Not@home wrote:
Bewett Miller wrote:
Sorry, an old post I know, but my Steel does sharpen my knives.
My steel is not just a piece of steel like a large nail, it is like a
file with the ridges parallel to the handle. And a dull knife does
get sharp.
Normally steels just straighten the edge.
Thanks


And the "sharpening steel" technically doesn't sharpen a knife, it
just "puts a edge on it" whatever the hell that means I don't
exactly know.

It "unrolls" the curl at the edge.

A sharp knife has a microscopically thin edge, and that edge gets
bent, or curled, with use.

The steel straightens that bend, but with enough use, the edge will
break off. Once it is broken, the steel will do nothing but make
noise, and the knife has to be sharpened.

I've been using a steel only on my good kitchen knife for 30 years or so, and
the steel still seems to keep it pretty sharp.