Meat grinder is a very useful device in the kitchen, but over time the quality and productivity of its work can deteriorate. This is manifested by the fact that with the rotation of the handle it is necessary to exert more effort, and the final product does not look grinded, but transmitted. Such a change in the operational properties of the meat mincer is due to the fact that its cutting surfaces have become blunted and developed. To solve the problem, some people seek help from a specialist who has the experience and the necessary grinding equipment, and, of course, they pay for it. Others just buy a new meat grinder. But in the adoption of such cardinal measures there is no need, since it is possible to restore the ability of this device to function normally and at home without anyone's help.
How does the meat grinder work and what parts of it may need sharpening?
First of all, you need to understand the principle of the operation of this device. When you put a product into the receiving hole of the meat grinder to grind any product and start to rotate its handle, the following processes occur inside the device.
- The spiral blades of the auger grasp what you have laid, and push the working mass to the exit.
- Some parts of the product are pressed into the holes of a stationary knife - a round grating plate fixed to the exit of the meat grinder.
- A movable four-blade knife located at the end of the screw spiral cuts them off from the total mass;
- Each next batch of incoming material pushes out the previous one.
The cutting edges of a movable knife tend to be gradually blunted, which naturally affects the efficiency of the meat mincer. But the quality of processing of the product also largely depends on the harmonious interaction of the rotating and stationary knife. If there is too much distance between their cutting surfaces, the movable knife will not cut, but tear and press the working mass entering the processing. This is due to the gradual production of metal.
If you look closely, you can see that the surface of both knives near the holes intended for their fastening on the axis is slightly higher than in the places that are involved in the cutting process. But the technology requires that these parts have one level on their entire surface. Due to this, the cutting edges of each of the four blades of the rotating knife will almost completely rest against the surface of the fixed grating plate. The situation can be corrected by mechanical processing of the worked surfaces. This is a simple procedure, but it is important to perform it correctly.
The technology of sharpening the movable and stationary knife in-house
If you decide to restore the functional parts of the meat grinder to normal at home, you will need a grinding bar with fine abrasive elements, the width of its working surface should be not less than 80 mm, and the length notless than 150 mm.
Advice for
It is best to purchase a new stone, since the abrasive surface must be perfectly flat, that is, without working out, to achieve uniformity in the processing of metal.
It is also worthwhile to prepare some water in advance so that it is at hand when you need to wet the grindstone. In addition, it is desirable to fix the bar so that it does not break during operation.
You can first machine a fixed knife, as it will have to be sharpened longer. To do this, perform the following operations:
- moisten the abrasive surface with water;
- press the grate against it with the inner side, with which the four-lobed knife interacts with the mechanism;
- pressing on the center of the part, in a circular motion, rub it against the surface of the bar, while turning all the time around its axis.
To monitor the process of grinding the metal surface, you should periodically inspect it. If everything is done correctly, first of all those places where there is no output will be worn out. They will be immediately visible, as these parts of the surface will acquire a brilliant appearance. With further processing, these areas will gradually expand until the entire processed side of the part becomes shiny, which means that its surface has leveled off.
Board
Do not forget to wet the grindstone so that crumbled and crushed abrasive particles, mixing with water, form an interlayer of a kind of paste that will help a smoother grinding.
The rotating knife will be easier to sharpen, since its surface area is much smaller than the stationary one. The procedure for performing this procedure does not differ from that described in the above list. In the process of machining a part, it is important to ensure that the surfaces of all four blades of the movable knife interacting with the grid do not have depressions and protrusions and are on the same level. It is important to always perform visual control during processing, so as not to remove more metal than necessary. If, even after sharpening, the cutting edges of the blades of the movable knife turned out not to be sharp enough, it is possible to carefully gently ground them on the reverse side with a filigree or electric emery.