[masraum]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Your kitchen steel likely has mini groves. To roll a burr you need a very smooth round object. Shiny smooth. I don't go to the 75º extreme. I just start level and make 3-4 passes to about 30 degrees. If you are clever you can make a burr on both sides and flip the thing over when needed. That way you have 4 edges before rolling the burr again. Every other or 3 rd time you should use the file to square up the edge for new burrs.

New wood a burr might last a long time. Using it to remove finish and the burr can go away in a few scrapes. It pays to buy good scrapers. One I have is from a restaurant supply and used on griddles. It's very stiff so the corners could dig in. The thinnest in the kit is about a 16th. You can flex that to scrape just an inch wide path.

Our Steel is round, but only has the ridges that you mention on half and is smooth on the other half (kind of weird and unusual, I know).