So this is my first post to BladeForums. I have browsed the sight many times to find answers, but i was unable to find a thread that outlined my problem. Thanks in advance for any help.
When i first got into knives i purchased a spyderco sharp maker to keep my knives in good working order. After a while i wanted to develop the skill of free hand sharpening. I liked the versatility that water stones provided, so that's the route i went. I purchased a Norton set that included 2 double sided synthetic stones with a 3rd flattening stone. The stones are 400 1000 4000 and 8000 grit. It seemed to be a fair price for what i was getting. I suppose i should say that i had really good luck with my sharpmaker system i was able to get my old Carbon 5 Master hunter to shave hair. Because of my quick grasp of the sharpmaker i assumed i would be able to hit the ground running with my new stones. I could not have been more wrong. I spent hours standing over those stones, and never once was i able to get a good edge. I used every source of info that i could to learn what i was doing wrong. After a fruitless effort i put the stones away and have not used them for about 6 months.
So jump to present day, i received a set of wood chisels for Christmas. After handling the chisels i thought hey these should be the easiest thing in the world to sharpen on a waterstone. How could i screw this up it has to work, my angle is already set i just need to hold them flat and slide it down the stone. After a 30 minute effort i realize that something has to be wrong. After using the water stones it actually dulled the chisel. I busted out my sharpmaker ( im sure some are familiar with the system) i layed the stones on the bottom of the plastic case and was able to use it in the same way i would have used the waterstones. Simply slide the chisel down the stones at its already established angle. After 3 minutes i was able to shave my arms.
Before using my waterstones i always soaked them for around 30 mins. I would also keep them lubricated with water during sharpening. I made sure they were flat by using a pencil to draw a grid then used my flattening stone until the grid was gone.
Is it possible that my stones are the issue? They honestly don't feel smooth when i get to the higher grits. Its almost like they have small ridges that run across the stone. i cannot see these ridges but i feel them when sharpening its like the blade wants to dig in at random spots along the stone.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to everyone.
When i first got into knives i purchased a spyderco sharp maker to keep my knives in good working order. After a while i wanted to develop the skill of free hand sharpening. I liked the versatility that water stones provided, so that's the route i went. I purchased a Norton set that included 2 double sided synthetic stones with a 3rd flattening stone. The stones are 400 1000 4000 and 8000 grit. It seemed to be a fair price for what i was getting. I suppose i should say that i had really good luck with my sharpmaker system i was able to get my old Carbon 5 Master hunter to shave hair. Because of my quick grasp of the sharpmaker i assumed i would be able to hit the ground running with my new stones. I could not have been more wrong. I spent hours standing over those stones, and never once was i able to get a good edge. I used every source of info that i could to learn what i was doing wrong. After a fruitless effort i put the stones away and have not used them for about 6 months.
So jump to present day, i received a set of wood chisels for Christmas. After handling the chisels i thought hey these should be the easiest thing in the world to sharpen on a waterstone. How could i screw this up it has to work, my angle is already set i just need to hold them flat and slide it down the stone. After a 30 minute effort i realize that something has to be wrong. After using the water stones it actually dulled the chisel. I busted out my sharpmaker ( im sure some are familiar with the system) i layed the stones on the bottom of the plastic case and was able to use it in the same way i would have used the waterstones. Simply slide the chisel down the stones at its already established angle. After 3 minutes i was able to shave my arms.
Before using my waterstones i always soaked them for around 30 mins. I would also keep them lubricated with water during sharpening. I made sure they were flat by using a pencil to draw a grid then used my flattening stone until the grid was gone.
Is it possible that my stones are the issue? They honestly don't feel smooth when i get to the higher grits. Its almost like they have small ridges that run across the stone. i cannot see these ridges but i feel them when sharpening its like the blade wants to dig in at random spots along the stone.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas to everyone.
Thanks again for all the info. I will make another attempt tonight, hopefully i can reply and tell you all i was succesful!