Machete is a type of knife having a wider length and size. Machete is about 20 to 24 inches long and nearly 2 inches in width. It is a sharp, powerful and handy tool commonly used to chop or to cut fruits, vegetables, meat, or piece of wood. When you buy a Machete from the market, it comes with a razor-sharp factory edge, but the original sharpness starts falling slowly due to the usage and the time-span. To sharpen a Machete, one has to have the basic knowledge about how to handle and use the Machete. It also needs to have certain skills for sharpening the Machete with a careful approach.
Useful techniques for handling the Machete
The following steps will help you to understand various techniques to sharpen the Machete well. Machete is one of the risky tools needed to be handled with care and cautiousness. There are few techniques that help you to sharpen the Machete, but it needs careful handling and close observation.
The following given steps will tell you how to carefully and effectively handle a Machete while sharpening it using various tools.
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Handle with care
You need to find how to hold, handle, and move the Machete while sharpening it on a tool. Irrespective of the tool that you will use to sharpen the Machete, you have to hold the Machete tightly in hands and keep moving it with pressure. The long, razor-sharp edge of the Machete gets pressed along with the natural curve. You have to lean and press the Machete at a specific angle before changing the sides of the blade.
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Polish the edges
The long edge of the Machete needs to sharpen systematically from top to the end. You have to start from the tip and moving down slowly on the Machete. More you sharpen the edges of the Machete more, it shines. You have to keep the Machete finely honed from both sides by polishing it longer on a buffing wheel.
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Testing the Machete
Once you spend the time polishing the Machete and make it razor-sharp, then you have to test it for its cutting capability. You can use it on the hardwood to cut it into pieces swiftly. Even you can make use of paper-trick to find out how sharp are the edges of the Machete. When you run a piece of paper on the edges of the Machete, if it gets stuck instead of smoothly slicing, then you need to sharpen the Machete even more.
How to Sharpen a Machete
5 most effective ways will sharpen the Machete and make it bristly sharp within no time. There are many tools that are commonly used while making the Machetes sharper.
- Using Belt Sander with a Machete
The easiest and effective way of sharpening the Machete is to make use of belt sanders. It offers a convex sharpening technique that polishes and finishes the blades within a few minutes. The heat treatment makes the edges of Machete sharper than before. Belt sanders are highly preferred by the experts who handle the long edged Machetes well.
- Using a Grinder with a Machete
Grinding wheels is the most effective tool which not only cleans the dullness that lingers on the edges of the Machete but it also offers aggressive sharpening that polishes the edges and makes it sharper than before. The grinding wheels spun faster with higher speed and trimmed the edges to make it piercing sharp. The blade gets heated during the process and needed to cool down while sharpening. This technique is useful but not very common among Machete users.
- Using File with a Machete
There are a different set of files available for homeowners and professionals but primarily, it is a tool crafted out of metal, which is of high quality and long-lasting. The files are two different types. One type of file has a double cut on both sides and can be used to sharpen the edges of Machete effectively. And the other type of file has a single cut that has minimum impact on the Machete.
You need to push the file continuously on the edges for some time. Instead of pulling the Machete on the file, it is advised to push the file on the long blade of the Machete by changing its sides. Files are easy to hold and push repeatedly on the sides of blades till it gets sharp.
- Using Dremel with a Machete
Dremel is a handheld power tool that can be rotated. It has a sharpener attached at the end of the rotation bar. The power tool is placed on the Machete and runs on the edges. It polishes the edges of the blade alternately by repeating the sides. Dremel offers perfect sharpening within a short time. It is easy to use and offers the best results in the minimum time period. One has to be careful while sharpening the edges, which can turn uneven because the entire sharpening process is made part by part on the blade surface. But this tool is effective when handled carefully when used with control.
Using Whetstone/rock with a Machete
The traditional way of sharpening the Machete is to make use of Whetstone /rock. The stones are made up of sedimentary rocks and are used with water. You have to keep the stone in the water and for 5 to 10 minutes. Then apply the blade over the stone in a perpendicular manner from top to bottom. The blade, when pushed over the stone, makes it perfectly sharpened.
The process of sharpening the Machete is simple, and does’t need any technique at all. The whetstones are available in the market in variety and are highly useful in keeping the Machete shiny and sharp. It is one of the popular methods which most Machete users make use of most commonly.
Conclusion
The various sharpening tools and the sharpening methods are highly useful when followed carefully. Every Machete sharpening tool is easy to handle and need some practice. There is no hard and fast rule and one has to acquire the required skill by practice. But it certainly helps in keeping the Machete nicely sharpened.