Butcher's steel removing metal?

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bsjoelbs

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Jan 2, 2005
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It seems that my butcher's steel is taking metal off my knife. I heard that butcher's steel arn't supposed to remove metal, just realign the edge. My butchers steel has ridges on it. Why is it doing that?
 
bsjoelbs said:
It seems that my butcher's steel is taking metal off my knife. I heard that butcher's steel arn't supposed to remove metal, just realign the edge. My butchers steel has ridges on it. Why is it doing that?
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Because it is not a GOOD butcher's steel!
Get a good one from here.
 
I believe that a real "butcher's steel" is perfectly smooth. Anything that has grit or ridges is a steel, but not a butcher's steel. For some reason, smooth steels are somewhat difficult to find. I got a steel a couple of months ago at a local cutlery shop that does a lot of business with a large cooking academy across the street. They don't even stock butcher's steels. The best they have is an "extra-fine" with shallow ridges. None of the many local department stores or kitchen stores (Williams-Sonoma, etc) carried smooth steels.
 
There are a lot of steels out there. I'm not going to argue about which types are true "butcher's steels" but let me tell you about the varieties that I've seen. The most common steels that I have seen with knife sets have rough ridges. These do not function to smooth the edge as you would expect from a steel, they are really crappy round files. They can be useful for people with no other tools for sharpening their knives. They will scrape material off of the edge and leave a very coarse finish that will slice fairly well. In the process the high stresses along the narrow ribs will over stress the edge and leave it cracked and brittle. Avoid these since they will wear out your edge fast and leave weak edges. If you are stuck in a mountain cabin with nothing else try and use them with only very very light pressure.

The next step up are premium or sometimes antique ribbed steels. These have ribs (or sometimes they are squarish in shape and have edges), but they have smooth surfaces. These can actually smooth, burnish, and realign your edge without removing material. The problem is that they apply very high local stresses along your edge and can leave you with a weakened edge due to metal fatique. If you use these you need to go very very light on your pressure.

The best steels are simply smooth on the outside. These do not shave off metal and they are less inclined to fatigue your edge in use. Just be sure to use light pressure and as few strokes as possible if you want to maximise the strength of your finished edge and maximise its lifespan.
 
I was watching a cooking show where they were discussing how to steel. Of course they used a ridged "steel" on the blade and then said that you can steel your knives but to sharpen them you must have a professional do it.

Ugh.. with that steel they WERE sharpening the knives/removing material.:rolleyes:

Smooth steel = realign the edge.

Ridged or diamond "Steel" = sharpening device.
 
If you're drawing the edge of the blade across the serrated steel like you would using a crock stick, it will remove steel.
This is not how to use a serrated steel.
You push the edge down the steel, back of blade to tip, to make micro-serrations on the blade edge, and it will remove very little metal. This does not work well for high hardness blades, though.
On a smooth steel, you draw the blade across the steel, burnishing the metal toward the edge.
I don't use steels much anymore. I stone sharpen and strop.

Howie
 
I have a 1935 era F Dick ridged steel. The ridges are smooth and don't necessarily remove metal any more than a smooth steel. The ridges have smaller radius and provide a higher pressure in burnishing the edge. My dad purchased this piece new and used it as a butcher for many years. It works well for use on boners to steakers or skinners. The key to using this piece is to listen to the pitch of contact. As the edge straightens the pitch increases, when the pitch quits changing you are done. If you continue to steel the piece it will keep flexing the edge until the edge fails and the piece will then need to be rehoned. Usually 3-5 passes a side will accomplish all the steel can do to help maintain the edge. I've sharpened many knives that have been steeled dull.
 
There are some diamond sharpening steels that look like butchers steels. Could it be that you have one of those?
 
Ed Schempp said:
The ridges have smaller radius and provide a higher pressure in burnishing the edge.
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That's the key for me, right there. On my "normal" using knives, I steel the edges with a reverse stroke on the Sharpmaker, the spine of another knife, a ceramic steel, alumiinum conduit, any number of things. On a big chopper, after an accidental impact with a rock or something, I use a Henckel's "butcher's" steel, that is ridged. It lets me put a lot more force on the edge without slipping over the damaged portion to force the displaced metal back into place.
 
OwenM said:
That's the key for me, right there. On my "normal" using knives, I steel the edges with a reverse stroke on the Sharpmaker, the spine of another knife, a ceramic steel, alumiinum conduit, any number of things. On a big chopper, after an accidental impact with a rock or something, I use a Henckel's "butcher's" steel, that is ridged. It lets me put a lot more force on the edge without slipping over the damaged portion to force the displaced metal back into place.
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I know butchers that use slightly ribbed steels. some use a glass rod. I like a very fine ceramic rod that with very light pressure is just right for me
 
The reason your steel is removing metal is that you are pressing the edge against it. In other words, you are trying to remove metal. That simply indicates your knife needs sharpening. A steel should turn the burr with a single, light swipe with no pressure at all. If it doesn't the blade is dull. It doesn't matter what kind of steel you use. A pot lid makes a useable steel. It's really just that simple.
 
Nobody has realized the obvious, the knife is soft as butter and just about anything will take off steel this soft. The softer the knife blade the smoother and less agressive the steel design must be.
 
Great timing on this topic, as I've been thinking lately about buying a steel to go in the knife block in our kitchen.

One question: Is a steel an essential piece of gear? Every 10 days or so, I use my Crock Sticks to touch up the kitchen knives my wife and I use most. If I "steel" them more often, will they hold an edge longer? Or should I just Crock Stick 'em more often? (Wait, that's more than one question!)
 
A steel is used to maintain the level of sharpness on a knife by re-aligning the edge, without actually sharpening (removing metal). Steels are critical for butchers, chefs and others that use knives constantly because they don't want the down-time of actual sharpening if they can steel quickly and get the edge back, and they don't want the expense of unnecessarily wearing down their knives. Even for people that don't use their knives constantly, it does make sense to use a steel regularly, and ideally you should use it every time you use a knife. Whenever I wash kitchen knives, they don't go back onto the magnetic strip until they are steeled. And yes, I don't have to sharpen as often which is fine with me.

However, some people on this board actually ENJOY sharpening. For those hopelessly twisted individuals, there's not much point in using a steel.
 
Julian Elliot said:
However, some people on this board actually ENJOY sharpening. For those hopelessly twisted individuals, there's not much point in using a steel.
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What? Huh? Did I miss something? I heard somebody meantioning my name? :D

Hey, thanks Ed, for the tip, I have to pay attention to the pitch next time. But yes indeed, I don't use a steel much :).
 
From what i've heard from my cuttlery expert (guy behind the counter) the butcher steel (whatever you want to call it) should be slightly softer than the knife steel itself... if you are running yoru hand over the steel and finding it leaves some in your hand.... well somethings gotta give..if you have good knives im guessing it's yoru steel that is wearing.

Hope this helps
Hydraulicman
 
Hydraulicman said:
From what i've heard from my cuttlery expert (guy behind the counter) the butcher steel (whatever you want to call it) should be slightly softer than the knife steel itself...
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Common practice is exactly the opposite. Steels are normally made harder than the blade steel. The truth is that it doesn't matter. What matters is how the steel used, not what it is made from.
 
Now let me get this straight.....


Okay I'm an admitted "newbie" to the forum, but you're saying that a real steel has no grooves, and basically just straightens the "bent" cutting edge of a knife? I've never looked at a knife edge under a micrscope so to me it would be a surprise if some really brittle blade steel were actually bent.

Also, since a real steel could not remove metal, you can't actually sharpen with it at all, but just bend the cutting edge back into alignment?
 
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