A sharpening steel is a tool used to sharpen knives and scissors. They are made of stainless steel and have ridges to sharpen blades. Whetstone steel is used for high-quality knives with carbon in their blades, while honing steel is used for stainless steel knives. The difference between the two methods is that honing steel restores the teeth of the blade, while whetstone replaces the original cutting surface.
A sharpening steel, also commonly referred to as a chef’s steel or sharpening steel or rod, is a tool used to sharpen blades, primarily those for knives. They are also sometimes used to sharpen scissors blades. The most common material used in the manufacture of honing steels is pure stainless steel. Some styles may be vanadium alloyed to prevent rust, while others are magnetized to enhance the sharpening process by bringing the fibers of the cutting edge back into shape.
The design of a sharpening steel is quite simple. It consists of a cylindrical rod up to 30 inches (30.48 cm) long with longitudinal ridges from top to bottom. This shaft is attached to a handle by glue or a screw and often has a hilt, a metal square, between the handle and shaft to protect the user’s hand. The blade of the knife is honed by dragging the blade against the shaft with light pressure at different angles to remove rounded or dull edges from the blade. If a blade has completely lost its edge, it cannot be sharpened properly with a whetstone steel and can only be restored with a grindstone.
Only high-quality knives that have carbon in their blades can be sharpened successfully using a whetstone steel. 100% stainless steel knives can be sharpened this way, but their edge will quickly dull. Many pure stainless steel knives are “no sharpenings required” varieties that hold their edge quite well for several years.
The high-quality cutlery is made of three types of metal and alloys, including pure carbon, high carbon and ultra high carbon stainless steel. Pure carbon is the softest and has been considered the only viable option by butchers and chefs for many years, but is very susceptible to rust and stains. Alloy varieties resist stains and rust and respond well to sharpening and holding an edge. The medium grade, high variety of carbon, is normally preferred as it defies discoloration and corrosion, takes easily and holds a sharp edge, and is flexible. The amount of carbon in high carbon and very high carbon knives varies between .45% and .50%.
There is often confusion about the difference between sharpening and sharpening knives and blades. Both techniques, when properly applied to the correct surfaces, can provide positive results. The main difference in methods is what happens to the blades during the processes.
A knife cuts with tiny teeth on its cutting edge and dulls as the teeth flatten through repeated use. A honed steel restores those teeth to their original shape and the knife becomes sharp again. A whetstone is a flat tool used to sharpen blades by removing metal from the edge of the blade, virtually replacing the original cutting surface. Honing steels don’t do a great job on stainless steel knives, and whetstones aren’t useful for sharpening knives with carbon in their blades.
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