Sharpening - Wet, Dry, Why?

I definitely stand by dmt being the most bang for your buck option. Just get the dmt coarse, and a strop (or make one) along with some compound if you really want to go cheap.

The coarse is just fine enough, along with a strop to get you a very decent edge.
 
A bit off topic but from a health perspective, wet your stones, always.

Basically as soon as you hit 150 grit steel particles become airborne and impact on your nasal cavity.

Anything from 10 micron below would go straight into your lungs.

Obviously there are some factors such as distance from source, speed etc (or your figure while sharpening) that impact the distribution of those particles but I apply this while grinding a blade (wet grinding and respirator) and sharpening by hand (wet).
 
marthinus said:
A bit off topic but from a health perspective, wet your stones, always.

Basically as soon as you hit 150 grit steel particles become airborne and impact on your nasal cavity.

Anything from 10 micron below would go straight into your lungs.

Obviously there are some factors such as distance from source, speed etc (or your figure while sharpening) that impact the distribution of those particles but I apply this while grinding a blade (wet grinding and respirator) and sharpening by hand (wet).
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Are we talking hand sharpening or powered sharpening?
 
I mean. That's technically true for any use of abrasives, especially if you are using silicon carbide. Even hand sanding. Its to wear a respirator, or do your grinding/polishing/sharpening wet.

I personally always use either water, or some kind of oil depending on the stones I'm using. I sharpen stuff for money, so I have everything, waterstones, Japanese natural stones, Arkansas stones, oil stones, diamond plates, resin bonded diamond stones. Of everything I use, I've never gotten better performance using them dry.

So it's better from both a health, and performance perspective. At least in my experience, ymmv.
 
Robert Ptacek said:
Are we talking hand sharpening or powered sharpening?
Click to expand...

For me, any type of sharpening. That being said. As you mentioned above depends on the intended use of the stone. If I would sharpen dry I would say any form of dust mask is better than nothing.

Variable is speed and distance. If your sharpening slowly and at arms length the risk of “throwing dust particles up” goes down.

There is an equation to it but will have to look into the modelling thereof. I tend to ask my colleagues on the matter as they are the experts 😊
 
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