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== A knife sharpening steel can be reconditioned with a fine grade sandpaper.

== Generally, no, a butcher's steel does not get "dull" and need replacing. A sharpening steel is just a piece of hardened steel that is used to reset the edge on a knife. Every knife, regardless of the brand, quality or method of sharpening, ends up with an edge that (at some power of magnification) looks like a saw. Little "teeth" stick out, and this is the business end of the blade. As a knife is used, the "teeth" (which are sometimes called "feathers"), bend. And you can see where we're going. The sharpening steel is a big chunk of hardened steel (with or sometimes without the "groves" in it) that is used to realign the feathers of the edge. It bends them back into alignment along the edge to restore the ability of the knife to cut efficiently. The steel is highly unlikely to wear out in a users lifetime. Some sharpening steels have been hanging in butcher shops for decades and are in fine shape, even though they have been (and continue to be) used multiple times in a day. Bon appétit!

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15y ago

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