Honing Steel

Two-Stage Knife Sharpening Process

Stage 1: Edge Straightening
The edge of a sharp blade is quite narrow, and can get rolled over, knicked, and blunted as you use the knife.  Even tiny variations in edge alignment can make a blade feel less sharp, so the purpose of the Honing Steel is to reallign the blade edge to be consistent and straight without removing metal from the blade edge.

The recommended process for straightening a blade with the Honing Steel:

1. Prep: gather the knives you wish to straighten, a dish towel or wood cutting board to serve as your firm support surface, and a damp paper towel to wipe off any excess metal shavings.
2. Straighten: Use the cutting board or dish towel to protect your countertop, and use the pointed tip of the Honing Steel to point vertically down into that surface to provide a sturdy platform that won't move.  The Honing Steel is held in the non-dominant hand in a fist-like grip with the thumb pointed upward for a strong and comfortable grip.  The dominant hand holds the knife to be sharpened in a typical knfe-holding grip.  Starting at the very back of the blade nearest your hand, evenly and smoothly apply pressure between the knife blade edge and the Honing Steel as you draw the knife downward along the Honing Steel and simultaneously backward toward the tip of the blade.  Repeat this process 2-3 times per side of the blade you wish to straighten, alternating sides.  When done, wipe the blade and Honing Steel with the damp paper towel to grab any metal shavings that may have come loose, then dry and set aside for sharpening.

Stage 2: Edge Sharpening
Once the knife edge is properly aligned from Stage 1, a knife can be easily and smoothly sharpened using a graduated sharpening system like that of our Knife Sharpener or sharpening stones. The sharpening process removes tiny bits of metal from the area of the blade right at and behind the blade edge, providing you a smooth and sharp cutting edge free of knicks, burrs, rollovers, and frustration.