New 12-inch Knife Steel

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Greetings!

We are deep into renovating our larger bathroom, which is right next door to Linda’s home office. That she answers the phone while she’s been writing this newsletter in any kind of good humor is somewhat of a miracle. She just told me that she has no humor left, and is gratefully hanging on because of the new shower and roomy bathroom cabinet woodworker Daniel Zenefski is building for us. I’m glad it’s the weekend when we’ll both have a break. She’s rattled and cranky, and my achy muscles are telling me how out of shape I am for this kind of work.

And yet, we have good news! Our 12-inch knife steels are here and ready to be shipped at your command. You can read all about it below.

Thanks for all the kind words about the Bill Carter interview. I was a little surprised how well-known Bill is. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, you can check it out in our February issue of Sharp & to the Point, which I’ve linked here. It’s also easy to go to the website, click on the Blog & Newsletter section and then click on February 2017, which also features a Q&A about overheated steel.

Also, Linda would like to pay more attention to the Hock Tools Photo Album. So, if you are interested, please check out what she has to say below.

Of course, if there is anything you need from Hock Tools, please let me know.

Ron Hock

Hock Tools

(888) 282-5233

(707) 964-2782

New - 12" Steel for Kitchen Knives

Retail 2-2018 - Burnisher Banner Right and Left.

Keep 'em Sharp!

Hock Tools now offers smooth knife “steels”

for sharpening your kitchen knives.

I’ve used a smooth steel to maintain the edge on our kitchen knives for decades. Most steels on the market are actually round files with longitudinal teeth. In use, those teeth aggressively remove metal from your knife’s cutting edge. In fact, many of them are magnetized to capture the filings that would otherwise fall onto your holiday turkey.

I find those steels to be much too aggressive. A smooth steel acts like the burnisher you use on your scraper blades. It doesn’t abrade or remove any metal as it re-forms the cutting edge. You hold the edge against the steel and, with moderate pressure, slide the edge along the steel. By doing so you force the steel to “flow” back into place. By steeling both sides you reshape the edge to the center-line, and your knife is sharp once again.

You can’t fix a badly dulled or damaged blade – get out the abrasives for that. But if you use the smooth steel often - so the edge never gets too dull - you can refresh a keen edge for months, maybe years. I rarely abrade our kitchen knives. My smooth steel is my go-to kitchen honing secret. -- Ron Hock

Retail 2-2018 - Large Burnisher E1 with and without handle.

Hock Tools’ smooth Knife Steel - #BRL375 - $29.0 0 - can be used as-is; but it’s easy to add a handle. Just drill a 3/8-inch-diameter hole in the end of a handle-worthy piece of wood and insert the rod with a dab of epoxy. Shape the handle to suit.

Please note: as with our carbon steel Kitchen Knives , our Knife Steel is also carbon steel, not stainless. Clean and dry it after each use to avoid rust and corrosion.

Hock's 12-inch Knife Steel Works as a Burnisher, too!

Retail 2-2018 - 2 Knife Kits with Burnishers.

Yes, the Hock Tools 12-inch Knife Steel works as a burnisher, too.

As you now know, Hock Tools is offering a 12-inch knife steel to go with our kitchen knife kits.

The plan was to fill-out the line of knife kits with a high-quality smooth steel for honing your kitchen knives rather than abrading metal and shortening the life of a valued knife. But, it came to mind that you might be interested in one of our 12-inch knife steels for use in your shop.

And that brings me to our burnishers...

Hock Tools Photo Album

Bill Kurtz makes his own planes, building them from scratch, using a sole, and mixing things up with his various tools. Below are three shots of a couple of Bill's planes.

My wife’s uncle was a bit of an exotic wood collector so this is made from body Birch, cross piece walnut, sole teak, wedge Red Mahogany . I learned a lot by watching Ron’s videos and others. I’ve been doing hobby CNC wood work for about five years or so and wanted to try to make a few of these. They are about 50% CNC and 50% by hand. The Hock blade is like a surgical scalpel! - Bill Kurtz