Steeling a kitchen knife

[Alum of Potash]

I would say that my angle in steeling kitchen knives is under 22.5 degrees or half that of 45 degrees and then some. In his general manual, The Complete Guide to Sharpening, Leonard Lee, the founder of Lee Valley Tools, writes: "To use a knife steel, hold the steel vertically and take slicing cuts across it with the knife." This is a caption to a photograph showing a steel with the tip on a counter and the handle held on high. The angle being shown is fairly acute. In the general text on the same page as the illustration (Taunton Press, 1995, p. 94) he writes:

Another problem is that people use them incorrectly. . . . Regarding use, I strongly recommend that you adapt the stance shown in the photo above [i.e., with the caption as referred] where you hold the steel in position and draw the knife down and across the steel as if you were going to remove a shaving. The great chefs do freehand steeling of knives with a marvelous show of dexterity. If you are a great chef and have mastered this modified form of swordplay, I commend you. For the more faint of heart who would rather only slit their wrists intentionally, I recommend the illustrated process. It will give far more consistent results. One final point: Never use a knife steel on a laminated blade with a high-carbon core. It will chip the blade.