Knife Sharpening - Cleaning Ceramic Rods

[mkl]

I'm a fan of the ceramic rod or "crock sticks" type of knife sharpeners.

The rods are great, but when they fill up with metal, getting the durn stuff off is a pain. I used Comet or similar cleaners for years with fair results -- until I found a cleaner that works wonders. I have used it for years on my stainless steel pots and pans; as I was pulling out a can of Comet to clean the ceramic rods, I saw a container of Cameo next to the Comet and said "What the heck, I'll try this just to see..." WOW

Go to your local grocery store and buy a container of CameO aluminum & stainless steel cleaner. It's usually in the store section with the other kitchen dish and pan cleaning supplies.

Try some of that on a damp coarse cloth or a "Scotch Bright" type of pan cleaning pad. It will remove 98% of the metal fouling in record time. Much faster and better than anything I've tried in the last 15 years.

Hope this tip relives some of your frustration re getting those rods really clean.

 

[g.willikers]

Or you could use one of these:
http://accusharp.com/
One of the best sharpeners I've found.
Most hardware stores have them, too.

 

[Kreyzhorse]

Thanks for the tip. I've used Comet and Scotch pads without too much of an issue but am always willing to try different methods.

 

[wuluf]

Years ago I bought a Lansky sharpener with two croc sticks. The store owner showed me how to clean the sticks with an art gum eraser. The metal just falls off along with the gum residue..