I picked up an inexpensive F. Dick steel to try out, a $20 polished model from a restaurant supply company, as I haven't been too pleased with the results when using the relatively coarse Henckels steel that came with our knife set. The Dick steel works very well, producing a nice edge in short order. It seems that the steel works better than crock sticks or even using a ceramic stick as a steel, although the sticks seem like they'll work better with serrations. I've been looking around for a long solid carbide drill blank to try out as a steel, and these results are good enough that I may even try a long high speed steel drill as a steel.
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Using steels - now I believe !
- Thread starter johno
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Keep us posted. I was looking for a small smooth steel today to pack on a hunting trip, no luck. I have one of the diamond coated EZE-LAP steels (hone?), which works well for maintaining the edge on a kukri, but it's not good for simply realigning microteeth.
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I would look at buying "drill rod" which I believe is unhardened A2. You can harden it with a torch.
Another source for a smaller smooth steel is a long shank drill. I've seen 6in to 12in drills from 1/8in to 3/8in diameter at local hardware stores for less than $15. After drilling a hole in a handle of some sort just pin or glue the drill in place, smooth shank out. Still, the idea of solid carbide is nice.
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A few comments for all...
f.Dick steels are great. I worked in a hog plant 2 summers now and that is all they use there. Nice and smooth (way better than them Henkels: I've got one of them at home too)
I recommend them to anyone looking for a nice long steel
Alberta Ed: Get the folding steel from Razor Edge Systems!!! It has two rods that swing out from the protective piece that acts as a handle. You merely loosen the screws, swing out the rods and tighten them up at 35 degrees or so. Then you steel away. The steel acts like an upside down sharpmaker.
How does a steel work? When using an edge the edge, being microscopic, eventually will bend out of alignment before wearing away/breaking. A steel will re-align the edge for you which means less sharpening is required and your blade stays sharper longer!
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"Come What May..."
[This message has been edited by Crayola (edited 09-12-2000).]
f.Dick steels are great. I worked in a hog plant 2 summers now and that is all they use there. Nice and smooth (way better than them Henkels: I've got one of them at home too)
I recommend them to anyone looking for a nice long steel
Alberta Ed: Get the folding steel from Razor Edge Systems!!! It has two rods that swing out from the protective piece that acts as a handle. You merely loosen the screws, swing out the rods and tighten them up at 35 degrees or so. Then you steel away. The steel acts like an upside down sharpmaker.
How does a steel work? When using an edge the edge, being microscopic, eventually will bend out of alignment before wearing away/breaking. A steel will re-align the edge for you which means less sharpening is required and your blade stays sharper longer!
------------------
"Come What May..."
[This message has been edited by Crayola (edited 09-12-2000).]
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- 4,842
Smooths steels don't put an edge on. Depending on the particular steel and the usage, edge turning is very often the cause of the loss in performance, rather than loss of edge. What that means is, after using your knife for a little bit, it may feel dull, but the very edge is often intact but just turned a tiny bit. You can look at the edge all you want, but might not be able to see that the edge is turned. Running the edge lightly down the smooth steel, the edge turns back to be straight up and down again, and performance is restored.
Kitchen knives are a typical example of a blade that really benefits by steeling. Most kitchen knives have soft blades, which turn easily. By steeling before or after every use, I can lengthen the time between sharpenings by weeks to months. But don't just use it for kitchen knives -- even my ultra-hard ATS-34 blades benefit from steeling with a smooth steel.
Joe