# Polished honing rods



## feds27 (Dec 18, 2013)

I was wondering if many members use the polished type of honing steels/rods like the Victorinox Polished or F Dick Packing House Steel. It sounds like most members are using ceramic sharpening types of rods. Is there a reason for this? Is it because of a lack of time to hit the water stones on a daily or weekly basis for touchups? Is it because certain knife metals are too hard/brittle for a polished steel?


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## Pensacola Tiger (Dec 18, 2013)

Smooth/polished steels are used when the edge has rolled and just needs to be straightened. The edge on a high HRc knife doesn't roll, so a smooth steel doesn't do much for those knives. So, an abrasive rod is chosen when one is used at all. Many find that a loaded strop works well between sharpening sessions.


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## feds27 (Dec 18, 2013)

Is it safe to say that for regular maintenance of softer steels (German, Swiss steels HRC 59 and lower?) one can use a polished steel to maintain the edge without damaging the edge? And for regular maintenance of harder steels (Japanese steels HRC 60 like VG-10 and higher) stropping is recommended over honing.

And if the edge has some slight damage (soft or hard steel) that can't be fixed by polished steel rod or honing, and one can't get to a stone (say middle of a busy shift or preparing a meal), then a ceramic rod will do?

Net: If one has a mix of soft and hard steel knives, they are probably using a mix of polished rod, ceramic rod, and strop.


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## Crothcipt (Dec 18, 2013)

Feds, you are thinking that the 3 are synonymous with each other. It really isn't. The polished steel rods are for softer knives. The up keep of the rods is recommended using emery board to have contours that will help with polishing the blade. This is also done with either porcelain, ruby, diamond, ect. The amount that is taken off the steel is very minimal with a polished rod vs. others. Polished rods have a higher hrc (hardness) than say german steel knives creating something that will align the rolling steel, on a micro lvl. When stropping on leather, hard felt, news paper, and card board will polish the blade a little more than what has been used. Stropping on a polished rod will do the same.


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## Keith Sinclair (Dec 18, 2013)

I used smooth steels & ceramics to realine J- Gyuto's at work,it helped between stone time.I know some guys use small strops at work to freashen the edge.A polishing stone works great too.

If you are going to use a steel at all,it is better to use a smooth one.Most steels belong in the rubbish can.Star Shaving Supplies sell a nice leather strop for around 15.00.


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