"Bob-tx" <No Spam no contact> wrote in message
...
>
> 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

I disagree with the comments posted thus far. What is the definition of
"sharpen"? I think it is to make a knife cut better. so, a steel, even
though it does not remove metal, makes a knife cut better, thus sharpening
it. If not, why do it?

Definition of SHARPEN
transitive verb
: to make sharp or sharper;


Sharpening, in various forms, is accomplished in various ways, including
truing the blade, honing the blade, grinding the blade, etc.


But, I have long tired of this debate. You both loose - send the steak
dinner to me.