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Knife sharpening

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I’ve recently been told that what you do with a steel is different from what you do with a stone. A steel realigns your edge where as a stone grinds a new edge “they” say.

If this is true (and please put be straight if it isn’t) then where do ceramics fit in? Is a ceramic steel realigning or grinding? What about a ceramic stone then?

Re: Knife sharpening

Stones are for cutting a new edge. When you do this you will get tiny burrs along the edge. The steel is used to remove these burrs and true the blade. In regular chopping and cutting, you will get tiny knicks in blade and truing with steel will keep your knife sharp in between periodic sharpening on stones.

Re: Knife sharpening

John, thanks for confirming the difference, but I still don’t understand whether ceramics true or cut an edge.

Re: Knife sharpening

Ceramic cuts the edge. If you look at some “pull through” sharpeners they have ceramic discs, followed by steel discs. This is to simulate grinding and truing on steel. On professional tri-stones for sharpening, they have have a course, medium, and fine (usually ceramic) surfaces to grind kifes to a fine edge before steeling.