Making a sharpening steel

S

Steve6

Joined
Sep 29, 1999
Messages
128
I need a sharpening steel, 7 - 8" long. It is my understanding that the steel should be very smooth and very hard.

I am considering making one. My idea is to get a piece of steel rod, cut it to length, smooth it out with emory paper, heat it up to cherry red, and drop it in oil to quench it. After that I plan on tempering it in the oven and polishing it out smooth.

Does anyone know if this will work? Any suggestions.

Thanks

Does an
 
Hey Steve, a steele has very fine grooves running the full length of the rod. Kind of like a file, only the grooves are parallel with the rod, not perpindicular. The rod is also tapered, which would make it kind of difficult to put the grooves in with any kind of accuracy. Time consuming as well. My advice would be to buy one of Chicago Cutlery's steeles. They make a fine one and it doesn't cost much. Or look at flea markets.

Personally, I rarely use a steele. And then only on kitchen knives. What are you going to do with yours? Let is know if you figure out a way to make one that works good. Good luck.

[This message has been edited by MaxTheKnife (edited 11-11-2000).]
 
Hi Max,

I read here on the forums where a very smooth steel is used to realign the edge of the blade before it actually needs resharpening and removal of metal.

By steeling the edge regularly with a smooth steel, the edge will last a lot longer between actual sharpenings.

The groved steels, as I understand it, actually resharpen the edge by removing metal from the edge.

At least this is my understanding of the process.

If I am mistaken, hopefully some of the members will correct me and post more acurate information.

BTW, the intended use of the steel is for field use. I plan on carrying it in a long narrow pouch made from 1" webbing, sewn closed at the bottom and attached to the sheath.
 
My steel was custom made for me by a friend in a machine shop. (No, Classified00, he was not 'doing time.') It is over 3 feet long, almost a mirror finish and is quite hard. I know that drawing a sharp knife down a steel will strengthen the edge, but I use mine mostly for 'repairing' dinged knives before I sharpen them. If the edge has not been torn, the steel can iron it out and it can be sharpened in your favorite manner. I've found that if the edge has been torn and the steel simply founds back the tear, the first stroke of the water stone removes the piece. If I was heading off to the north wood for an extended period of time and sharpening would be difficult, I would sharpen the chosen knife to a blunter angle and run it down the steel a few times.--OKG
 
Sounds like you've got a handle on it Steve. Although, for field use, I'd prefer the grooved type of steele. It doesn't remove much steel and is intended only for the 'touching up' of the edge until it's time to hit the sharpening stone again. That's why it's so improtant to a meat cutter. A real time saver.

I would try to find an old, worn out steele for your purposes. But, if you make one, I'd just get some 3/8" round stock with the highest carbon content I could find and treat it just the way you described. No need to draw a temper as long as you remember it will be brittle and easy to break. 52100 would be a good steel for that purpose. It's expensive, but worth it in the long run. Be sure to read up on the proper heat treatment procedures so you get a good scald on it.
 
Thanks for the advise Max. I think I am going try making the steel, if nothing else but for the fun / learning experience.

First, though, I'm going to have to rig a forge to get it hot enough. Once I do, the rest seems relatively easy.
 
For umpteen years I've been using a long Proto screwdriver. I bought it for mechanic work but found it worked great to strop an edge. BTW, it's a damned good screwdriver as well.
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Hoodoo

I get some pleasure from finding a relentlessly peaceful use for a combative looking knife.
JKM
 
I do the same as Hoodoo. Works great just as well as my smooth steel.
 
Hey, I also do the same thing Hoodoo does! A couple of weeks ago, I found a long screwdriver and discovered that it works great as a steel.

I'm not sure that the metal in a steel has to be especially hard for it to work: the force it exerts on the edge is concentrated to a small area and the edge is relatively thin.
 
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