How to hold a steel

S

Subster

Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
2
Hey guys,

I was at a new job today, steeling my knife, when the owner walked past. Now, I have always put the point of the steel down on a towel when using it(stable steel=more consistent angle + safer). Anyways, the owner got on me about not knowing how to use a steel, that I was using it backwards and therefore the "teeth" were ruining my knife. He did this whole spiel about 40 years in the industry, sharpening knives before you were born, etc, blah blah blah, ad nauseum. He grabbed a steel and a knife and did the whole carnival act of steeling it. A $5 bet is riding on this. Is there a wrong(meaning ruinous to the blade) way to hold a steel? Or for that matter, am I the only one out there that puts the point of the steel on a solid surface & towel to use it?

M
 
Your new boss is a noob that only thinks he knows what he is doing.

By your description I would say he was moving the blade very fast slapping the steel? This is the wrong way, you on the other had were using it correctly.

A steel burnishes the edge (look up metal burnishing) and no it does not re-align "teeth".

Read some of the threads in my sig, they will also help to understand the edge.
 
Subster said:
Hey guys,

I was at a new job today, steeling my knife, when the owner walked past. Now, I have always put the point of the steel down on a towel when using it(stable steel=more consistent angle + safer). Anyways, the owner got on me about not knowing how to use a steel, that I was using it backwards and therefore the "teeth" were ruining my knife. He did this whole spiel about 40 years in the industry, sharpening knives before you were born, etc, blah blah blah, ad nauseum. He grabbed a steel and a knife and did the whole carnival act of steeling it. A $5 bet is riding on this. Is there a wrong(meaning ruinous to the blade) way to hold a steel? Or for that matter, am I the only one out there that puts the point of the steel on a solid surface & towel to use it?

M
Click to expand...

Yeah, the way your boss is doing it will ruin a knife very easily. Especially if you're using a grooved steel.

Then again don't take my word for it, there's a lot of reputable professionals that recommend steeling just like that. John Juranitch reccomends it in his book.
 
also, look up the paper by Verhoeven: experiments on knife sharpening.
He states about steeling:
"1 These experiments confirm the recommendation of Juranitch [2] that optimum edge formation in the steeling process requires the use of only a few strokes at a light pressure. Using more than 2 back and forth strokes led to a roughing of the edge by break-off of ledges along the edge of the blade.
2 The steeling process does not offer an improvement in edge quality with respect to edge straightness, edge roughness or edge width over that obtained with the fine 1000 grit Tru Hone wheels, and is slightly detrimental."
 
Print out a 10-page report, with sources, on how to steel a knife. Include some pictures as well. Get into the details of what exactly steeling does to a knife's edge.
 
Thanks a lot guys. I did a little googling and found a couple sites that I emailed the boss.

M
 
Ask Ben Dale of Edge Pro that's his method. One of the biggest problems with steeling
is angle retention ,your method is the best freehand form for angle memory.The second major problem is ripping off the edge by using to much force,if you let the blade drop to the towel by gravity alone you can get a good long lasting edge.
I do cooking and knife sharpening for a living,my biggest "enemy" is the heavy used steel. I think the 5$ is yours,BUT having been both a boss and a worker that $5 may
cost you a lot . No one likes a "wise ass " especially a new guy,if your boss tells you to sharpen knife on knife that's the way you should. (especially a chef)just my.02
 
mordi said:
No one likes a "wise ass " especially a new guy,if your boss tells you to sharpen knife on knife that's the way you should. (especially a chef)just my.02
Click to expand...
yeah, so choose to keep your mouth shut and roll over, or tell him the truth :D
 
zyhano said:
yeah, so choose to keep your mouth shut and roll over, or tell him the truth :D
Click to expand...

I told the truth to many times,starting in the army! I'm just trying to save
a young guy some hassle.It takes a very strong ego to accept a better method from a new subordinate.

Not backtracking but I just looked at the instructions on a Victoria
oval steel that I sell and the method shown is exactly as your boss said. i.e.in the air
and towards you.It looks that like everything else there are two schools of thought.
 
Everything seems to have been covered here except your question about the point of the Steel.

Yeah, I have seen others do that (fold up a towel anchor the steel into it and then carefully steel a knife or two). I have used a slightly different spin on that...I set the towel down on the edge of the counter, and lay the tip of the steel on it with the steel oriented parallel to the counter top. I like to work off horizontal instead of vertical.

These days I do not use a steel much, but when I did, I never noticed or heard of directionality...a steel is supposed to be smooth, so I am not sure what your boss is getting at?

If years of experience actually made something correct, the earth would be flat!
 
I say a contest is in order. Get a couple of knives from the kitchen, you steel your way, the boss steels the other. See which is sharper afterward. For the record, I use your method of putting the steel down point first. There's no way I'm banging the edge of my carefully honed knife into a steel rod, while also moving it toward my hand.

I've watched many a youtube video about sharpening and steeling. One thing I notice is that the "usual" method of steeling very fast toward yourself almost always misses the very tip and very base of the blade. It only gets maybe the middle 2/3 of the edge. Another thing is angle control is right out the window, as is pressure control. Steeling is a controversial topic. Why that is, I'm not sure. Verhoeven, Janich, and some others have proof of what happens at the edge when steeling. They took pictures.
 
unit said:
Everything seems to have been covered here except your question about the point of the Steel.

Yeah, I have seen others do that (fold up a towel anchor the steel into it and then carefully steel a knife or two). I have used a slightly different spin on that...I set the towel down on the edge of the counter, and lay the tip of the steel on it with the steel oriented parallel to the counter top. I like to work off horizontal instead of vertical.
Click to expand...

As I understand it (from many different chefs and meat cutters) the purpose of a steel is to simply re-align the edge of your knife or to slightly hone the edge. When I use a steel (which is rarely), I also like to keep the steel as close to parallel to the counter top as possible. Then control the knife just as if you were working on a stone.

unit said:
These days I do not use a steel much, but when I did, I never noticed or heard of directionality...a steel is supposed to be smooth, so I am not sure what your boss is getting at?

If years of experience actually made something correct, the earth would be flat!
Click to expand...

There are three types of steels: the smooth type you describe, one with cuts running the length of the steel and one with slight cuts that resemble fish scales or snake skin These range in order from non-aggressive straighteners to very aggressive hones. The latter two can actually remove steel from the edge of your knife, especially a thinly ground kitchen knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top