From: sheldon@XXXXXXXXsopris.net   
      
   "Pringles CheezUms"  wrote in message   
   news:eer3u65pl9javfuq09q39kbhue99sj1bau@4ax.com...   
   > I've got a question about honing.   
   > I watch a lot of cooking shows and every time you see someone hone a   
   > knife you see them running the knives on the steel with the edge first.   
   > I.e. pushing it with the edge away from you or pulling it with the edge   
   > toward you. Every single person does this, including the knife   
   > professional on the episode of Good Eats that covers it.   
   >   
   > This seems backwards to me. If what you are doing is to get the edge   
   > back straight it seems you would need to reverse the orientation of the   
   > knife. Pull with the edge away from you and push with the edge toward   
   > you. Doing it the way you see it done would seem to me to be bending the   
   > edge down further or even doubling up the edge.   
   >   
   > Can someone explain why or why not do it like you see everyone else   
   > doing it?   
      
   It's an interesting question.  I would assume, and we all know what that   
   means, when stropping, which is usually done on leather or fabric, we do   
   pull the blade across the surface, like when you strop a razor or even a   
   knife.  However, when using steel, ceramics or stone we always push the   
   blade away from us.  So, I'm not so sure it's what we are doing but the   
   material we use to do it that determines a pull or a push.   
      
   Also, while the softness of leather or cloth or even mild abrasives can put   
   a very keen edge on a razor for shaving, that same edge is not required of a   
   kitchen knife and would not last very long.   
      
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