Free hand sharpening techniques

[vivi]

It makes me so happy to see someone use a light touch on their honing rods. I've watched more cooks than I can count go fast and muscle it as much as they can, thinking that's the best way to do it.

[Pelagic]

It makes me so happy to see someone use a light touch on their honing rods. I've watched more cooks than I can count go fast and muscle it as much as they can, thinking that's the best way to do it.

Yeah some people think speed = skill. With such a small amount of the rod making contact with the edge, there is already a huge amount of pressure being applied. I think most of them would be surprised at just how quickly they could achieve the edge they desired with slow, controlled passes.

[FK]

A butcher knife or low cost kitchen knife has a relatively soft heat treat and will bend or deform with use. The steel, both grooved and smooth, only bends back the mushroomed shape on the apex. This work hardens the steel and makes it brittle. An edge realigned with a steel is not very durable and will not last very long compared to creating a new edge below the damaged area with a stone or ceramic. The more you steel to realign, the weaker the apex. Try bending a paper clip back and forth to easily break it,,, work hardening.

Ceramic vs. steel ? What is the Spyderco Sharpmaker but a ceramic stick on a fixed angle?
It removes damaged steel and creates a new apex.

Regards,
FK

[Pelagic]

A butcher knife or low cost kitchen knife has a relatively soft heat treat and will bend or deform with use. The steel, both grooved and smooth, only bends back the mushroomed shape on the apex. This work hardens the steel and makes it brittle. An edge realigned with a steel is not very durable and will not last very long compared to creating a new edge below the damaged area with a stone or ceramic. The more you steel to realign, the weaker the apex. Try bending a paper clip back and forth to easily break it,,, work hardening.

Ceramic vs. steel ? What is the Spyderco Sharpmaker but a ceramic stick on a fixed angle?
It removes damaged steel and creates a new apex.

Regards,
FK

I really only like steels for my filet knives I like. They work quickly while cleaning fish, but more importantly, they postpone the need for full sharpenings. Filet knives are already so small (blade height) to begin with, if I really like the knife I try not to remove steel so often. If I ever desire good edge retention, I can always put the steel away and give it an actual full sharpening.

I use sharpening rods 100x more often than steels.

[Jazz]

An edge realigned with a steel is not very durable and will not last very long...

Tell that to my 10” chef knife I’ve had for a year and a half, and still haven’t sharpened it. I steel it after most uses. I work in a kitchen. Loads of steeling experience. I also steel my Delica wharnie. It gets used a ton. I steel backwards, like stropping.

I don’t disagree with your points about work hardening and weakening, but people sure are quick to discount the “lowly” steel.

I’m sure they aren’t great for harder steels, but they’ll keep a regular steel blade straight and lasting longer.

[Pelagic]

An edge realigned with a steel is not very durable and will not last very long...

Tell that to my 10” chef knife I’ve had for a year and a half, and still haven’t sharpened it. I steel it after most uses. I work in a kitchen. Loads of steeling experience. I also steel my Delica wharnie. It gets used a ton. I steel backwards, like stropping.

I don’t disagree with your points about work hardening and weakening, but people sure are quick to discount the “lowly” steel.

I’m sure they aren’t great for harder steels, but they’ll keep a regular steel blade straight and lasting longer.

I agree. It all depends on what you're cutting. I would think most people on this site would like steels since steels are the best for preserving resale value as they don't remove any metal from the blade. Not to mention, most knife collectors only use their knives for opening letters and packages.

[FK]

Several years ago I tried steeling my A2 wood working plane blades to restore the edge.
I used a carbide rod which is harder than the A2 steel, light pressure with trailing motion,,, worked reasonably well for one or two sessions then a light sharpening on Spyderco ceramic bench stones to refresh the edge and remove the work hardened apex.

Many if not most kitchen knife users with relatively soft (Rc 55-56) knives will steel their knives and are satisfied.
When you try the Japanese kitchen knives with hardness in the Rc 60-65 range,,,, a total new experience and a new rabbit hole to fall into rather quickly.

Regards,
FK