Originally Posted By: parker
There's no trick to steel. It's just a matter of keeping your knife held at the SAME proper angle on both sides of the blade as you make a continuous down and across motion against the steel. Only problem with that is you can't really tell someone how to do it.

The only "trick" is to remember to tuck your thumb in to the handle of the steel, so you don't slice it off on accident as you are bringing the knife blade down towards your thumbs...in a series of rapid swings. Dangerous as all hell, but I still have all my digits and have NEVER cut myself using a steel. Ever.

Oh, and it takes practice, practice, practice, and more practice to be good with a knife and steel. And more practice then practice some more. wink

My great uncle was a butcher. I got my first pocket knife when I was 10, followed shortly by getting one of his hardened butcher steels. Been using one ever since. I inherited his set of steels.

Pretty sure it's true in that "they just don't make them like they used to" when it comes to knife steels.

That being said, the Worksharp is a great tool for *most* people (me included) to really get a basic knife, one that's been used and abused, exceptionally sharp. From there, if one has the experience, a few schwacks on a good butcher's steel is all one needs to keep the edge fit and sound.....until your Mom get's a hold of it and uses it to hack on one of your thick-ass plants in the back yard. So much for that edge.......and thank goodness for the Worksharp!

For the average user, using an average knife (we can't all be professional chefs, or inherit the family knives), it's a great tool that does an exceptional job on just about all levels of knives.

...and I've used the fine grit on my high end and they are fine. Sharp as [Bleeeeep!], too. wink


same goes for knives in general... look at all the big companies that went to crap, Chicago, Buck, Schrade, even Gerber was good back when they were still made in Portland... now, they are SS peices of crap... yeah, they might get sharp for a bit, but compared to HC Steel, or other high grade knife steels, they dont stand a chance, or put up with the same use/abuse...

heres 2 of my CC knives, one, from the 60s that i bought my dad a long time ago when i found it at a yard sale, the second, was his, i dont know when he got it, but its from the early 80s i believe... his favorite knife was the one i got him, and not the one he purchased... these are the same model knife too, just a bit different sized, because 1 is legit, and the other, aint sh!t.... (one was made here, one was made in China)



see whats going on there?

and Parker and Andy, as you said, i wouldnt be so concerned with the high grit belts especially when used by someone that knows what they heck they are doing... its lower grit belts with idiots you have to worry about... or the people that drag their blades through gravel and have to sharpen them 40 times per year...

and then, there is the morons, that think its ok to use a grinder to put an "edge" on the knife... and when they cant figure it out, this is what happens when you think you let someone that you think knows what they are doing, go ahead and work their magic on one of your dads old Case knives...



lovely isnt it?

heres something thats been with me on the banks forever it seems... some of you older folks may appreciate this... not 100% but i think its 60+ years old... still works like a charm... and i love the hook groove... used to have 2 of these cant find the other one, this one was given to me when i was probably like 8 or 9...

vintage Eze-Lap diamond steel/stone (i dont know why they call it a stone, its a chunk of steel)