Sharpening steels

[Pattree]

You might have seen that I recently moved on a 1950’s butcher’s knife.

I didn’t sharpen it but if I had I would have used a sharpening steel as would its original owner.

I use a sharpening steel on my kitchen knives and on the big carving knife.

Opinel recommend a sharpening steel for their knives and sell both domestic and camping versions of a steel. (I do find the little sheath version awkward in my big hands. Can’t maintain the angle that I want)

The only reason that I don’t use a sharpening steel outdoors is that the axe puck packs much more easily.

Does anyone else use a steel?
What might I gain from a more advanced system for sharpening?

pee ess
While I can strop perfectly well on my belt; I sometimes strop on my palm but that’s as much a habit from days gone by, as a practice.

 

[John Fenna]

I often use a steel before a strop but I find using diamond bench stones more meditative

 

[Seagull]

I've a old, horn handled steel, hexagon in section and of cast iron. I think it is probably a hone...but it easily restores a 'bite-y' edge on all knives.

regards all
Ceeg

 

[stonepark]

Stones are sharpeners for removing material, reprofiling bevels and for sharpening knives from blunt to sharp.

Steels are hones designed to realign edges and return sharp edges which are failing to good form (such as when an edge rolls at the microscopic level or the very apex of the edge is rounding off due to use) and whilst they may remove a very small amount of material, they are not designed to sharpen a blunt edge or significantly remove material.

Effectively stones to get a knife sharp and hones to keep it sharp.

 

[hughtrimble]

Stones are sharpeners for removing material, reprofiling bevels and for sharpening knives from blunt to sharp.

Steels are hones designed to realign edges and return sharp edges which are failing to good form (such as when an edge rolls at the microscopic level or the very apex of the edge is rounding off due to use) and whilst they may remove a very small amount of material, they are not designed to sharpen a blunt edge or significantly remove material.

Effectively stones to get a knife sharp and hones to keep it sharp.

Absolutely, I was going to post similar.
There are a handful of exceptions where the 'steels' are made of ceramic, or coated in an abrasive, so they look like normal steels but are actually sharpeners dressed up like steels, but they are very much not the usual.

 

[Pattree]

I use a fine mill-saw file to repair or reshape a working knife blade. Fine it down with a carborundum block or puck. I finish it off with a good quality steel. Then use the steel regularly.

It doesn’t remove metal but it does move it. The strop cleans the teeth.

 

[hughtrimble]

I use a fine mill-saw file to repair or reshape a working knife blade. Fine it down with a carborundum block or puck. I finish it off with a good quality steel. Then use the steel regularly.

It doesn’t remove metal but it does move it. The strop cleans the teeth.

The strop is abrasive though, so isn't just cleaning teeth, it's removing metal? Unless you're not using any compound on it?