Newbie....which sharpening stone should i get

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wolverine_173

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Ok im looking for a stone. I am new to knives and sharpening. I picked up a smiths 3 in 1. I think this will work good for me and my EDC knives. But I also need something to sharpen my Ontario RAK with a 5 inch blade.

I have been watching youtube vids and looks like there are lots of stone. a normal double stone 400 grit and 1000 grit. Is that all I need? I also see Japenese wetstones and strops.

What should i get and how much is it gonna cost me. Remember I am a beginner
 
Wolverine, the stone is probably the most effective tool for developing and maintaining a good edge. It's also one of the hardest methods to master for one reason: angle. When you sharpen a knife by hand with a stone, the trick to develop a usable edge is to maintain the angle you are working on from begging to end. This means multiple identical strokes. A mistake can slow or even reverse your progress so practice, practice, practice. Additionally, you will need to replicate your identical strokes on both edges of the blade if your knife is not a single edge. Practice.

As far as the steel rods go, angle is just as important as with the stone and most do not actually sharpen a blade but rather restore blade from "rollover" caused by normal use. The rod is good for touching up an edge but you should create your new edge or repair an edge with a stone. The 3 in one is a good system. So, my advice is to master one system and stick with it, learning new systems if you want after mastery of one reliable way. And did I mention, practice! Good luck and have fun with it.
 
Last edited:
Eightleggedfreak said:
Wolverine, the stone is probably the most effective tool for developing and maintaining a good edge. It's also one of the hardest methods to master for one reason: angle. When you sharpen a knife by hand with a stone, the trick to develop a usable edge is to maintain the angle you are working on from begging to end. This means multiple identical strokes. A mistake can slow or even reverse your progress so practice, practice, practice. Additionally, you will need to replicate your identical strokes on both edges of the blade if your knife is not a single edge. Practice.

As far as the steel rods go, angle is just as important as with the stone and most do not actually sharpen a blade but rather restore blade from "rollover" caused by normal use. The rod is good for touching up an edge but you should create your new edge or repair an edge with a stone. The 3 in one is a good system. So, my advice is to master one system and stick with it, learning new systems if you want after mastery of one reliable way. And did I mention, practice! Good luck and have fun with it.
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so what grit wet stone should i get?
 
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