Whet Stones, Grit, Recommendations

[dawnviola]

It's time to sharpen my knives! I'd like to purchase my own whet stone - we have a tri-stone at school, but I can't find that model anywhere.

Do you have any recommendations on brands and grits to purchase?

Thanks!
-Dawn

[leegrayjade]

i have been using a waring professional sharpner for the past 10 years and find it exellent. at a cost of £150 it has fine and couse wheels and is easy to use. hope that helps

[Kelly Johnson]

Medium and fine should be all you need if you take care of your tools.
I've found that using water as opposed to oil (of any kind) is much easier and hassle free over the years as well.

[Peyton]

Go to your local Boy Scout or Army/Navy Surplus store and pick up a set of wet stones; they should last you for years and cost under $45.

If you have expensive knives pick up a set of machining hand-files or have them professionally sharpened.

[foodpump]

One of the "golden rules", and one of the very few things every sharpener can agree on, is that the fner grit you use, the more polished the edge is and therfore more robust, and therfore lasts longer.

For basic sharpening use a 800 or 1000 grit, and a 4000 grit for a decent polish, and 8000 grit for a really good polish.

Water stones cut fast but also wear out quicker and "dish out" or hollow out quicker. You CAN NOT sharpen well with a dished out stone. You can flaten your stones fairly easily and cheaply though.

If you choose to use oil stones NEVER, EVER use vegetable oil, as it will gum up the stone.


Get stones around 8" by 21/2" wide, anything else is really too small for anything other than jack-knives.

You can get good stones at woodworker's stoes : Lee Valley, Rockler, Japanwoodworker, etc. These are usually well priced.

Hope this helps

[bohica]

QUOTE:
"Water stones cut fast but also wear out quicker and "dish out" or hollow out quicker. You CAN NOT sharpen well with a dished out stone. You can flatten your stones fairly easily and cheaply though."

No offense........but.....The "dished out" or hollowing of the stone is a result of poor sharpening technique.
I have been using the same stone for many many years. When mine started to hollow, a very good friend chef told me what I was doing wrong. Since then I purchased a new stone and have used it for a long time.

I agree with using a wet stone with water. It works the best IMHO.

[foodpump]

No offense taken.

In about half the kitchens I've been to, there is usually a hollowed out stone, and in one cooking school, they have hollowed out stones.

For someone who doesn't know any better, for someone who is just getting started with sharpening, the concept of a hollowed out stone may seem normal,

I wanted to make it clear in my post that a dished out stone is impossible to get good results with, and results only in frustration.

Currently I have a 800 grit, a 1000/4000 grit, and a 8000 grit, along with 5 micron sandpaper,honing paste, and strops.

NOW HOLD ON, I'm not one of those guys who goes all white knuckled and ragged, heavy breathing when talking about knives. O.K?

I also happen to use hand wood working tools a lot as a hobby, and these need frequent sharpening as well. And it is much easier to dish out a stone with a 3/4" wide chisel or a 2" wide plane iron than it is with a 9 or 10" knife. A flat stone is also more crucial to good sharpening, as with a hollowed out stone you could put a nasty curved radius on an otherwise flat plane iron.