[Pete]

I am aware that a Diamond steel does remove steel from my knife, but it doesn't seem to cause any more wear than using a regular steel and regularly putting your knife to a stone.

[cheflayne]

Several people have mentioned being careful with diamond steels because they remove metal. I don't own one nor have ever used one, but it did get me to thinking and now I am curious. Has anyone ever removed so much metal that they used up a knife? Just curious, I have had same French knife for 30 years of professional kitchen use.

[MikeLM]

Well, I've used a diamond "steel" for seven or eight years, and none of my knives has disappeared. But, it's household use, not professional. I've got several waterstones, but don't use them very often for the knives. (I do woodworking and have lots of other edges to sharpen with the waterstones.)

If they DO remove some steel, I'd guess that a diamond steel would wear away less knife than alternating a regular steel with a stone.

My favorite woodworking supply store, www.leevalley.com has a nice diamond steel with a 12" blade (or whatever you would call it- it's round) by DMT, a company specializing in diamond-grit sharpening equipment. Lee Valley also has all kinds of waterstones and such. They also have an interesting array of kitchen tools, such as Microplanes and the like.

The DMT steel is about $35.

Stay sharp!

Mike

[hipjoint]

Originally Posted by cheflayne

Several people have mentioned being careful with diamond steels because they remove metal. I don't own one nor have ever used one, but it did get me to thinking and now I am curious. Has anyone ever removed so much metal that they used up a knife? Just curious, I have had same French knife for 30 years of professional kitchen use.

===== i have used diamond steels, ceramic steels, steel steels ansd i have to say that the ceramic is my favorite (think 2000 grit ceramic) for meat and soft vegetables, the diamond (because of coarser grit) better for like tomatoes and peppers (tough skin and soft insides). the steel steel??
i think if you sharpened your knives correctly, the edge wouldn't "roll".
mebbe the steel in the knife is too soft so it rolls?? happens more with
american and german knives. also, happens a lot if you slice hard enough
to strike the cutting board a lot. i have a 18 year old vegetable peeler that
peels as well now as it did when i bought it. can't believe it is because it
is made of super-duper steel?? probably cuz it never hits a cutting board.

[9ballprodigy]

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[9ballprodigy]

hey andrea. i wonder if you're the same andrea as the one i used to work with.

anyways, here's my breakdown of all your concerns.

1) ideally, the steel should be the same length if not longer than the knife you are honing.

2) diamond steels do take off metal, but at the same time, it helps retain that "just sharpened" feel. my chef thinks i sharpen my knife everyday because whenever i let him demo with my knife, it's always sickeningly sharp.

3) i currently have a global 10" diamond steel. i used to have a 8" ceramic one also from global. i hated it because 1. the knife leaves black streaks on the white ceramic. 2. if you do not clean the microscopic residue that comes off the blade whenever you hone by submerging the ceramic in water, the residue tends to clog the pores of the ceramic and glazes it over. my ceramic steel is smooth as a baby's butt and just as useless when honing my blade.

4) i don't know if you work in the kitchen professionally or if you just hone your knife really often, but if you do decide on a diamond steel, make sure to scrub it routinely with a tooth brush to get all the metal shavings out of the pores of the steel. my chef and i both use global diamond steels, but mine is in much better condition. i constantly get asked to borrow my steel even though the other cooks have their round steels out. remember to submerge the wand of the steel in a bain full of water while you work to let the metal shavings float away from the steel and sink to the bottom of the bain.

5) if you're looking for a metal steel with pre-set angles for you to follow, look no further than the shun steel. the hand guard on the steel has edges that align to a perfect angle to hone at. to see what i mean, go to alton brown's website and click on the video where he discusses shun knives. personally, i like a 15 degree edge on my knife so my angle will be a bit steeper.

6) the one downfall of diamond steels besides shaving metal off, is this: the diamond surface can scratch the face of the blade if you happen to go too steep while honing and accidentally brush the face of the blade. i have a lot of scratches on the face of my shun because i was in a rush and i tried to hone quickly at a very steep angle.

7) lastly, remember that when you hone your knife, speed does not count as much as angle and correct form. i can get a knife back to true edge with 3 or 4 passes on each side going at a very slow pace. meanwhile, the line cook next to me is making his steel sing for 30 or 40 seconds and having no results.

[johnarmr]

you have yet to see what sharp is if you will only use a diamond stone! It is quite amazing how sharp a knife can get with proper stone sharpening!

[kokopuffs]

To 9ballprodigy:

To remove scratches from the sides of your knife blades, get yourself a set of these special wonder bars: Garrett Wade

Get all 3 grits for less than $20 and they'll do a wonderful job of cleaning up or buffing as it were the sides of your blades.

[kokopuffs]

To 9ballprodigy:

If the scratches are too deep to remove using the wonder bars I mentioned, the begin by sanding the blade with 300-500 grit wet or dry sandpaper that's used by auto body shops. Work all the way up to around 2000 grit and then finish by using the wonder bars. Cosmetic restoration shouldn't take more than an hour's worth of work but is well worth the effort. You'll certainly be pleased with your efforts if you follow these instructions.

[9ballprodigy]

Originally Posted by kokopuffs

To 9ballprodigy:

If the scratches are too deep to remove using the wonder bars I mentioned, the begin by sanding the blade with 300-500 grit wet or dry sandpaper that's used by auto body shops. Work all the way up to around 2000 grit and then finish by using the wonder bars. Cosmetin restoration shouldn't take more than an hour's worth of work but is well worth the effort. You'll certainly be pleased with your efforts if you follow my instructions.

i'll definately give it a shot, but the knife has a damascus design and i want to retain that as much as possible. either way, i guess it couldn't hurt.

[kokopuffs]

ALL bets are off when it concerns damascus steel. Dunno' what to recommend in 'refinishing' that type of steel. Sorry but my experience lies only with stainless and carbon steel blades.

[kokopuffs]

As to refinishing damascus steel, make an inquiry at this knifemaking supply website. It's located in scandanavia which is home to the BEST knife and axe steel worldwide.

[johnarmr]

you can re etch the damascus pattern with acid

Damascus Knives & Re-Etching - Knifeforums.com - Intelligent Discussion for the Knife Enthusiast - Powered by FusionBB

check out thuis thread for some help

[kokopuffs]

Great post. THAT looks like the procedure to do it with!