A quick honing question...

[Drummercook]

So I purchased the 10" Shun Classic Chef's Knife about a month ago (and its my baby ) but now I feel like its time to hone it.

The only honing steel i own is the one that comes with the Calphalon Katana Series knife set. It's diamond, i think...

I'm too scared to hone it. I dont want to scratch it up or ruin the blade. Should i do anything different than i would with my old chef's knife and will this steel even work for my new knife?

Thank you!
Drummercook

 

[DrThunder88]

Depending on the grit of your particular diamond rod, you may want to switch to a smooth steel. Diamond rods do "scratch" the metal, so one must take care to keep the knife exactly at or above the edge of the final bevel. Steeling on a diamond rod may also shorten the time between honing since more metal is removed than with a steel.

 

[Rob Babcock]

+1. Use only a smooth steel, or better still a ceramic (or glass!) rod. Use very light strokes; you just want to align the edge, you don't want to remove metal. A light touch will get the job done while minimizing the odds of dinging up your Shun.

Btw, I have the same knife. It's a beauty!

 

[nbk12ul]

I'm fairly new to all of this, but from the research I've done, I agree with the above.

I've read a diamond steel is used to actually sharpen an edge (i.e. removing material), and that a normal "honing steel" is used to maintain an edge.

I'm not sure if I'm over-doing it, however, from what I've read, I do a couple of light passes with a honing steel after I use my knives before I put 'em up for the day. This supposedly corrects the micro-damage done to the edge that happens from normal use, and aligns everything.

I've been happy so far, and with doing that, I'm hoping to avoid having to have my knives sharpened professionally very often. I know its un-avoidable in the long run, but I think of it as proper maintenance, just like making sure they never go in the dishwasher, and are clean before putting up for the day.

I'd say get a good honing steel and know your not removing any (or much) material from the edge. Diamond is harder than your edge.

 

[Drummercook]

thanks all! thats exactly what i needed to know :-D