Your most likely problems are, too steep an angle used, inconsistent angles or insufficient grinding (coarse grit and low angles solve this.) If you have a thick secondary bevel at a steep angle, it will take a very long time on a 1000 grit stone to get this ground down, and you will become confused and frustrated.
Whetstones will crack or break from too much weight being placed on them. If you store multiple on top of each other, the lower ones have a high chance of cracking.
Using the Wrong Pressure or Angle
It's important to maintain a constant angle when sharpening and to also make sure you're applying the right amount of pressure. Too much, and you could end up with damage to your knife. Not enough, and it's not going to get sharp like you want it to.
First, you will soak your whetstone in water. Fine grit whetstones only need a few minutes of soaking; some chefs do not soak their fine grit stones to prevent any risk of cracking. Coarse grit whetstones should soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
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.
It's crucial not to sharpen your knife too frequently or apply excessive pressure, as this can cause the blade to become thin and brittle.
Common mistakes include twisting, pressing down or pausing the stroke of knives as you pull them through the sharpener slot. This can cause oversharpening (the loss of too much metal) or result in an uneven edge.
Sharpening Angle Too High
In practice, an angle that is only slightly too steep will not dull the edge. Only very high angles will create edges that feel dull. Sharpening at a slightly higher angle will actually speed up sharpening, but at the expense of maximum sharpness.
Whetstones have an average lifespan of up to six years. If you use yours less often, you can expect to get more use out of it. Every time you sharpen a knife, it wears down the center of the stone. This wear and tear will eventually cause the stone to break apart.
Camellia oil. This oil has no smell, so it is comfortable to work with. Camellia oil is good for both sharpening with an abrasive whetstone, and for protecting the blade from corrosion. A thin film remains on the surface after treatment, preventing the steel from coming into contact with oxygen.
Pressure should be firm, but gentle. The blade should glide smoothly across the stone as you pull.
However, if you are trying to figure out as to how many times should you go back and forth, at least 10-15 times of back-and-forth movement is good to go with the right pressure applied. Side to choose: Whetstones generally have a coarse and fine side.
Don't use excessive pressure, just pass the steel over the stone for about 30 seconds. Rinse the stone and the steel under running water to be sure you are rinsing off any diamond particle that may have come loose. Repeat the process for another 30 seconds and your stone should be broken in.
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.
The last step in sharpening is removing the burr – the hide side of an old leather belt will do, or buy a strop such as this one. A bit of baby oil on the leather will help you get a nice, even covering of the polishing compound. As with most things, you get what you pay for.
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.
It's just some, like ceremic knives, are hard and brittle and need special equipment to sharpen them, like diamond Lapping. Ceremic blades are harder than normal honing stones, so, will not make any sharpening effort. However, pretend rubber knives are only for show and definitely cannot be sharpened.
Short answer is whatever feels comfortable and works for you. I tend to do back and forth while gradually moving up and down the blade. On my cheap utility knives, this works fine all through the grits, then I finish with edge leading on the steel.
The answer is yes. We won't shame you for it, but we do have to take off a lot more steel than a normal sharpening, so please stop using pull-through sharpeners. According to you, our customers, they are repeatedly the cause of the most damaged blades we see.
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.
Our Favorite Whetstone
The King Whetstone Starter Set is a good choice for beginners and experienced users alike, providing a good selection of grits on a sturdy, dual-sided stone (and at a reasonable price). It may be a little short for longer knives, but this didn't show itself to be too problematic.
Actually, water stones, oil stones, Arkansas stones, diamond stones, and ceramic stones are all forms of whetstones.