Sharpening Steels
Looking at sharpening steels for the F Dick knives the Mrs got me for my b'day and looking for some advice on which way to go. I am looking at either the Dictoron saphire cut or the Dick Finecut both oval shapped and 12".
Info on them reads: They are very similar in terms of how deeply they are grooved, but the sapphire has straight, very fine striations running from the handle to the tip as you would see on most steels. The fine cut is a wavy pattern. It kind of looks like a series of "S" shapes carved up and down the length of the rod. Because of this patterning, the fine cut is slightly more aggressive in texture than the sapphire.
I take that to mean I'll have a more polished edge but I'm also looking at getting either a polishing steel or a leather strop to get a real nice finished edge.
www.dick.de/en/tools-for-chefs-and-butchers/products/the-dickoron-family
www.dick.de/en/tools-for-chefs-and-butchers/products/for-butchers-chefs-and-households.
If I were to go for a fine cut should I also be looking at getting a sharpening stone?
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D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
you will need a stone to sharpen
I thought that generally steels don't "sharpen" a knife....the stone does that.
the steel really only takes the "burr" that sharpening and using causes, off.
personally I sharpen on a stone then use the steel to finish.
Savarna
Posts: 25
Date Joined: 22/02/13
F dick
I have owned the flat fine cut dick 2000 for a number of years now and have been very happy with it.
I also use the Lansky sharpening stones system because it needs no power,removes minimal steel,and simply works.
Comrad
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 17/07/14
Stones are by far the best
Stones are by far the best way to go with sharpening a knife. You don't need to get fancy with them, a cheap one from Bunnings will do the job, as long as its straight.
As D_d001 said above, you need to sharpen on a stone, and then deburr on a steel. (You can use those diamond steels, but, I don't like them very much, I reckon they take way to much off the blade). If you're going to be putting the money into getting a F Dick steel, then, you should go as fine as you can. If you look at the steel of any professional butcher/slaughter/boner/filleter, etc... they're super fine, no discernable ridges at all. You get a much better edge that way. If you're going to get a rougher one, might as well go for something cheaper.
I often found that the best steels were the older ones, that had any abbrasions knocked off them. I knew of older guys who would soak their steels in ammonia for a few days to start the rusting process, and then hit it with fine grit wet/dry paper, and then repeat the process until it was perfectly smooth.
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8050
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Yeah the way I’ve got it in
Yeah the way I’ve got it in my head is that I should have a stone to maintain a good shoulder on the blade but use the steel to keep a good edge on it between sharpening on the stone and use a strop/polished steel to keep a really fine edge on it whilst working with it
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
Comrad
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 17/07/14
You certainly could do that,
You certainly could do that, but, it seems like you're just adding an extra tool.
I used to work as a filleter. I'd stone my knives every morning, and use the steel constantly thoughout the day. Depending on how hard I went through the day (cutting sharks, etc...) I might stone the knives after lunch time. Same steel did everything.
My dad was a butcher and a boner, and he would stone his knives first thing in the morning, after morning tea, and after lunch, and then steel constantly throughout the day as well.
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8050
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Thanks mate, definitely
Thanks mate, definitely appreciate feedback from someone who uses knives as a tool of the trade. Sounds like a super fine steel and a stone is the way to go.
Officially off the Pies bandwagon
Comrad
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 17/07/14
No worries.Only bummer about
No worries.
Only bummer about using the stone and steel is that it there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using them. A bit of coaching/researce will help, but unfortunately, there's no magic ticket - its just a heap of practice, and getting it wrong until eventually you get it right. If you keep at it, you'll have all your knives shaving sharp every time.
Jackfrost80
Posts: 8050
Date Joined: 07/05/12
Youtube is my friend for many
Youtube is my friend for many things, I'm sure there's tonnes of videos on there
What grit stone would you recommend?
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Comrad
Posts: 109
Date Joined: 17/07/14
A combination stone is the
A combination stone is the way to go. Something like this one http://www.bunnings.com.au/norton-200-x-50-x-25mm-fine-sharpening-combination-bench-stone_p5760641
Combination stones let you do all your hard work on the rough side if you're really trying to repair a munted knife, but, also let you use the other side for light touch ups on a decent blade. Any blade can be made razor sharp like this, even the crappiest knife - the steel just determines how long the edge will last/stand up to abuse/resist corrosion. Is easiest to learn by doing one side of the knife first, and then the other, this allows you to keep the knife at the same angle each stroke, not letting the blade leave the stone. The issue with this is that you may end up sharpening one side more than the other, so your bevel won't be in the centre of the knife. Thats why its best to pass one direction on the stone, then the other. Again, its all practice.
What ever grit you get, if you use an oil stone, make sure its lubricated well. I like regular dish washing liquid. As you sharpen, you will take material off your knife, and material off your stone. The swarf will form a gross grey paste. If this builds up, it makes it hard to maintain the same angle when using the stone, and just gets in the way. The detergent breaks down the oil in the swarf, and helps disperse it. Its still not a bad idea to wash the stone off every now and again, though.
opsrey
Posts: 1200
Date Joined: 05/10/07
A steel is not for sharpening, it's for straightnening.
the role of a steel is to straighten, and stand up in a continous straight line, the blade edge (where each side of blade meet to form the cutting edge)
with use the cutting edge can get knocked about so it forms a wavey line where the edge points in all different directions. The steel is used to restraghten the cutting edge into a continouious straight line.
The cutting edge can also get metal chipped from it (providing for a cerated edge look under high magnification) requiring the edge to be ground back so there is a continous straight line of metal again. Typically people use a sharpening stones of varying roughness to do the metal edge grinding.
cruzy111
Posts: 274
Date Joined: 08/10/13
Ive got an old fdick oval
Ive got an old fdick oval fine cut. Had it for about 10 years and seems to get better with age. Steels are your best friend once you know how to use them. I take it they could live for decades if looked after.