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The tool commonly referred to as a sharpening steel—it looks like a lightsaber—should really be called a honing steel. Norman Weinstein, a chef-instructor of knife skills at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and the author of Mastering Knife Skills, says that a steel will probably last about three to four years. “If you run your thumbnail around the perimeter, you’ll feel the grooves; if you can’t feel them, they’ve worn down.” At that point, it’s time for a new one.
You should hone your knives every time you use them. If you looked at a knife under a microscope, Weinstein says, it would look like a bunch of teeth pointing out. As the blade is used, those teeth fold down. A honing steel realigns the teeth so they point out again, enabling the knife to cut better. It’s important to note that regular honing steels won’t work with some super-hard-steel knives like the high-end Japanese Global knives.
You can use a diamond sharpening steel for touch-ups when your honing steel has stopped being effective. But Weinstein says that your knives should be professionally sharpened about once a year. Sharpening is the process of rebeveling the edge of a knife by putting it on an abrasive tool and actually grinding some of the steel off.
When buying a honing steel, look for one that’s two inches longer than your longest knife (for example, a 12-inch steel would be best for a 10-inch knife). Expect to pay between $55 and $75 for a quality medium steel. (The designation medium or regular refers to the spacing of the grooves around the steel, not the hardness.)
See Chowhound for more tips on sharpening knives.
I don't believe a magnetic steel would be any better than a non-magnetic steel. The only use I can see for making it magnetic would be to collect any steel filings, which depending on you point of view would be a good or bad thing.
Not to forget that the honing rod goes dull fast cause the fuckheads you work with all take turns using the shit out of it when you are not around.
You need to be thanked, first of all, I love all of you, some in special ways, regardless I love you. Usually when I hone or sharpen knives, I have learned through experience that if I buy a professional model or expensive model I will no longer sharpen it without knowing for a fact the proper method and the proper tools for it first. This can be discovered by speaking with a culinary...+READ
You need to be thanked, first of all, I love all of you, some in special ways, regardless I love you. Usually when I hone or sharpen knives, I have learned through experience that if I buy a professional model or expensive model I will no longer sharpen it without knowing for a fact the proper method and the proper tools for it first. This can be discovered by speaking with a culinary professional by appointment in person, otherwise you risk damaging an expensive tool. Honing rods are for production use, or when you use a knife extensively for a long period of time in succession, for example; working as a cook that cuts the roast beef at a buffet, working as a butcher, chopping a fifty pound bag of carrots, and many of these jobs are now done using automatic machines, processors and equipment. If you buy high end japanese knives, (do you do japanese cooking), they will require stone sharpening, or high tech machinery to sharpen them. Each of which will cost the same amount of money as the knife itself costs. If you still want that fuckin knife, that's the lowdown before the showdown. laters-COLLAPSE
What about diamond steels? I have replaced one that after about 2 years of regular/heavy use seemed to not sharpen as well. (The grittiness of the surface was much smoother after 2 years. Perhaps the diamond dust was removed due to friction from use?)
Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Don't know but they carry a lifetime warranty against defects. I think the Four Star is one of the prettier ones out there. My knives are the older Professionals with riveted handles. My oldest and one of my favorite knives, as a non-professional cook, is my 16cm slicer. I sharpen it at 19 degrees and it has never chipped and responds beautifully to the steel. It's my favorite all-purpose knife...+READ
Don't know but they carry a lifetime warranty against defects. I think the Four Star is one of the prettier ones out there. My knives are the older Professionals with riveted handles. My oldest and one of my favorite knives, as a non-professional cook, is my 16cm slicer. I sharpen it at 19 degrees and it has never chipped and responds beautifully to the steel. It's my favorite all-purpose knife and almost a toss-up between it and my Shun for slicing and dicing, but I now know that the Shun does not like bones, at all.-COLLAPSE
Wow! We should replace the main article with that last post!
And I totally agree about the magnetism part; what use would a magnetic steel have over a non magnetic? I can't see it making much difference, certainly a non-magnetic steel would not be useless.
Err.. Scargod, do you know the hardness of your Henkel? I need to get a steel for my knife at some point
Wow! We should replace the main article with that last post!
And I totally agree about the magnetism part; what use would a magnetic steel have over a non magnetic? I can't see it making much difference, certainly a non-magnetic steel would not be useless.
Err.. Scargod, do you know the hardness of your Henkel? I need to get a steel for my knife at some point
Oh the morass of varying terminology and misused words!
The problem is you can't squeeze facts out of terminology, just like you can't squeeze blood from a turnip!
Hopefully, with enough factual descriptions and relevant context we can make some sense of this topic. Perhaps I'll just make sense for me and my peace of mind!
For this post I am going to call all metal steels just "steels" or...+READ
Oh the morass of varying terminology and misused words!
The problem is you can't squeeze facts out of terminology, just like you can't squeeze blood from a turnip!
Hopefully, with enough factual descriptions and relevant context we can make some sense of this topic. Perhaps I'll just make sense for me and my peace of mind!
For this post I am going to call all metal steels just "steels" or "metal steels", since so many "steels" are non-metal and ceramic rods or diamond coated rods (or tubes), just that: "rods".
Firstly, sharpening and honing are not the same thing! It's like calling all bugs insects. There are many ways to sharpen. You can sharpen a stick or your pencil... You can sharpen a knife with a file. Honing is a final, or near final, step in "sharpening" that produces a finer edge than all the steps that precede it. You can sharpen with many things but honing requires "hones", which are fine grades of stones, or similar tools, with fine grit surfaces like diamond impregnated surfaces or sandpaper with silicon carbide coated surfaces. Beyond honing is the ultimate: stroping and polishing.Honing, and all the above processes, always removes metal.
The "Nagging Question" article quoted Norman Weinstein, a chef-instructor of knife skills, who said that steels should be called "honing steels". I think this statement is very confusing and not helpful to understanding the process. A real steel is not meant to "hone". If the steel is hard enough and the raised, ribbed surface is aggressive enough it can remove a slight amount of material from a softer knife, by the scraping that occurs. Scraping is not honing, but it can remove material. Material removal is not the normal intent of "steeling" as many accurately call it. They don't call it honing. A steel is meant to realign the edge of a blade by burnishing it.
F Dick is probably the standard of the industry for steels. They make all kinds and shapes. There are round, oval and square (real metal), steels! There are "flat" steels, that are not really flat, but flattened ovals, at least an inch wide, with seven, big, deep grooves . According to reviews, these are very good steels....and very expensive! I have not found "coarse" steels here: http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?manufacturerID=132#590
I found only "Regular", "fine" or "super-fine". Dexter Russell makes unusual, coarse steels; some knurled or serrated! I have never seen one of these (and never seen one recommended), but I could envision them tearing at the edge of a blade and creating a lot of "tooth" which might be advantageous to rip at some materials, much like a serrated blade, for bread.
While most of F Dick's steels are magnetic, not all are said to be, and Dexter-Russell does not discuss their steel's properties. I think this is generally related to the steel alloy and hardening process that may render it "magnetic", but I seriously doubt that a non-magnetic steel should be considered useless or "gone bad". My Henkel is magnetic, but only in the last inch or two (at the tip)! Is it slowly going bad since most of it is not magnetic? I doubt it!
On the Internet, you can find "knife experts" and reviewers of knives (and accessories), on Amazon, using various terms for steels, like "Butcher's steel", "sharpening steel", "straightening steel" and "honing steel", regardless of the type of "steel" or its abrasive surface. Isn't it is an oxymoron to call a solid, ceramic rod a "steel", since it is NOT made of metal and it DOES hone (or remove) material? Similarity: Ceramic rods, besides cutting, are also harder than any knife metal so they can push an edge around, too, like a real steel. Similarly, a diamond coated rod can hone different levels of finish due to different diamond grits. They are designed to remove materials.
While this is my take on the subject, I believe it accurately describes the various terms being thrown around and suggests that you need to know your knives and their metal's properties. Know what you are buying in a "steel". If inexperienced, it might be wise to start out with the recommended steel from the knife manufacturer, yet the Shun site recommended a metal honing steel. This does not impress me as proper for this knife, since my steel is a Henkels with very fine grooves, yet my Shun Santoku http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=250&brand=shun is now full of chips, down its entire length from .005" to .010" radius. I think the tiny ones may be from the steel or aggravated by using the steel. It is one, hard edged knife! I now intend to use only my ceramic rod (steel) to lightly touch it up. My Henkel knives respond to a (metal) steel quite nicely!
Here are the terms I consider important and relevant to knife sharpening (I am not going into details or specifics):
Grinding: Abrasive wheel, stone or coarse sandpaper; this process roughs out a blade, removes chips or nicks, or corrects improper, previous sharpening. Perhaps good enough for cutting bread or slicing tomatoes, after you remove the burr.
Honing: finer steps of sharpening (or resharpening), which renders a knife sharp enough for kitchen use. Again, this creates a fine burr, which may need to be removed by technique or by other refined steps. You can achieve razor sharp edges with very fine grits.
Buffing and polishing: Steps for achieving razor sharp edges and cosmetic appearances.
Steeling or burnishing: Pushing metal around. Straightening a bent over cutting edge. Re-aligning the cutting edge.
This is my take on the "steely" issue. I can't see a steel wearing out under normal conditions, if it is properly hard. I dislike seeing all the inappropriate terms for steeling or sharpening a knife with a steel. I can see "sharpening steel" being used since a steel makes the knife sharp again. Honing ____: only an appropriate term for non-metal, abrasive sharpening rods.-COLLAPSE
Shun recommends using a honing steel with their knives to straighten the edge. Works for me.
http://www.kershawknives.com/faq.php?brand=shun
I like smooth steels rather than than the ones with the ridges. If you keep your knives on the wetstone often (fine only) then they will be very receptive to a smooth steel. Ceramic steels are great but are not really used in professional kitchens or meat processing areas because they are very brittle and can break when dropped. I have seen metal steels coated with ceramic and these work well in...+READ
I like smooth steels rather than than the ones with the ridges. If you keep your knives on the wetstone often (fine only) then they will be very receptive to a smooth steel. Ceramic steels are great but are not really used in professional kitchens or meat processing areas because they are very brittle and can break when dropped. I have seen metal steels coated with ceramic and these work well in a professional setting but are susceptible to dents because they are hollow.
The only time a steel "wears out" is when it becomes pitted through misuse, I. E. soaking it in bleach water solution, or left to rust. Or if they lose their magnetic field. If they lose their magnetism, they are worthless.
As for diamond sharpeners, they will ruin your knives after time and are really for people who can't sharpen their knives or don't want to take the time.
For the home I recommend the F. Dick Multi cut steel. This steel is very sturdy, easy to learn on, because it is flat and is not as smooth as a packing house/ smooth steel. They cost around $120.00 but are very worth it because you will only need one in your lifetime.
To see if your steel still has magnetivity, use the tip of your steel to try to pick up your key ring or a bottle opener. You should be able to at least make the object lift a little bit. If not then it is just a steel rod with some ridges on it.
We can also go into metal quality here but thats a rather lengthy subject. I have an F. Dick steel made in Germany right after W.W. 2. and it still has its magnetism and is my favorite. It never leaves my kitchen. The older steel, I think, is better and more pure.-COLLAPSE
Wikipedia says this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_edged_tools#Implements_with_essentially_straight_edges
and here, from Steve Bottorff 's website, is a page on sharpening http://users.ameritech.net/knives/knives2.htm#steel1 that addresses "steels". He suggests that they are for softer knives that are steeled multiple times a day and are not appropriate for many of today's harder and...+READ
Wikipedia says this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_edged_tools#Implements_with_essentially_straight_edges
and here, from Steve Bottorff 's website, is a page on sharpening http://users.ameritech.net/knives/knives2.htm#steel1 that addresses "steels". He suggests that they are for softer knives that are steeled multiple times a day and are not appropriate for many of today's harder and tougher steel alloys.
He does seem to approve of ceramic "steels", as they can polish as well as burnish.
I think the bottom line is to know your knives and use the appropriate steel to "refresh" the edge. I am a woodworker, and I use a piece of a metal file to roll an edge on my somewhat soft cabinet scrapers.-COLLAPSE
rj2008 adds some nuance. You need to know how hard your knives are. A Wusthof has a rockwell hardness of around 56. A Shun has around a 60, and a Japanese knife made from either blue or white label steel has a hardness of 62-65. Also, there is a difference in the angles of the blade, Japanese tending towards a slighter angle than western blades, resulting in a higher degree of sharpness. The...+READ
rj2008 adds some nuance. You need to know how hard your knives are. A Wusthof has a rockwell hardness of around 56. A Shun has around a 60, and a Japanese knife made from either blue or white label steel has a hardness of 62-65. Also, there is a difference in the angles of the blade, Japanese tending towards a slighter angle than western blades, resulting in a higher degree of sharpness. The harder steel can take the finer edge but is far more likely to chip. So, for a Shun would I use a steel? Maybe. I'd feel for burrs and definitely not use anything but a ceramic steel. But for my lovely Watanabe blades, it's nothing but water stones.
rj is right on the smoothness of the hone, with solid western knives, I've used nothing but an old butcher's hone, which was smooth as could be. I think those ridged hones do nothing positive and good deal negative to a knife. A ridged hone seems way too abrasive to do a proper job of making a blade true.
I'll make a plug for Mr. Watanabe, hell of a kitchen knife: http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/-COLLAPSE
This may sound like an incredibly stupid question, but does a ceramic steel wear out?
Yikes -- there's a frightening amount of misinformation in this article, and it's unfortunate that one has to rely on some of the comments to get better info.
As some of the commenters have said, a steel is indeed used to realign the knife edge between sharpenings. This purpose does not require grooves of any kind on the steel; in fact, if anything, those grooves amplify the pressure of any...+READ
Yikes -- there's a frightening amount of misinformation in this article, and it's unfortunate that one has to rely on some of the comments to get better info.
As some of the commenters have said, a steel is indeed used to realign the knife edge between sharpenings. This purpose does not require grooves of any kind on the steel; in fact, if anything, those grooves amplify the pressure of any stroke of the knife across the steel, and thus are more likely to ruin the edge. The moral is that for most soft (e.g., German) steel knives, a good steel is a smooth steel. The idea that such a steel could "wear out" is ridiculous -- if anything you should be grateful the grooves have worn away!
The comments regarding Japanese knives are at least a bit more accurate, but only the tip of the iceberg. Depending on the quality of the initial sharpening, ceramic "steels" are good choices for such knives (and available from knowledgeable merchants such as www.epicedge.com and www.japaneseknifesharpening.com). But seriously, if you own decently high quality Japanese knives, and you want to learn to care for them yourself, you owe it to visit a site with more accurate info on how to maintain them (e.g., the "In The Kitchen" forum on www.knifeforums.com). Alternatively, get a book like Chad Ward's "An Edge in the Kitchen" (even if only for a day from your library), which does a great job of explaining the process of maintaining high quality kitchen knives.-COLLAPSE
Why do Shun knife sets include a honing steel if you shouldn't use one on them?
There is a huge difference between sharpenening, "re-edged", and honing.
The first involves grinding the blade, usually with a grinding action whetstone.
The next means taking the knife to a specialist service, to repair the business part of the blade to it's original configuration (western knives are near 45 degrees from the tip of the cutting bevel, Japanese knives are closer to a 60/40, so...+READ
There is a huge difference between sharpenening, "re-edged", and honing.
The first involves grinding the blade, usually with a grinding action whetstone.
The next means taking the knife to a specialist service, to repair the business part of the blade to it's original configuration (western knives are near 45 degrees from the tip of the cutting bevel, Japanese knives are closer to a 60/40, so it's important to get someone who knows what they're dealing with.
The last one is the honing, that could be caused by use, or by the sharpening process. that's where the steel comes into play: it's for maintenance between sharpenings.Basically honing is just forcing the steel (etc) molecules back into place. I've seen chefs use the unfinished underside of a plate for this purpose in a pinch.
The bottom line is that steels, just like whetstones, can be ground down to uselessness. If it looks too smooth, it's likely of no use. Get a new one.-COLLAPSE
Honing steels are made for western style knives. I have a few hand-made Japanese that will never see a steel. The steel that is used in traditional Japanese is harder than western steel and also far more brittle. This means that a Japanese knife will not burr over like a western knife (they chip instead), so the honing steel is inffective and can damage the knife. Proper maintenance of a Japanese...+READ
Honing steels are made for western style knives. I have a few hand-made Japanese that will never see a steel. The steel that is used in traditional Japanese is harder than western steel and also far more brittle. This means that a Japanese knife will not burr over like a western knife (they chip instead), so the honing steel is inffective and can damage the knife. Proper maintenance of a Japanese knife is done with water stones.-COLLAPSE
I have a ceramic steel which I will use with my Shun, but would argue that it is the one that is abrasive and removes material, while a regular steel should re-align the edge, as you have said but does not remove material. It works great with my Henkels. Instant rejuvenation!
AGGHH!! Don't use that kind of steel on a shun!! This article is useless and should be removed!
When they say "regular honing steels won’t work with some super-hard-steel knives like the high-end Japanese Global knives", they should actually say that the steel will damage the knife. You want a flat steel, and it should always be harder than your knife. IIRC, Shuns are 63 CRC, so you want a...+READ
AGGHH!! Don't use that kind of steel on a shun!! This article is useless and should be removed!
When they say "regular honing steels won’t work with some super-hard-steel knives like the high-end Japanese Global knives", they should actually say that the steel will damage the knife. You want a flat steel, and it should always be harder than your knife. IIRC, Shuns are 63 CRC, so you want a ceramic steel, and one without burrs.
Obviously, the steel will wear down less if it doesn't have burrs too.
The steels with burrs tend to remove metal, as they're quite abrasive. The actual purpose of a steel is simply to realign the very thin blade-edge, which requires just a couple of light strokes.
If you use a good steel properly with a good knife, it could last you the life of the knife.-COLLAPSE
You name-dropped with "medium" and "regular" at the end of the article. I wish I knew the difference the spacing makes.
And yep, my steel doesn't make a dent (or push metal) with my Shun. It's so hard it chips easily with use. It's beginning to look like a super-fine saw blade. These are almost too small to easily see... I'm wondering if the steel might actually be bad for it and cause new...+READ
You name-dropped with "medium" and "regular" at the end of the article. I wish I knew the difference the spacing makes.
And yep, my steel doesn't make a dent (or push metal) with my Shun. It's so hard it chips easily with use. It's beginning to look like a super-fine saw blade. These are almost too small to easily see... I'm wondering if the steel might actually be bad for it and cause new chipping.-COLLAPSE