Routine sharpening sequences for waterstones, oilstones, diamond stones, etc.

You can sharpen with waterstones, oilstone, diamond stones, “Scary Sharp” abrasive lapping film and other methods. They all can work! For routine and maintenance sharpening, begin with a stone that raises a wire edge quickly, but doesn’t create such deep scratches that you end up with the task of scratch removal. (If your tool is damaged, you may need to grind rather than hone it.)

The goal is to establish a wire edge with a coarse stone, then chase the wire edge so it abrades and wears off cleanly, leaving a smooth edge. Below are excellent sharpening sequences for several different methods.

Waterstones:

Start with 1000 grit to establish the wire edge. These frontline stones will get the most wear and tear of all the media you have and will wear out faster, so a single grit stone is recommended for this operation. We then recommend a mid-range stone of about 4000 grit and then an 8000 grit finishing stone. (It is possible to go 1000 to the 8000 finishing stone.but this will take some wear and tear on the 8000 grit finishing stone.)

Oilstones:

Begin with a Medium India. As noted above, these frontline stones will get the most wear and tear of all the media you have and will wear out faster, so a single grit stone is recommended for this operation. Go straight from the Medium India to a hard/translucent Arkansas stone.

Diamond Stones:

Begin with a "Fine" followed by an "Extra Fine" diamond stone. Conclude with an 8000 grit waterstone. There is a noticeable difference between the edge you can get with a 6000 vs 8000 grit waterstone.

“Scary Sharp” Lapping Film:

For “scary sharp” lapping film, begin with 15 micron and follow a progression from 15 micron to 5 micron to .3 micron film.

Finishing up:

Stropping with a plain, untreated strop after using your finishing stone will improve the edge. Do not use any honing compound after the finishing stone, since the compound is coarser than the final stone and will also raise more wire edge.

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