Thread: Honing Sheffield steel

I have recently purchased a Wade And Butcher "Special" on the bay and am looking forward to putting a fresh edge on it upon arrival. This will be the first "Sheffield steel" to be raked across my battery of hones and I have briefly read in other posts that Sheffield steel is slightly different than Solingen and early American steel.

So, my question consists of two parts.

1) How does Sheffield steel differ metallurgically to Solingen or American steel?

2) Should my honing progression be altered to acquire the edge that I am seeking?

My honing progression is as follows:

1K Norton
4K Norton
8K Norton
Apache Stratta
CROX pasted paddle strop

This progression has been very satisfying so far.

Originally Posted by Straightandproud

I have recently purchased a Wade And Butcher "Special" on the bay and am looking forward to putting a fresh edge on it upon arrival. This will be the first "Sheffield steel" to be raked across my battery of hones and I have briefly read in other posts that Sheffield steel is slightly different than Solingen and early American steel.

So, my question consists of two parts.

1) How does Sheffield steel differ metallurgically to Solingen or American steel?

2) Should my honing progression be altered to acquire the edge that I am seeking?

My honing progression is as follows:

1K Norton
4K Norton
8K Norton
Apache Stratta
CROX pasted paddle strop

This progression has been very satisfying so far.

1) There is no such thing as a defined form of Solingen, American, Sheffield or Eskilstuna steel. Production processes varied a lot over time everywhere, and irregularities appear(ed) even within batches. With the ever increasing technological developments I would guess that the manufacturing of steel has become more exact and replicable, but it's still not at 100% predictability.

It is often said that Sheffield steel is generally speaking softer, but I am very sceptical of such metallurgical conclusions drawn on the basis of honing a bunch of razors. Just because some steel is easier to abrade than another doesn't necessarily mean it's softer; it simply means it's easier to abrade.

2) I don't see why you should change your set-up, if it has worked for you so far. Compared to stainless steel or modern production steels I would guess you would need less strokes for older Sheffield razors, or at least more regular changing between both honing planes of your bevel. But then again, you might need more. I would advise you to go with your regular regime and keep an eye on your edge, undercutting etc. basically all the things you should be looking at when honing anyway.

Really, it's not rocket science. Just try something out and if it doesn't quite work, tweak it. Good luck!

If I recall correctly, the W&B Special was of later manufacture than the meat choppers. Its similar to Solingen razors of the day. I doubt you will have any noticeable differentiation between them on the hones.

Well ok then. Business as usual I guess. Hopefully it's a great shaver.

I'm new to W&B ,Sheffield steel. I have 6 at the moment and I've put edges on 3 of them.

I think its quite a strong steel and requires a bit of extra honing.

A very nice looking razor in excellent condition, love the scales and the mop inlay.

That should hone up just fine on your set up. Once you set the bevel, go easy on the pressure to make sure you are honing to the edge, A hollow can flex and keep the edge off the stone.

Try doing some laps on the Chrome Oxide after the 8K, just 10-15 laps to clean up the edge, then finish on your finisher and do some more Chrome Oxide laps for smoothness.

A few laps just before the finisher cleans up the edge so you are just polishing it on the finsher, works well on hollow ground blades with thin bevels for me. Just linen works just as well.