On 28-Aug-2011, "Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote:

> My best friend and I agree on a lot of things. We both like to barbecue
> and
> grille, we both like Canadian whisky, we both like to look at pretty
> women,
> and we both like sharp knives - which is where the disagreement comes in.
>
> I sharpen my knives on Arkansas stones, a soft stone to get the initial
> edge
> back, and a hard stone to finish it off.
>
> He "sharpens" his knives on a steel, like the butchers use.
>
> I maintain that a steel does not sharpen a dull knife, in the sense that
> it
> does not remove any of the knife blade metal. The purpose of a steel is
> to
> correct a wire edge on a knife. A wire edge is a knife edge that has
> rolled
> over from hitting a bone or something hard. In the sense that it corrects
>
> the wire edge, it does make the knife sharper, but once a knife is dull, a
>
> steel will not sharpen it.
>
> We have a steak dinner for four riding on this, so come on people - I need
>
> some support here. Thanks
>
> Bob-tx

you're in trouble Bob. You're only half right. There are two kinds of
butcher's
steel in common use. The kind used by butchers that subscribe to a knife
maintenance service is of the non-abusive type that you're thinking of.
However, the equally common type used by many butchers is actually
a file with the flutes running lengthwise. And that kind most certainly does
remove material from the blade. The kind I use looks just like any other
butcher's steel from a distance, but it is actually a diamond hone of 400
grit.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)