I love knives, but sharpening is my weak point. All advice is much appreciated.
1] Lubricants. I have read a lot of stuff lately and now even more confused. For benchstones and Sharpmaker should they be used dry OR water instead?
With the diamond hones, either water or water + dish soap works well, and makes clean-up a breeze. Can also use them dry. No oil; it's harder to clean off the hones, and doesn't really add any benefit, beyond water or water/soap.
I use the Sharpmaker dry only, as I prefer the feedback felt from a dry ceramic hone. They can feel pretty 'glassy' when wet/lubed, so it's harder for me to tell by feel, what's happening at the edge.
With either, feel free to periodically rinse the hones, or wipe them down with a damp sponge/paper towel. This is more critical for the ceramics, because they load up quickly. The diamond hones are more tolerant of some swarf accumulation, but still should at least be cleaned up after each session, for best results.
2] Angle maintenance. To keep the blade consistantly at the right angle with benchstones how do you do it? Do you use some sort of guidance tool or system?
For 'training' the hands, an Aligner clamp is very useful. Since you've already got the diamond bench hones, that's a perfect complement to the tools you're using. It's easy to assume the clamp might be only a 'crutch' for sharpening, but with repetition, your hands will get used to the feel of maintaining the angle. I didn't really expect that when I first started using a guided system, but it just kind of happened on it's own. The hands will 'learn' to maintain better control, even while using the guide. Much like learning to ride a bicycle using training wheels. After some time, the 'balance' will be there suddenly, and the training wheels won't be quite so necessary anymore.
3] Scratches on the blade. Seems no matter how hard I try to be careful I end up getting some scratches on my blades during the sharpening process. I love a shiny spotless immaculate surfaces so scratches put me in agony. Any suggestions? I know I could send out my blades to have done by someone else, which I may end up doing, but I want to feel the satisfaction of a job well done doing it myself. Make sense?
If preventing or minimizing scratches is a bigger concern, I'd again recommend using a guide. With repetition & practice, your hands will eventually get a feel for maintaining control (angle, pressure and speed), which will go a long ways towards minimizing scratching. For me personally, the speed is important. Don't rush, because that'll make for sloppy results (dull edges and unnecessary scratching). Maintain a pace that also allows you to maintain complete control. That means take it slow.
Edit: The biggest 'plus' for you, as I see it now, is that the Aligner clamp is a very useful and inexpensive fix for the questions you have. Can be found for ~$15.00 or so, and will teach you a lot, if used thoughtfully. When practicing with it, pay close attention to how the blade feels in your hands on the hone, and the feedback you get through your fingers, and the pressure used (always should be light). After some repetition, your hands will begin to make automatic adjustments for angle & pressure, based almost entirely on the feel of the blade on the hones. More often than not, a bevel will feel somewhat 'slicker' when it's fully flush to a hone, and will feel much rougher if the angle gets too high (edge only, scrubbing on the hone) or too low (shoulders only). Paying attention to the feedback felt through the fingers will reveal a whole lot, making quick adjustments very easy.
