Sharpening Steels

[jvan]

Do they work?
Do they replace a strop?
Do they harm any knives?

Thanks.

 

[mikeymoto]

In my limited experience I have found steels are most commonly used to (re)align the edge, not sharpen it. If a steel has an abrasive on it then I'd call it a hone. Try using the search function in this Toolshed forum and see other threads about using steels.

Do they work?
I think they work. I have used a smooth steel to realign a rolled/deformed edge before stropping.

Do they replace a strop?
Not in my newbie opinion. A steel realigns and does not remove metal, while a strop polishes by removing trace amounts of metal.

Do they harm any knives?
Probably. I think it is debatable whether or not they are good or bad for modern steel edges, when used properly. When used improperly, they can undoubtedly harm an edge. I'm sure you probably wouldn't benefit from steeling a ceramic knife, for example.

 

[Salamander42]

I would say the one that came with my kitchen knives works very well on them and on a few other blades that I've used it on. I don't know much about strops, but I think that strops and steels are two tools for two separate purposes. If used properly I don't think that a steel will harm any knife. If used improperly you can really screw up your edge, but it probably wouldn't cause so much damage that it couldn't be fairly easily fixed on a bench stone or a good sharpening system.

 

[FlyingMuskrat]

In Verhoeven's study it appears that steeling works best in moderation. He often experienced edge breakage when he did 15 strokes per side. In the study 2-5 strokes seemed to work better.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

It is far more effective to use an abrasive of suitable grit. Steeling on a smooth steel simply deforms the edge of the knife and puts it in a highly stressed state. The resulting edge retention is very low (as in ~10% or less) compared to as-sharpened.

-Cliff

 

[jvan]

Thanks for all the help.

John

 

[mikeymoto]

It is far more effective to use an abrasive of suitable grit. Steeling on a smooth steel simply deforms the edge of the knife and puts it in a highly stressed state. The resulting edge retention is very low (as in ~10% or less) compared to as-sharpened.

If my Battle Mistress (INFI) has areas where the edge is rolled or deformed are you recommending honing it rather than straightening it on a steel and then stropping it?

 

[Cliff Stamp]

In general I don't align edges unless there is a big dent that I have to hammer out.

-Cliff

 

[mikeymoto]

Ok, thanks!

 

[JD Spydo]

Not all STEELS are equal. The sharpening STEELS I have are made by F. Dick of Germany. I mainly use the F. Dick smooth steel. Like the one brother said a STEEL is mainly used to re-align an edge and reburnish it to a degree but they are not made to abrade metal. Now burnishing does have it's advantages. It does seem to make a blade edge more ridgid depending on the blade steel and the heat treatment.

But a STEEL will not take the place of hard abrasive sharpening. Stroping also has nice advantages and does do a good finish on good blade steel. Stay away from your wal-mart and department store STEELS. Get a high quality unit if you want to use one for edge maintenance. Good Luck