Sharpening a knife with a sharpening steel

Even a good knife will lose some of its sharpness with time. However, sharpening a knife is easy if you have the right tool and know how to use it.

With a sharpening steel

Generally three different materials are being used for sharpening steels:

• Chromium-plated stainless steel: Sharpening steels with a chromium-plated, grooved surface deliver a good re-sharpening result and are relatively immune to damages.
• Ceramics: Sharpening steels with a ceramics blade sharpen gently and carefully. However, the ceramics blade is sensitive to shock. A fall can easily damage it.
• Diamond: Sharpening steels with a diamond coating of the blade deliver a particularly fine re-sharpening result. The average life span is shorter, though, because the coating tends to wear off with time.

How to sharpen knives correctly:

• Place the knife blade against the tip of the sharpening steel at an angle of approximately 20 degrees.
• Pull the knife down and across the steel, describing a slight arc.
• Repeat this action on the back of the steel to sharpen the other side of the blade.
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 five to ten times, alternating the left and right side of the blade.

It is very important to maintain the angle of 20 degrees and to run the full length of the cutting edge along the steel from the hilt to the tip of the knife. The speed of the movement is immaterial.