Want to make a Custom Sharpening steel...Help!

R

RobertHankins

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Jun 10, 2001
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I want to make available a Sharpening steel to go with a knife I am making. Trouble is it needs to be no longer than 6", no handle (Just the steel) and needs a hole in the top for a keyring to fit thru.
I have looked everywhere I can think of and no luck.

This will be used to touch up S30V so I imagine it will need to be pretty hard.
My thoughts are to make one out of 5/16" round D2 with a HT and Cryo and no temper, with a 60 grit finish running in line with the steel...

Anybody tried this?
Got any suggestions...
 
Not a bad idea. You might start out with a peice of music wire (1084 I think). You can get it in all kinds of diameters for dirt cheap. Its not quite as hard as the blades your talking about but could easily be heated with a torch and quenched in oil. Maybe case harden it so its not so brittle:confused: Wouldn't cost much at all.
For the key ring, just forge one end flat (again, only need a torch to heat it up) and drill a hole through.

Oh yeah, I would go with a smooth finish rather than the 60 grit. Seems to me this is something that would be mostly used for field work, where your better off to just burnish/realign the edge fairly often than try to do a full blown sharpening.

I think HI Khukuris come with something very similar to this, you might take a look at what they've got and see if it gives you any more ideas.
 
Matt thanks.
The cost is not really an issue with that small a piece of steel, it's more practicality than anything else.
I wonder if plain old O1 drill rod would work...thats why I thought of D2 that stuff gets hard as nails. The ends can always be annealed with a torch leaving the working surface hard.
1084 may be an option also I may try both.
I would prefer something that won't rust.
 
Had a few idea's that may help. I once made a sharpening steel for a customer out of a small rat tail file. I ground off the teeth and tang and polished the steel. I used water on the belts to prevent loosing the temper. Also MSC and other tool companies sell a variety of drill rod in various steels that may suit your needs. Prices seem to be fair. Good luck.
 
Thought that I would add that Smokey Mountain sell small ceramic sharpening rods pretty cheap. You could epoxy on a cap that is drilled for a key ring.
 
Thanks for the ideas guys. I will check Smokey mountain also. I think buying an aftermarket would be the right way to go afterall.
 
When you get the steel you want, polish then etch it with iodine, ferric chloirde or what ever to get the final finish. It will work like a new quality steel of days past.
 
Leave it to Ed:D
Thank you sir. It is really appreciated to have a maker of your caliber on this forums. That will get tried tomorrow.
 
I may be a bit off on this one, but I'm sure I'm right.

With knives used with a high heat treat, you'd want a polished steel for sure. Grooved steels are good for most kitchen knives, as they Rockwell in the low-mid 50s. A grooved steel will act kind of like a file, making a nice toothy edge. The steel is so soft, so it works well for that. But if you have a kitchen knife with a nice hard blade, the polished steel will be better for realignment (as opposed to the filing effect on softer steel).

If you had the time, you could experiment with the finish on the steel. Otherwise, I'd polish the steel.

Lee Valley Tools sells a "steel kit" as well. You could always get that kit (if the steel is ahrd enough) and make the finish on the steel better. Then again, Ed Chavar's rat tail file trick may be a cheaper and easier solution.

Good luck!
 
I bought some 52100 round stock for this very purpose (actually, it is SUJ2, the Japanes/Korean version of 52100, I picked up really cheap in Korea. The stuff goes for about 5 dollare per meter in diameters up to an inch.) I got some thin stuff for steels and some thicker stuff to forge into blades. It's already heat treated to about 59 RC which might be too soft for you.

I also think 01 rod fully hardened and then drawn at about 300 just to settle things down would work great.

John
 
Robert,

I am not sure if this is what you want but Grohmann knives sell 6" sharpening steels with a key ring attachment. I have one and they work fine in the field. www.grohmannknives.com.

Hope this helps
Dean
 
My father in law made one years ago from a good quality screwdriver shaft. He used it for years as a packing hous worker and still uses it to this day. If I am not mistaken a steel is for nothing more than straightening up a folded over wire edge and thats it. Therefore I am not sure why it matters just what the rockwell is since you are not asking it to remove blade steel just stand a small wire edge back upright. I may be off some but I know thats partially the case anyways.
 
One of the local makers here in New Zealand supplies a small steel as standard with his knives. He uses O1 rod hardened but not tempered (if I remember correctly). He had some form of fine knurling on the surface of the steel.

Phil
 
This is a great thread. Cory is correct--a steel is for realigning a wire edge. If you are buffing off that wire edge, or the steel you are using doesn't really produce a wire edge, you may be wasting your time. Steels were used for high carbon, non-stainless knives that were not very hard to begin with (not sure but probably around 51-55 Rc). If you are using a newer alloy and using it at high hardness a steel may be of little use. Another consideration is the texture of the steel. Those new things with ridges totally defeat the purpose. They make your edge wavy and ragged. A completely smooth steel is what you want to line your edge up straight. If you want to actually sharpen (i.e. remove metal) then you should be going to a stone or a grinder. A steel is for realigning an edge between actual sharpenings. This prolongs the life of the blade.

Please let us know what you decide.

John
 
Robert;
See what you think about this. Drill rod, 0-1, or D2 fully hardened.
Lightly tempered, then sand blasted. I made a "smooth" file using this idea. Sand blasting hardened steel gives a micro grit texture that will stand up to some use. The finish will be around 400.
$.02 Paul
 
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