Use of sharpening "steels" on knives

[rich pierce]

I have a couple questions for knife makers and historical types regarding the use "sharpening steels" to sharpen knives. I have a large sharpening steel that is slightly ribbed. It quickly puts an edge on a knife that needs touching up. Even when fairly dull, a couple minutes and the edge is renewed. This seems faster than using a series of successively finer grained sharpening stones.

Questions:

• Is there any functional advantage or disadvantage to an edge maintained by using a steel versus stones? Durability, quality of edge, etc.
  
  I believe I have seen references to period use of sharpening steels by buffalo hunters. This is quite late. Are there indications in trade lists or by artifacts or references that steels were used in colonial times on the frontier by folks who were not butchers?
  

 

[jmforge]

A steel does not sharpen your edge. It realigns it.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I could be wrong (my wife will tell you I often am :haha: )

But a steel & a stone have two differing functions. Stones wear away metal from the blade (making a new surface) a steel alignes the metal of the tip of the blade. So you are really only bringing the edge back into alignment with a steel (still vary important).

So if you had a blade that had been in use on our western cedars with a bark that catches the fine sand from the wind, and your knife was butter knife dull a steel would do little good. If however you are skinning a deer and half way along find your edge is less keen, the steel is just the trick. In the 2nd case your knife isn't truly dull so much as the metal at the vary edge has laid over a bit & needs aligned.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Dang, Joe beat me to it by 3 min. :haha:

 

[rich pierce]

Thanks guys. I know it is common knowledge that a steel does not remove metal, but I'm not convinced a ribbed steel does not remove metal from the edge.

Here's a test. Take a dry fine diamond hone and rub the edge of a knife. Now wipe the edge clean with a white napkin. What's on the napkin? Steel. Ok we expected that.

Now what would you expect after a few strokes with a smooth steel? A clean napkin, right? How about the ribbed steel? If you've got a ribbed steel, try it yourself and tell us what you find, and how you interpret it.

 

[George]

I know it is common knowledge that a steel does not remove metal, but I'm not convinced a ribbed steel does not remove metal from the edge.

I have the same impression. Using a ribbed steel, if I just stroke lightly it realigns the edge, as per the book, but if I stroke harder and with the edge turned right, I can plainly see that the entire bevel is brightened, metal has been removed. And the knife is obviously sharper.

Spence

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Well as I am suppose to be cleaning I leapt at the chance to .... well to not be cleaning :wink: washed my kitchen steel (ribbed steel) & largest chef's knife, ran each across a clean white paper towel to make sure no mark was left. Then gave the blade a dozen strokes on each side. I wiped the blade & steel each on a dry white paper towel.

No mark could be seen on the knife towel, and only the faintest barely discernible light gray could be seen on the towel for the steel. As I have sharpened this knife on my fine (light tan almost white) stone I can tell you each stroke leaves what looks like a lead pencil mark on the stone. Each mark far darker then left by 24 strokes on the ribbed steel. So I would conclude that if a ribbed steel removes metal (by visual inspection) It dose so at a rate of less then 1/24th that of my fine stone. :idunno:


Post script: that steel is 10+ years old so your mileage may vary

 

[coloradoclyde]

I have experienced what you are referring to.

While the function of a steel is to realign the edge and not re-sharpen it. not all steels are created equal.

If we want to split hairs then yes all steels will remove some metal.

BUT! the design and quality of a steel will make this more or less visible. I will also add that some steels are more aggressive than others. (quality usually makes the difference).

I have one steel that is so ribbed and removes so much metal that it is almost impossible to sharpen a knife with it.

A good steel and a good stone should be treasured just like a good knife.

I will also add that the type of steel the knife is made from make a difference.

 

[rich pierce]

Sean, I got almost identical results. I took a butcher knife that was dull enough that I could see the edge looking directly at it, washed the steel,washed the knife, rubbed them dry and did the "residue" test. Clean. Then after an aggressive sharpening on the ribbed steel, I wiped the edge on a clean white napkin and saw a faint, faint residue. Nothing like what I'd see from using a stone. So it apparently removes some, but very, very little steel from the edge. It's darn effective and I wonder if a knife used all day, every day, would last longer if regularly touched up with a steel versus going to the stone.

Still wish I knew if there were references to "longhunters" taking a sharpening steep with them on a hunt.

 

[BrownBear]

I know it is common knowledge that a steel does not remove metal, but I'm not convinced a ribbed steel does not remove metal from the edge.

I'm with you. Whatever is "supposed" to be going on, knife blades sure get skinnier after lots of steel use. Deceased father-in-law was a butcher and used only a steel. All his knives we have now are really skinny compared to their younger days. And he never used a stone. In my own youthful days working in fish plants, the blades would wear down to nothing without ever getting near a stone.

I got it! They work by evaporating away the blade edge! :rotf:

 

[coloradoclyde]

The residue is caused by friction! and yes you should steel your knife before each use for best results.

 

[smoothshooter]

Don't know the purpose of the ribs on some steels; perhaps they add aggressiveness to the realignment process. I do know some professional meat cutters, upon receipt of a new steel, will wrap sandpaper around the steel and rub rapidly up and down along the length of the steel for many minutes and remove most or all traces of the ribs.

 

[Claude Mathis]

[youtube]Teh0Cw84QGQ[/youtube]

 

[huntinguy]

if I had to guess, and guess is what I do best. I would say the residue is smearing and what the steel is actually doing is raising and forming a burr. The ribs would make a smaller point of contact hence making more pressure to form the burr.

check out how to sharpen a scraper.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

One thing that hasn't come up in this discussion is that for the past decade or two, "steels", both smooth and ribbed, may also be diamond impregnated. I have a variety of "steels" including ceramic, and the most aggressive one is a fairly long ribbed one of reasonably recent manufacture (last decade or two) that I am fairly sure has to be diamond impregnated. Next most aggressive come some of the ceramics. On the other end of the scale, I have one that appears to be some decades old, medium to smaller for a kitchen steel, quite hard, and worn very smooth, that is exquisite for JUST realigning the edge.

Regards,
Joel

 

[Greenjoytj]

The steels I've used all have fine score marks running the full length of the metal rod. I always thought the sharpening steel was just a file, with its teeth cut in such a way as to make the teeth cut with the fast wiping motions performed while using a steel to sharpen a knife.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I think you answered your own question.

It quickly puts an edge on a knife that needs touching up.

Steels do not sharpen they only touch up the edge. Ceramic and tungsten can sharpen. I have one of those 'V' sharpening gizzies in my range box and use it to keep my patch knife sharp. For field use I have a diamond impregnated 'steel'.

 

[Vaino]

My understanding of using a steel is that it mainly raises the burr and in the process, does remove a slight amount of steel.

Steeling, seeing it just affects the very edge will "belly" a blade and sooner or later the knives are sent out to be sharpened which removes the "belly" and reshapes the blade's cutting edges. The "belly" is a rounding of the blade adjacent to the cutting edge.

A steel is a portable sharpening device but it's effects don't last that long because the "burr" is flexible and disorients so the blade will need steeling quite often depending on the steel used for the blade.

Before elk hunting 4-5 knives are sharpened so that they could be used to shave one's beard. The amount of cutting that will dull the knives depends on the steel quality and hardness. During the field dressing of an elk, especially the skinning, the knife cutting edge does dull and are resharpened w/ "V" mounted sharpening stones. We do not use a steel because of the relatively short term effect of just raising a burr and it's subsequent disorienting.

When the elk camp has been setup, a warning is given as to the sharpness of the knives, including those used in the camp, but one guy didn't heed the warning and ended up in the hospital w/ serious cuts due to lack of common sense. It's said that a dull knife is worse than a sharp knife....only if one respects a very sharp knife.....Fred

 

[crockett]

I don't think ceramic sticks are the same as a steel. I have an old ribbed steel- been in the family for generations and if I wipe it down after using it- a little gray so it is removing some metal but generally it takes a turned over or out of line edge and straightens it out. On ceramic sticks- I always thought they remove metal. I think diamond sticks are the same- remove metal.

 

[Vaino]

I agree w/ the difference between a steel and ceramic stones. The knives I sharpen w/ various grades of stones have a cutting edge shape that lends itself to being resharpened w/ stones. The sharpness lasts a long time and have one knife thar completely field dressed an elk, including the skinning w/o having to be sharpened...this is an exception of course.

I worked in a meat department in my younger days and the steel was used quite often because it's effects were short lived because the wire edge or burr folded over. The steel then was used quite artfully and fast in reorienting the wire edge or burr.....Fred