Ron Hock has used a smooth steel to maintain the edge on his kitchen knives for decades
Most steels on the market are actually round files with longitudinal teeth; in use, those teeth aggressively remove metal from your knife’s cutting edge – in fact, many of them are magnetized to capture the filings that would otherwise fall onto your holiday turkey
A smooth steel acts like the burnisher you use on your scraper blades; it doesn’t abrade or remove any metal as it reforms the cutting edge
You hold the edge against the steel and, with moderate force, slide the edge along the steel; doing so forces the steel back into place
By steeling both sides, you reshape the edge to the center line, and your knife is sharp once again
You can’t fix a badly dulled or damaged blade – get out the abrasives for that – but if you use the smooth steel often so the edge never gets too dull, you can refresh a keen edge for months, maybe years
This 12" long steel can be used as is, but it’s easy to add a handle – just drill a 3/8" diameter hole in the end of a handle-worthy piece of wood and insert the rod with a dab of epoxy, and shape the handle to suit
As with any carbon steel, clean and dry it after each use to avoid corrosion
