Don't start trying to sharpen your best knives if it's your first time. A few wrong moves and you'll be left without them.

Try first on those that you use least and that you wouldn’t mind throwing away if something goes wrong.

Also, do not try to sharpen a ceramic knife with a regular whetstone. The fact is that only a diamond stone can sharpen it well. And if you don’t have one, then it’s better to give the cutter to the craftsmen. But if you have one, you can try sharpening the blade yourself. This must be done in exactly the same way as in the case of conventional cutting elements.

Damascus steel and damask steel also need to be sharpened with special tools. A diamond bar will destroy such knives, but with a regular one you will simply get tired of doing it. The cutting elements of both mechanical and electric meat grinders can be sharpened yourself. But wavy blades cannot be sharpened. And they are also unlikely to be saved in the workshop. Therefore, it’s worth making either a regular version of such a cutter, or just buying a new one.

About sharpening angles and methods of fixing the blade

Whatever method you decide to sharpen cutting elements, the principle of operation remains the same. In order for the edge to become as sharp as it was and function perfectly, the angles must be respected. Typically for a home, angles of about 40 degrees on each side are used. The angle must be maintained constantly while sharpening. Try not to deviate the object from the desired size. This affects the quality of sharpening and the subsequent operation of the cutting element.

This will help with paper, which must be folded to the size of a certain angle and placed under the knife.

If you cannot provide all these conditions, then it is better to go and take your cutters to a workshop. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of them in Moscow.

How to sharpen a knife in extreme conditions

Sometimes there are situations when there is nothing nearby that can be used to sharpen the cutter. And it needs to be sharpened very, very urgently. Maybe someone's life even depends on it.

In this case, try sharpening the cutting parts on any step. This must be done about its corner.

You can also do this using ordinary stone from the street. But just take those that have at least one more or less even side.

Ceramic plates and regular cups can come to the rescue. You need to sharpen on the rough edge of these objects; to do this, turn them upside down.

Method 2: sandpaper

On a warm autumn day, to pass the time remaining before my dentist appointment, I decided to take a walk around the market. It was very conveniently located (almost next to the clinic), and there was always something to see there.

So this time, walking between the aisles with all sorts of things, I unwittingly overheard a conversation between a seller and a buyer who demanded to give him some sandpaper to sharpen knives. This interested me, so, after waiting for the man to leave and taking advantage of the absence of other customers, I interrogated the man who was standing on the other side of the counter. It should be noted that he had limitless patience. It was for this reason that I headed out half an hour later with a set of 10 sheets of waterproof sandpaper for metal working.

As the seller assured, sharpening knives with sandpaper is as easy as shelling pears. Especially if these are knives from a meat grinder. The sharpening process itself, according to him, looked like this:

1. You need to place a piece of paper on a very flat, smooth surface. If it is lumpy, ribbed or anything else, nothing good will come of it. Even one small grain caught under a sheet of sandpaper can ruin everything.
2. Place the knife on top so that its cutting edges touch the abrasive surface.
3. Press the knife down with your fingers and rotate it counterclockwise. It is very important to do exactly this, and not the other way around.
4. After a while the edges will begin to shine. When their entire surface becomes silvery-shiny, the sharpening process can be considered complete.

However, that's not all. In order for the meat grinder to work no worse than the jaws of a megalodon, you need to put in order the metal mesh (a circle with holes) through which the minced meat passes. The manipulations with it are the same as with a knife, but it is advisable to bring it to an even shine on both sides. By the way, you can rotate the grid in any direction, and not strictly counterclockwise.

Since this method was suitable for both an electric meat grinder and a manual one, I decided to first test it on knives from a cheaper device. I did everything as the seller advised, assembled the meat grinder, took out the meat I had bought for the occasion from the refrigerator and was truly surprised - the old meat grinder was grinding the beef as if it were apples. And this despite the fact that she had original knives—made in 1958.

Carrying out a repeat experiment, now with the participation of a knife from a modern and quite expensive meat grinder, was no longer scary. And the result was again pleasing! Subsequently, I used this method exclusively for 5 or 6 years, and even now it remains my favorite.