On Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:32:39 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>john royce wrote:

>I've got a set in the cutlery drawer. Two ceramic steels that go into a
>wooden block, strop the knife down one side then the other. Have had the
>thing for probably thirty years, Does a decent job once you learn how to
>use it properly.
>
>Have been wanting a proper steel but the ones in the specialty stores
>seem very expensive to me and I already own the ceramic set. You do have
>to hand wash them occasionally to get the steel dust off of them.

George, is that the unit that uses round ceramic rods or triangular
ceramic rods? I have the latter, and it's been the dickens to clean.
The porcelain is so fine, the metal impregnates the surface, and,
while I've tried cleaning it with muriatic acid, I've had no success
in getting back to the original condition.

Alex