Whetstones wear out???

N

NeedItCheaper

Joined
Jun 17, 2012
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366
Probably a dumb question, but I'm reading that whetstones wear out like someone believes they'll last forever. Then I thought, maybe they wear out faster than I think. I ass-u-me a flattening stone will eventually wear out the whetstone to the point the whetstone becomes paper-thin/brittle. Does this actually happen or do whetstones clog or wear out in some other way?
 
They will probably become dished out in places (from repetitive sharpening) more than paper thin. Clogging up is certainly possible if you don't keep them clean.
 
Ruari said:
They will probably become dished out in places (from repetitive sharpening) more than paper thin. Clogging up is certainly possible if you don't keep them clean.
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Wouldn't the flattening stone prevent any dished out areas? This is where I lack knowledge. I'm under the impression those flattening stones grind away layers of the whetstone, which should clean any filings water and a brush don't reach. Is this how flattening stones work?

Side note, I'm new to whetstones and... bored 😄
 
Yes, whetstones will wear out. The wear will be from sharpening, and flattening (if done). Some stones wear faster than others. A stones lifespan will depend on how often you sharpen, and how many knives you sharpen. The stones may last a light-moderate user several years, and a pro somewhat less.
 
Mountains wear down, why wouldn't a whetstone?
Some whetstones have been passed down. A pro - knife sharpener or machinist - will certainly wear them out.
 
Abrasives wear. When the grains eventually blunt and stop cutting, you want them to shed. The rate at which they should shed is determined by a number of different factors, but you neither want them to shed too slow and stop working effectively nor too fast and lose grit that was still sharp enough. Because of this a stone that's well suited to certain kinds of work may not be as suitable for some other kinds.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
Wouldn't the flattening stone prevent any dished out areas? This is where I lack knowledge. I'm under the impression those flattening stones grind away layers of the whetstone, which should clean any filings water and a brush don't reach. Is this how flattening stones work?

Side note, I'm new to whetstones and... bored 😄
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Yes, if a flattening stone is used, you will keep it flat and smooth, but wear it down quicker.
How quick is down to many factors - hardness of stone, regularity of use, pressure used in use etc.
 
that was not the question, but wetstohns doht have to be mean flat for sharpening an ordinary knife. the stohns dish out, and that's fine, with ordinary knives. if you know how to manipulate the edge and apex, you can still get it ubersharp.

a dished out surface will produce a convex-profiled edge's all.
 
42 is right, different (synthetic) stones have different binders, on a spectrum of soft to hard. Personally I prefer to freehand on a softer stone, because the swarf gives me visual feedback on which parts of the edge are apexed.

I learned to sharpen on my grandad’s big bench stone, 3” thick and dished out about 1/2”. Retired millwright, accustomed to building his own stuff out of salvaged scrap (I kinda inherited that chromosome). He always had the sharpest knives of anybody I knew, and would have laughed his a$$ off at the suggestion of flattening his stones.

Nevertheless, in my 30s or so I got all jacked up about flattening, and did it religiously for a short while, til my natural laziness reasserted itself and decided that was too much work.

He’s been gone for many years, and I’ve got my own favorite dished out stone now.

Parker
 
Dishing doesn't matter if you're sharpening a curved blade. If you're sharpening a straight blade, or one with a straight section ... it matters a lot.
 
3D Anvil said:
Dishing doesn't matter if you're sharpening a curved blade. If you're sharpening a straight blade, or one with a straight section ... it matters a lot.
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Yes. My classic (i.e. non-modified) wharncliffe agrees. I keep my whetstones as flat as I can.
 
Yes - I had a King 1000/6000 whestone and eventually wore out the 1K side. Granted I used it to sharpen all kinds of knives and in my early days of sharpening I tended to press harder than needed.
 
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