Many whetstones require to be soaked before you can sharpen with them and generally speaking, you'll need to do this for between 15 and 20 minutes. Some whetstones can be stored in water permanently which eliminates the need to soak them before each use.
A couple reasons. Soaking stones are porous. If not soaked, water will seep into the stone and not stay on top. You'll constantly be adding water. Soaking also softens the binder a bit, releasing more grit which expedites the cutting of the steel and also helping to prevent the stone loading up.
Yes, a whetstone needs to be wet in order to be used. It should be soaked for at least 45 minutes, or per manufacturer instructions, Wetting the stone helps it last longer, while stones used dry tend to wear out faster.
As u/knifeq2121 said, you can't ruin a knife by sharpening it, unless your using a very coarse stone and pressing with all your strength.
Most pros would agree that pulling the blade edge across the whetstone produces the best results. Not only will it bring the knife to its sharpest but it's also a much more effective way to remove chips and imperfections from the blade.
MAINTAIN YOUR EDGE
You should only have to get your whetstones out about once or twice a year at home if you look after your knives and maintain their edge with a honing rod or 'steel'.
Most manufacturers suggest soaking the whetstone for between 15 and 20 minutes. This gives the water enough time to properly soak into the blade meaning that you won't need to keep stopping halfway through to apply more water.
Instead of water you could also add a couple drops of oil to the surface of some whetstones. This mostly applies to very hard natural sharpening stones. In general, however, the following applies: most common (non-diamond-coated) whetstones could be typified as water stones.
To Sharpen = To Whet
Any stone used for sharpening was therefore called a "whetstone" or "whet stone". The terms "sharpening stone" or "honing stone" have largely replaced whetstone these days, but you will still hear it used occasionally.
Push the point you want to sharpen with your fingers. While keeping the angle and pushing the point with your fingers, stroke the blade until it reaches the other edge of the whetstone, then pull the blade back until it reaches the edge of the whetstone. This back and forth is counted as one stroke.
Soaking stones often provide a better feel and sometimes better results than 'splash and go' whetstones, but are not quite as quick to use. 'Splash and Go' whetstones just need water splashing on them.
The last step in maintaining your whetstone is making sure you thoroughly clean it after each sharpening session. Using soap and water you will want to make sure that your whetstone is cleaned of all lubricant and microscopic metal pieces and other contaminants.
In short, sharpening is used to restore a dull or damaged edge by removing metal, while honing is used to maintain and straighten the edge (which can bend over time). It's good practice to hone a knife often to maintain the edge and only sharpen it when it becomes dull.
First, you shouldn't soak 3000 or over grit stones before use. Yet, you can splash some water if that's really necessary. Plus, bear in mind that you shouldn't use oil or any other type of lubricants or grease, but use only water for lubricating the whetstone.
If you see lots of bubbles coming from the whetstone, it's a vitrified one and is meant to be soaked. If you don't, it's one of the other two types and should not be soaked. For those whetstones, just a splash of water on top is enough.
Your stone will require lubrication to function well. In the sharpening phase, we do not recommend any current WD-40® Brand Products although some may be used later for storage & protection. For sharpening stones the lubrication can come from water or oil.
Whetstones, Waterstones, & Sharpening Stones
Simply put, a whetstone is a stone used for sharpening tools and knives. The name derives from an antiquated word 'whet' meaning to sharpen.
While some stones – like those made of diamond or ceramic – can be used dry, they still usually benefit from a little water. Soaking the whetstone is important because it helps protect the stone from damage and wear. Sharpening your knives with a dry stone won't hurt the knife, but it will damage the stone over time.
A whetstone can help you to keep the blade of a knife nice and sharp with just one or two strokes, which saves time in the kitchen.
Some stones need to be soaked for 15-30 minutes prior to using while others just need a splash of water on top. A simple way to tell the difference is to wet the stone. If the water soaks in, it needs to be soaked and if the water just pools on top, it is a "splash and go" stone.
Waterstones and oilstones wear at greatly different rates: The softer of the two, waterstones, dish out faster and need to be flattened more often. We recommend flattening them at the beginning of every sharpening session-it's a 15-second job in most cases. Flatten oilstones about every 10 sessions.
Drag your knife towards you with a firm, even pressure at a 15 to 20-degree angle. Keep in mind that these angles may vary slightly depending on the type of blade you have. Continue repeating these strokes about ten times, then turn the blade over and sharpen the other side.
HOW SHARP YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR KNIVES. If you want your knives to be able to shave hair off your arm every time you pick them up, you'll need to use a strop or polishing whetstone at least weekly.
Using a whetstone gives you control over the angle of the blade and the pressure that's placed on the blade—something that isn't true with manual pull-through and electric knife sharpeners. You also won't find a sharpener that works on as many types of knives.