Hi SShepherd, I think we are talking about smooth steels here, the ones that don't have any ridges. These are not files. You can in fact "steel" with a brass rod if you are careful. You would probably use an edge-trailing stroke if you use something much softer than the knife blade.
You are taking advantage of geometry to allow bending the thin apex of the edge with something with more bulk behind it. You know that you can bend a coat hanger wire with the flesh and bones of your fingers although the steel of the hanger is harder than your fingers. You can also smooth out dents in sheet steel using a brass hammer. A brass rod can bend a steel edge if you use the rod to apply force on the side of the edge.
My suspicion is that telcontar has a steeling problem, but there are certainly other problem candidates. The thing that raises my antennae is that he starts out describing the symptom of his problem by remarking on how he feels bumps when he runs a smooth steel along the edge. If he hadn't said that I would have wondered about his cutting board, whether he cuts bones of any kind with this knife (including fish bones), and whether he has ever done a thorough job of sharpening of his blade (to get rid of the problematic factory edge).
