Sharpening/Honing Steel tips and advice
Once you have had an edge put on your knives it is now very important to maintain that edge and keep it better than new, so this is where a sharpening steel comes into play.Contrary to popular belief, a sharpening steel does not sharpen a knife. The purpose of a steel is to hone the edge of the knife. Through regular use, the edge of a knife will begin to lose its original sharpness,and shape by creating a fine burr, which is when the knifes edge rolls over and becomes dull. The sharpening steel will straighten or re-align the edge and remove any loose burr. Eventually though, the steel will only do this so many times and your knife will become blunt and need to be sharpened again by A Wicked Edge Sharpening, or you can put it on a stone yourself.
There are however different steels for different knives, this all depends on the Rockwell hardness of your knife (HRC), which is a guage that different makers harden their steels and knives to.For more information on different steel compositions click on the link below.
http://www.cliffstamp.com/knives/reviews/blade_materials.html
For example if your knife has a HRC 56-58 ie:Global, a steel with a HRC 54 will not be able to hone your knife's edge as it will not be hard enough, but you will find that the steels that come with your knife set will be the correct steel for you.For those with some Japanese knives that have a Rockwell hardness of 60+ either a ceramic or diamaond steel may be your preferred choice, just check with the supplier you bought it off.
For more indepth information on Knife steel hardening and tempering click on this link below;
http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/hardening-guide/purpose-of-hardening-and-tempering/
Step 1: Position -
For beginners, the easiest way to have the steel is to hold it horizontally out in front of you with your hand safely behind the guard.
Step 2: Find The Proper Angle -
For best results you should sharpen your knives on a 20 degree angle. To get this angle hold your knife at 90 degrees to the steel, then half that to make 45 and then finally half that again and you should be close to 20 degrees.
Step 3: Steel the Edge -
Using the 20 degree angle, pass the blade across both sides of the steel with medium pressure from heel of the knife through to the tip. For best results use one gentle slicing motion that moves your blade from the base of the knife all the way to the tip. Do not try to press too hard or use a back and forth cutting motion. Take anywhere between half a dozen to a dozen passes across the full length of your blade. Be sure to give each side the same amount of strokes to ensure an even cutting edge.
Your knife is now honed.
Choosing the correct knife for you
Choose a knife that is fully forged – this means it has been made from a single piece of metal, providing superior strength and rigidity.
A good knife should feel balanced and comfortable in your hand. Cook’s knives vary in size from 15-35cm, but for women’s smaller hands, 20cm is usually a good size. Wash your knife by hand and towel dry DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER and learn to use a steel to keep it sharp. Store in a knife block, on a magnetic strip, or covered by a knife sleeve.
There will come a time when a steel is not enough and you will need to bring the edge back, this can be done by either using a whetstone and doing it by hand or get onto a good Professional Knife Sharpener to do the job in a 1/4 of the time and give you the desired finish.
Once you have selected a knife, hold it, gripping it around its bolster (the knife’s balance point and finger guard) it should feel balanced and comfortable in your hand. Like choosing a pen, there will be personal preferences, some knives offer more contoured grips or weight.Top-of-the-range, fully-forged brands cost more, look for knives from Wüsthof-Trident (available in classic handled styles and brushed stainless steel handles) and Zwilling J.A. Henckles knives. Also fully forged but more moderately priced are Viking and Messermeister knives (with a thicker blade and bolsterless edge, which means the whole knife blade can be sharpened), and stylish Global knives (forged blades moulded on to dimpled handles). Some of the
best quality and value stamped knives are from Victorinox.
Japanese knives are becoming more and more popular with their stylish design, firm gripping handles and hi carbon steel blades, the most popular Japanese knives are Shun, please be careful though as there are sharpeners out there who cannot sharpen these knives properley and they will do more harm than good,not ideal considering the price of these knives.
A good knife should feel balanced and comfortable in your hand. Cook’s knives vary in size from 15-35cm, but for women’s smaller hands, 20cm is usually a good size. Wash your knife by hand and towel dry DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE DISHWASHER and learn to use a steel to keep it sharp. Store in a knife block, on a magnetic strip, or covered by a knife sleeve.
There will come a time when a steel is not enough and you will need to bring the edge back, this can be done by either using a whetstone and doing it by hand or get onto a good Professional Knife Sharpener to do the job in a 1/4 of the time and give you the desired finish.
Once you have selected a knife, hold it, gripping it around its bolster (the knife’s balance point and finger guard) it should feel balanced and comfortable in your hand. Like choosing a pen, there will be personal preferences, some knives offer more contoured grips or weight.Top-of-the-range, fully-forged brands cost more, look for knives from Wüsthof-Trident (available in classic handled styles and brushed stainless steel handles) and Zwilling J.A. Henckles knives. Also fully forged but more moderately priced are Viking and Messermeister knives (with a thicker blade and bolsterless edge, which means the whole knife blade can be sharpened), and stylish Global knives (forged blades moulded on to dimpled handles). Some of the
best quality and value stamped knives are from Victorinox.
Japanese knives are becoming more and more popular with their stylish design, firm gripping handles and hi carbon steel blades, the most popular Japanese knives are Shun, please be careful though as there are sharpeners out there who cannot sharpen these knives properley and they will do more harm than good,not ideal considering the price of these knives.