Sharpening Steel

[beemer]

I picked up a nice 12" Dexter sharpening steel minus the handle out of the $2 box at a flea market this weekend. The guy didn't have a clue what it was, seems most people don't. A good Dexter steel goes for around $40 and up so I added a nice new turned mahogany handle and came out good.

I've always liked good sharpening tools and have a couple shoe boxes of good quality stones including 5-6 steels.

Anyone else here use a steel ? I keep one for kitchen knives and even use one on my edc knives. You can touch a knife up quickly without having to drag out the rocks. Touching up the existing edge save a lot of wear over honing.

Dave

[Winger Ed.]

I'm more of a diamond stone guy, but had a buddy that was a big fan of them.

He had a tall jar with a hole in the lid to stand one in with a little vinegar in the bottom
to rejuvenate them when they got slick and didn't work well anymore or he picked up a antique one.

[Gofaaast]

I prefer a 3 way stone, ceramic steel, and a properly prepared F. Dick steel. I can sharpen and maintain the edge on any traditional knife with this combination.

[gon2shoot]

Been using one for about 45 years, fast and easy to shavin sharp.

[tominboise]

Steel works great. Kitchen knives get treated once a week or so. Also work to sharpen serrated blades.

[Scrounge]

I picked up a nice 12" Dexter sharpening steel minus the handle out of the $2 box at a flea market this weekend. The guy didn't have a clue what it was, seems most people don't. A good Dexter steel goes for around $40 and up so I added a nice new turned mahogany handle and came out good.

I've always liked good sharpening tools and have a couple shoe boxes of good quality stones including 5-6 steels.

Anyone else here use a steel ? I keep one for kitchen knives and even use one on my edc knives. You can touch a knife up quickly without having to drag out the rocks. Touching up the existing edge save a lot of wear over honing.

Dave

My dad was trained as a meat cutter when he was young, and taught me a little of it. Especially using the steel to touch up a knife. I've had a couple of steels. Nothing of a really good brand, but adequate for what I do with then.

[trebor44]

Steels are great for knife touch up. Even the cheap ones work. It is an 'art form' to effectively use one. Awesome find!

[smithnframe]

I don't use them.......I use a 70's vintage Loray tool. Absolute perfect edge every time!

[RU shooter]

Learned to use a steel working at the butcher shop great for touch up work but if its really dull the stone or grinding belt gets the nod . The way the old butcher man explained to me the steel just straighten up the edge said the blade gotta have a decent edge to start with .

[KCSO]

Bench stones and a steel for most of my sharpening and stone and strop for the straight razor. My best steel came from my grandfather and is more than 100 years old, wait or is that ME.

[quilbilly]

My father was a butcher who insisted I learn to use one. It was only a few years ago that I realized there is another use for sharpening steels - as a flaring tool for preparing cases for cast boolits. The tapered tip is perfect for just putting a light flare on rifle cases. Mine flares all my rifles cases from .25 to .338. It doesn't take any metal off the case which also extends the life of the brass.

[gwpercle]

I'm a steel sharpening guy !
The main reason you don't see them used is there are no systems or guides ...you have a knife in one hand a steel in the other and you either have the knowledge and skill to use it or it just dumb founds you and you give up .
My Daddy and brother were both professional butchers ... I watched them and picked it up .
What I really like is how fast I can sharpen a knife , a quick 2-3 passes and it's sharp , no muss no fuss no system no oils !
I even steel my pocket knives !
It might be a "lost art" soon ... I'm 70 and don't know anyone who can sharpen with a steel .
Gary

[beemer]

It doesn't surprise me that guys here use a steel and sharpen their own knives, we just have a different mindset. The steel is not an end all but another good tool to have.

I have been pestered for years about sharpening knives, especially around hunting season. It seems most don't care to even learn, I've offered to help but no takers.

I have a bunch of rocks and razor hones but my favorites are India stones followed by a Arkansas stone and a leather strop. My Dad taught me the basics when I was six, gave me a Tree Brand, a small rock and some instructions. I guess I am fortunate that I have a built in angle and never used a guide. Anyway it is nice to here your comments to what used to be a common skill but is becoming a lost art.

Dave

[Rex]

I don't have the skill with one that I would like but I can redo the edge with one.

[edler7]

I have a Henckels steel I bought back in the early 70’s, use it often.

A buddy of mine worked in a packing plant and told me they would take their steels home and hang them in a gallon jar overnight to rust them. The jar had a hole in the lid big enough to fit the steel but not the handle in, so it would hang. They poured a small amount of vinegar in the jar and the fumes would rust the steel overnight. He claimed the steels were used so much that the grooves in them would get clogged with blade particles and become slick and not cut as efficiently. Rusting cleaned them out. I tried it and it did seem like my steel had more “bite” than before and it took fewer strokes to get the job done.

[Petrol & Powder]

Learned to use a steel working at the butcher shop great for touch up work but if its really dull the stone or grinding belt gets the nod . The way the old butcher man explained to me the steel just straighten up the edge said the blade gotta have a decent edge to start with .

This is precisely what I was taught years ago.
A stone is used to sharpen a knife and a steel is used to straighten the edge.

You can "touch up" a knife with a steel but you can't sharpen a knife with a steel.

[fcvan]

This is precisely what I was taught years ago.
A stone is used to sharpen a knife and a steel is used to straighten the edge.

You can "touch up" a knife with a steel but you can't sharpen a knife with a steel.

I will have to mildly disagree. You can use a steel to sharpen a knife and it will take a very long time to do so. It is better to start with a stone to set the proper bevel and a steel to keep it in tune. However, if you have a bad edge because of poor technique, it will take a very long time to set a correct beveled edge with a steel. By the time you do, you will have developed the 'muscle memory' of how to instinctively draw the edge of the blade on the steel.

With technique comes proficiency, and later the confidence to work the steel with increased speed. This is how I was instructed by a butcher friend. Although I don't sharpen every day or even every week, I start out slow and let my pace increase as my confidence returns. Back then, I was butchering 9 - 12 rabbits every 2 weeks, and made quick work of the task.

I am proud to say, when my girls were little, they did not eat store bought meat or vegetables for 3 years. They are grown women now, and are trying to set themselves up to feed their families without dealing with growth hormones and such. They watched me can vegetables, meat, fish, etc (I use a tin can sealer, not jars) but mostly pick the dinner salad and veggies each day before dinner. They know you have to 'kill it to grill it' and are not squeamish about that. They also learned that you name pets, you don't name your food. When it comes to the knives though, I get 'invited' to touch up their blades. Well, not the oldest daughter, she married a chef. That guy can work a steel!

[JimB..]

I don’t find that a steel works very well for me with today’s knives. The knives are too hard and end up mostly sharp but a little chippy, I prefer a ceramic rod for them.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Picked up a helical cut steel a while back. Very aggressive, almost like a file. Puts a fast "toothy" edge on. Great for fish and meat.

[RU shooter]

Picked up a helical cut steel a while back. Very aggressive, almost like a file. Puts a fast "toothy" edge on. Great for fish and meat.
never heard of a helical cut , Is that a product of days gone by or they still make them ?

[Gewehr-Guy]

I remember having a Rev-O-Nok? steel, and a very large F. Dick with German silver ferule and a swivel and small chain on the handle. Both looked to be of superior quality,haven't seen them in years. Now I use a plastic handled cheap looking one, maybe a Dexter, but works well.

What is the proper way to maintain a steel when using with older carbon steel butcher knives? I've used some emery paper on them, but not sure if that is the way they were meant to be used.