@chefbrandonallen: How to Use a Honing Rod (after doing it wrong for 20 years) Step 1) Hold the honing rod, steel or ceramic, out in front of you. Step 2) Place the tip of the knife at the base of the honing rod, with the edge towards the handle of the honing rod, and slide the knife along the rod while moving down to the heel of the knife. Step 3) Do the same motion with the knife on the other side of the honing rod. Step 4) If you want to do the same thing, but start at the heel of the knife, great, go for it, just make sure you’re moving away from the sharpened edge. Step 5) Try and hold the knife at about a 20 degree angle on the honing rod. You’’re not sharpening it, you’re just realigning the apex. So long as the very tip of the sharpened edge is running along the honing rod, mission accomplished. This is how you hone a knife with a honing rod.