Sharpening Trick for bread knives

[Inspector]

I don't use a bread knife very often. Turns too much of the bread into crumbs that I have to clean up. I much prefer a thin bladed knife after a few strokes on a steel. Crime to turn warm, out of the oven bread into crumbs.

Pete

 

[Limey Lurker]

A trad knife "steel" not much like a burnisher - is serrated lengthways (probably a proper word for this?) with a bit of a filing action but not as sharp as a file.
It's all "sharpening" in my opinion, whether you call it burnishing, steeling, honing, grinding, etc

It's a single-cut file, with the cutting edges ALONG the length; NOT across it! With a bright light, I've seen tiny particles falling off as I've steeled a knife.

 

[Jacob]

It's a single-cut file, with the cutting edges ALONG the length; NOT across it!

Right thanks for that: "single cut file"

With a bright light, I've seen tiny particles falling off as I've steeled a knife.

As you'd expect. And a jaggedy saw tooth edge effect under a magnifying glass.
I've got two - one's an old bone handled Sheffield job and coarser than the other which is a smart-alec German variety. The coarse one for general purposes, the finer one for that little bit extra, if I wanted to shave my chin with a carving knife for instance.