Knife sharpening with Diamond and Water Stone.

[FrenchieBoy]

I bought one of these "Ruxton" knife sharpening systems a few years ago but never seemed to get on with it, no matter how careful I was I just could not get a reasonable edge on any of my knives so I put it away and went back to using my Falknivven DC4 knife sharpener.
( Knife Sharpener Professional Kitchen Sharpening System Fix-angle 4 Stone Version 714131844708 | eBay )
With the DC4 I could get quite a good edge which was just about "shaving sharp" but not quite as perfect as I would like.
I was rummaging through a box of shooting related "bits and bobs" yesterday and came across a 6000 grit Japanese Water Stone I had been given and forgotten that I had. This gave me an idea so I immediately put the water stone to soak for a while in clean water. While it was soaking I got one of my really cheap folding knives out and gave it a bit of treatment with my DC4. When the stone had soaked enough (I gave it half an hour but I think it could have done with a bit longer as it dried out quite quickly) I started to get to work on the cheapest of the folding knives I had - It was so cheap I would be embarrassed to even give it away to anyone so I wasn't worried if things went wrong. After just 5 minutes or so I could not believe the results, I was able to "feather cut" a piece of A4 typing paper with complete ease and the blade was certainly sharp enough to shave a patch on my arm with. Not bad for a "cheap and cheerful" excuse for a pocket knife that is worth less than a tenner! The next one I will "practice on" will be my old Opinel No 6 as that one is due for replacement soon so if I get it wrong and mess the blade up it will be no great loss.
This has got me thinking about using nothing but Japanese Water Stones for my knife sharpening and now I am thinking about getting a 1000 grit and 4000 grit combination Japanese Water Stone with a Nagura Stone for all my knives - I really do like to keep as sharp as possible as I believe that a blunt knife is a dangerous knife!
I have watched no end of videos about using Japanese Water Stones but do any of you Guys have any hints or tips for me to think about when using Japanese Water Stones for knife sharpening please? i.e. If the Water Stones are used properly is there any need to strop the knives as well afterwards?

 

[bowji john]

You will still need to strop the edge afterwards - I use a piece of leather with starky blue metal polish rubbed onto the leather surface - make sure the leather is on a flat surface to avoid putting a secondard bevel on your edge.

If you are using mora knives or any knife with a scandi grind I recommend using a felt tip pen on the edge so you get instant feedback on whether you are holding the knife correctly against the water stone. Once you done it a few (hundred) times you will automatically get the right angle.

When I have finished with the stones I rub the two stones together to prevent dishing on the surface of the stone - the stone's face needs to be kept flat

I only use leather strop and water stones for general edge maintenance though I do have a Linisher for re-establishing grinds on knives that have been damaged

I'm sure you've picked up these tips already from the endless videos there are on the subject

j