I've turned a practical need to sharpen kitchen knives into a hobby which as hobbies do get a little obsessive and overblown.
Having said that, I've migrated from the western knives to the japanese knives. With that has come going from arkansas stones to
those expensive chosera stones. My first set of arkie stones had problems with flatness. Vendor has been kind enough to replace
with two combo's of generous size 3x9.5's. Stones included are a full progression: washita,soft,hard, and black. I know that many
like the lower grit of india stones...but they were dished and I did not the feel of the coarse. Perhaps, just a bad first impression.
Another vendor agreed that they were not flat and refunded me.
New Arkie combo's have not yet arrived but I feel determined to see if I can get more satisfaction from them. And, I do know
that many on this forum may be thinking that it's not a problem for them, so why me. No matter, I will keep trying even
though I have the japanese stones (400,800, 4k). Not yet in the tool box, but will be, is the atom140 diamond plate for flattening.
On the next try I lean toward using the norton mineral oil. I had been experimenting with water and soap, as well as the mineral oil.
To get faster action would it help to acquire small stones to work up a slurry? If so, which ones and can someone describe how they would be used?
I'm mostly thinking of application at the lower grit stones. Is there a guideline...always have the finger stone be of a higher (or, lower) grit
than the bench stone? Or, just use whatever is a preferred grit level finger stone on the atoma140 diamond plate to make a slurry that is then added to
the benchstone being used?
I look to sharpen both old practice knives (some are still keepers) as well as the higher hrc j.knives.
Having said that, I've migrated from the western knives to the japanese knives. With that has come going from arkansas stones to
those expensive chosera stones. My first set of arkie stones had problems with flatness. Vendor has been kind enough to replace
with two combo's of generous size 3x9.5's. Stones included are a full progression: washita,soft,hard, and black. I know that many
like the lower grit of india stones...but they were dished and I did not the feel of the coarse. Perhaps, just a bad first impression.
Another vendor agreed that they were not flat and refunded me.
New Arkie combo's have not yet arrived but I feel determined to see if I can get more satisfaction from them. And, I do know
that many on this forum may be thinking that it's not a problem for them, so why me. No matter, I will keep trying even
though I have the japanese stones (400,800, 4k). Not yet in the tool box, but will be, is the atom140 diamond plate for flattening.
On the next try I lean toward using the norton mineral oil. I had been experimenting with water and soap, as well as the mineral oil.
To get faster action would it help to acquire small stones to work up a slurry? If so, which ones and can someone describe how they would be used?
I'm mostly thinking of application at the lower grit stones. Is there a guideline...always have the finger stone be of a higher (or, lower) grit
than the bench stone? Or, just use whatever is a preferred grit level finger stone on the atoma140 diamond plate to make a slurry that is then added to
the benchstone being used?
I look to sharpen both old practice knives (some are still keepers) as well as the higher hrc j.knives.