How To Dull Your Knife: 4 Proven Ways to Consider

There are a lot of ways to sharpen your knife. I’ve written several articles on this already. But have you ever wondered how to dull your blade?

This might sound crazy at first, but dull blades do have their uses. That’s why knowing how to unsharpen your knife is also important. We spend a lot of time learning how to properly sharpen, but very little on the opposite.

Today, I’m going to share with you 4 safe and easy ways you can dull your blade. So without further adieu, let’s get started.

How to Dull a Knife?

Before we get started, you should know that knives lose their sharpness over time. If you always use your knife, it will lose its edge eventually. If you misuse your knife, it will go dull faster (we’ll also take a look at this later).

What we’re going to look at today are a few techniques. These techniques are how to speed up the natural dulling process. This way, you can turn a sharp blade into a blunt one in no time.

Use a Sharpening Stone

That’s right. The same tool you use for sharpening your knives can also be used to dull them. This is why proper technique is so important when you are sharpening. If you use wrong techniques, you’ll end up dulling your blade instead.

To purposely dull your blade in your sharpening stone, stroke your knife against the stone at the wrong angle. We know that you have to use a precise angle to get your blade sharp. That’s why to unsharpen it, use a bad angle.

You may be tempted to rub the edge flat on the stone. This will dull your knife, but it is also dangerous. When you do this, you may damage your knife as well by chipping it.

To dull your knife in a safe way, try to round the edge instead of flattening it. Use a high angle when you stroke it against the stone. This will dull your blade without destroying it.

Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Use Sandpaper

Another way to dull your blade is by using sandpaper. You should be very careful when you do this. If your knife is sharp, it can cut through the sandpaper and get to your skin. That’s why you should be cautious when you use sandpaper. Safety first always.

The goal remains the same, round the edge of your knife. Sandpaper makes it easy for you to do this. When using this, you will find that you have full control over the shape of the edge. Whenever it is too sharp, you can round it. If it gets too flat, you can round it easily as well.

When you use sandpaper, make sure you work only on the edge of your blade. Again, you don’t want to damage your knife. If you sand the body of your knife, it will scratch and look terrible.

Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Use Concrete

No sharpening stone or sandpaper around? Use concrete instead! Concrete is a very hard material. And as we’ve seen in one of my previous articles, you can use concrete to sharpen your knife.

Today, we’re going to look at how concrete can dull your knife. Concrete is a great way to do this because there’s concrete everywhere. Even when you’re on the road, you’re surrounded by concrete.

Use concrete to dull your blade the same way you would use a sharpening stone. Using a high angle, round the edge until it won’t cut anymore.

Last update on 2024-02-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Use Your Knife

Last but not least, use your knife. Use your knife against things it shouldn’t be cutting. There are reasons why we don’t use kitchen knives for rope or wood. It’s because when you do, it’ll dull the blade fast.

When your purpose is to dull your blade though, things change. Then you actually want to use your knife on ropes and wood. Then you want to use your knife on bones and hard material.

Keep in mind that this is not the best way to dull your blade. It isn’t controlled, so there’s a chance you’ll destroy your blade instead. You don’t want chips on your blade, but that is what you may get with this method.

Don’t use this method unless there is no other way. The other 3 are a lot better for rounding the edge of your blade compared to this one. They are much safer as well.

How Knives go Dull?

Now that we know how to dull your knives, let’s now take a look at how knives go dull?. To keep your knives sharp, you need to take care of them. Sadly, I see a lot of people mistreating their knives. They don’t take care of them and wonder why they go dull so fast.

If you find that your knives don’t stay sharp long, you may be doing something wrong. Let’s take a look at some common mistakes a lot of people make.

No Cutting Board

One big mistake a lot of home cooks make is not using a cutting board. This doesn’t only damage your counter, but it also damages your knife. Whenever your knife hits a hard surface, it folds and dents. This makes it dull.

That’s why whenever I’m in the kitchen, I always use a cutting board. It’s not enough to use a plate as a cutting board either. This is because any material that is harder than steel will damage your knife.

Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Using a Dishwasher

Keeping your knives clean is very important. That said, do not use a dishwasher. Some knives are advertised as dishwasher friendly, don’t buy into it.

When you place your knife in a dishwasher, expect it to go dull. The hot water can affect the steel of your knife, causing it to lose its edge. What’s more, dishwashers can also damage the handle of your knife. Finally, dishwashing your knives will cause them to rust. Even stainless steel will start to rust when you do this.

This is why I always clean my knife by hand. It’s easy, safe, and you won’t have to worry about dulling your knife.

Last update on 2024-03-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Misusing Your Knife

Have you ever used a kitchen knife for chopping meat? Or a cleaver for cutting skin? Our knives were made for specific uses. When we misuse these, they get dull and damaged.

This is why it is very important to know what your knife was made for. When you know this, you will prolong its sharpness a lot. Misuse is one of the most common ways to dull your blade.

Conclusion

It does sound odd to purposely dull your blade. But as I’ve said before, it does have its uses. That’s why knowing the proper and safe way to do this is a good skill to have in your pocket.

Aside from this, you also now know common errors that a lot of newbies make with their knives. These errors are what cause knives to go dull very fast. With this knowledge, you can avoid these, and keep your knives sharp for a much longer time.