I have a Japanese waterstone (actually purchased in Kyoto)
but I don't have any instructions for it. It is marked 1000
on one side and 6000 on the other. I've read what I could
find about how to use it. I sharpen mostly kitchen knives
and woodworking chisels.
I soak it in water before using it and I maintain a wet slurry
on the surface while sharpening.
I true it regularly by rubbing it on a 20"X20" piece of plate
glass with a slurry made of carbide lapping grit and water.
This truing keeps it flat and seems to work fine.
But I notice that the stone gets very smooth every time I
use it. Toward the end of a sharpening session, the 1000
side is noticeably smoother than when I started and the
6000 side is almost like glass.
Truing the stone renews the grit, i.e. it feels slightly gritty
and not glassy, and it sharpens well. I can use the stone
once, maybe twice, after truing it. But after that it sharpens
little if at all, so I have to true it again.
Are waterstones supposed to be re-ground every time they
are used? Or is there something about my sharpening
technique that is clogging the surfaces? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Zaster
"Zaster Sap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
It sounds like you are not keeping the stone wet enough. I would very often
add water to the top to wash the excess, pore filling, slurry away.
Sounds like you are getting the 6000 slurry mixed into the 1000 grit side.
When truing the stone, care must be taken to insure the slurry is cleaned
and not mixed with lower grits. Keep the 6000 sidde very wet when
sharpening and clean it after each use.
Dave
"Zaster Sap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a Japanese waterstone (actually purchased in Kyoto)
> but I don't have any instructions for it. It is marked 1000
> on one side and 6000 on the other. I've read what I could
> find about how to use it. I sharpen mostly kitchen knives
> and woodworking chisels.
>
> I soak it in water before using it and I maintain a wet slurry
> on the surface while sharpening.
>
> I true it regularly by rubbing it on a 20"X20" piece of plate
> glass with a slurry made of carbide lapping grit and water.
> This truing keeps it flat and seems to work fine.
>
> But I notice that the stone gets very smooth every time I
> use it. Toward the end of a sharpening session, the 1000
> side is noticeably smoother than when I started and the
> 6000 side is almost like glass.
>
> Truing the stone renews the grit, i.e. it feels slightly gritty
> and not glassy, and it sharpens well. I can use the stone
> once, maybe twice, after truing it. But after that it sharpens
> little if at all, so I have to true it again.
>
> Are waterstones supposed to be re-ground every time they
> are used? Or is there something about my sharpening
> technique that is clogging the surfaces? Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Zaster
>
>
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"Zaster Sap" <[email protected]> wrote:
...
>
> But I notice that the stone gets very smooth every time I
> use it. Toward the end of a sharpening session, the 1000
> side is noticeably smoother than when I started and the
> 6000 side is almost like glass.
>
> Truing the stone renews the grit, i.e. it feels slightly gritty
> and not glassy, and it sharpens well. I can use the stone
> once, maybe twice, after truing it. But after that it sharpens
> little if at all, so I have to true it again.
...
Hi,
Both the 1000 and the 6000 will cut very slowly. The 6000 will
normally feel silky and smooth (almost like glass). The 6000 cuts so
very slowly that the only way you can tell it is working is that the
edge you are sharpening will come to a polished finish. The 1000 is
nearly as slow, but your bevel will look a little grayish, and as you
polish longer, the bevel will slowly get wider.
More aggressive sharpening takes a coarser grit stone. I like the DMT
Duostones (the diamond stone, medium on one side and fine on the
other) for the aggressive sharpening (preparing new blades or working
nicks out of my rough chisels). The Duostone is also good for
flattening my 1000/6000 waterstone. My waterstone is a common
inexpensive brand (King).
I use a little water syringe to rinse most of the slurry (and metal)
off the stone as I'm sharpening.
I have no experience at all with the carbide lapping compound you
describe. Unless your carbide is a finer grit than 6000 (not likely!)
then I might be a little concerned about contaminating my fine grit
waterstone with coarser grit carbide.
You didn't mention whether or not your blades get sharp. As long as
they are getting sharp it seems like the rest is just academic. :-P
Cheers,
Nate
I would simply get a coarser grit stone for heavy sharpening and lay off
using the carbide lapping grit.
Sounds like it is getting embedded in your stone and is doing the
sharpening. This depends on the coarseness of the grit, but unless it is
almost powderlike I'd keep it away from the 6000 side of the stone.
6000 grit doesn't do much sharpening. It just puts a final polish on what
you have done so far.
-Jack
"Zaster Sap" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I have a Japanese waterstone (actually purchased in Kyoto)
> but I don't have any instructions for it. It is marked 1000
> on one side and 6000 on the other. I've read what I could
> find about how to use it. I sharpen mostly kitchen knives
> and woodworking chisels.
>
> I soak it in water before using it and I maintain a wet slurry
> on the surface while sharpening.
>
> I true it regularly by rubbing it on a 20"X20" piece of plate
> glass with a slurry made of carbide lapping grit and water.
> This truing keeps it flat and seems to work fine.
>
> But I notice that the stone gets very smooth every time I
> use it. Toward the end of a sharpening session, the 1000
> side is noticeably smoother than when I started and the
> 6000 side is almost like glass.
>
> Truing the stone renews the grit, i.e. it feels slightly gritty
> and not glassy, and it sharpens well. I can use the stone
> once, maybe twice, after truing it. But after that it sharpens
> little if at all, so I have to true it again.
>
> Are waterstones supposed to be re-ground every time they
> are used? Or is there something about my sharpening
> technique that is clogging the surfaces? Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Zaster
>
>
I didn't see it mentioned before in this thread....
Traditionally, people use a nagura stone to prepare the waterstone
before use, especially with the fine grits. Several grades are used,
depanding on the fineness of the stone. It is used to quickly get the
proper slurry so that real cutting can be done sooner.
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