Steeling blades or burnishing?

J

JD Spydo

Joined
Nov 20, 2004
Messages
4,827
I have been using an F. Dick Smooth steel on my blades for over 3 years now. I am very pleased with the results. There are many sharpening steels on the market but I have yet to find one that is superior to the F. Dick steels

I know that a steel is really designed to re-align and straighten an edge. But I was told not too long ago that if steeling is done right it also has some burnishing effects to it as well. I hope some of you can shed some light on that.

Also if I would like to hear your results on a variety of sharpening steels. If there is a better brand of sharpening steel that F. Dick of Germany I would like to know about it as well. JD
 
Smooth and sharpening steels are two different animals, and I haven't found a fluted sharpening steel that works for me. I have a DMT 'sharpening steel' in 600 mesh that works fine, but it's about as much a steel as the XX coarse dia-sharp I also have. Just cause it's a metal rod doesn't make it a steel, and it performs nothing like a steel. I had a short half smooth steel in a Hand American luthier kit that worked well as a steel, except for the part that got a couple rust spots on it.
 
The striated "sharpening steels" are simply fine files that abrade the edge.
Smooth steels simply align the edge, and in doing so they burnish the metal.
Any piece of smooth metal that is harder than the knife blade will do the same thing.
Bill
 
Bill DeShivs said:
The striated "sharpening steels" are simply fine files that abrade the edge.
Smooth steels simply align the edge, and in doing so they burnish the metal.
Any piece of smooth metal that is harder than the knife blade will do the same thing.
Bill
Click to expand...

I'm on the same page with you there Bill. I sort of summized that much. However when you see how these grooves/furrows are squared off in precision fashion I can't help but believe that the company intended this type of steel to have some kind of specialized sharpening effect.

F. Dick sure makes some high quality tools but their American Dealers/distributors sure have lousy customer service. Also it's like I said about e-mailing the Mother company over in Germany>> they simply don't respond to their English Speaking customers for what ever reason. :confused:
 
I have tried many different steels over the years, with varying results. F.Dick steels are indeed very popular but I believe the quality has droped off over the past 4 or 5 years, with many new polished steels that I have inspected have had fine scratches in them. Also most of their line of steels are now coated with a very hard outer chrome type of finish, which is fine as long as the user takes care not to drop it or hit it up against a hard surface as to chip this coating, as there isn't much that can be done with a big chip in the middle of the steel. Hard forged steels are the way to go as you can keep "doing them up" if they become scratched or marked.

Most people don't realise that most steels need some maintenance from time to time. How many steels have you seen pulled out from the cutlery draw that has had all sorts of things rattling around with it and the user wonders why this steel won't work? Steels get microscopic scratches and marks from use and rough treatment, and these marks need to be removed in order for the steel to work at its optimum. I like to first use some 320 grit paper and rub down the shaft one way only, making sure the scratch pattern is running parallel to the shaft, then go over that with some 800 grit paper. Most steels that are new are to coarse for my liking and I will give a new steel this same treatment. Any rust needs to be removed promptly as rust pits will ruin any edge that comes into contact with it. I use electrolysis to remove the rust then follow with the 320. If deep pits have formed they will need to removed on a belt sander first.
A steel is a precision instrument and needs to be cared for to work at it's best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top