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How To Sharpen A Knife With A Dremel (4 Steps)

If your kitchen knife just isn’t as sharp as it used to be, then you might be looking for easy ways to sharpen it yourself. And there’s a good chance that you’re considering using your Dremel for that little project.

Don’t do it.

Seriously. It may seem like your Dremel is a great way to get a really sharp knife, but you’re actually going to damage that knife if you go through with this. Instead, try a good whetstone like this one at Amazon.

But if you’re determined to give it a try with the Dremel, then we’ve got the steps you need to take. And we just hope that you’re not trying this with the good Japanese kitchen knives.

1. Use A Vise

Since you don’t want the knife to slip or get away from you while sharpening it. And because you don’t want to slip and injure your fingers, you need to use a good vise for this process.

You’ll need to tighten the vise so that the knife stays securely in place during the sharpening. You definitely don’t want the blade to accidentally move while being sharpened by the Dremel.

2. Secure The Grinding Attachment

The grinding attachment is what does the heavy lifting when you’re sharpening the knife. But you need to make sure that it is securely attached to the Dremel.

So, before you start using the Dremel make certain that the grinding attachment is put in firmly and securely. Otherwise when you start it up and it begins to rotate quickly it could fly right off the tool and injure you.

3. Sharpen At The Right Angle

By now, your knife is securely in the vise and your Dremel has the grinding attachment securely attached. So, you’re ready to start the sharpening process.

Success is all about sharpening the knife at the proper angle.

You can either do this with the blade at a 25 degree angle or a 12.5 degree angle. The choice is yours to make.

  • A 25-degree angle means you sharpen one side at a time.
  • A 12.5-degree angle means you sharpen both sides at the same time.

Regardless of which angle you choose, the sharpening needs to begin at the blade’s base, which is where it is closest to the knife handle.

For the best results, you need to let the blade cool off before you go over it again with the Dremel.

4. Polish It

Once you’ve finished sharpening the knife, all that’s left to do it polish it.

You can still do this with the Dremel and whatever polishing compound that you prefer to use. 

Tips

Since this is a tricky process, it is a good idea to do a trial run with the Dremel and an old blade before you attempt to sharpen your kitchen knives.

There is a risk of flying metal shards when doing this, so be sure to wear safety goggle to protect your eyes. Most hardware stores have safety googles that you can buy, if you don’t already have some at home.

As previously mentioned, using a Dremel to sharpen a knife is not really a good idea. Instead, you should use a good whetstone like this one at Amazon.

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