When buying diamond stones, Paul suggests getting a coarse stone between 120-400 grit (250 is best), a fine stone between 600-1000 (600 is best) and a super-fine between 1200-1500 (1200 is best).
It is easy to forget that the back of the chisel is just as important to finely sharpen or polish as the bevel. We recommend at least 2 or 3 more grits to get all the way to a polished edge. Common examples of finer stones would be 600-1000, then 3000-5000 and finally ending with 6000 - 12,000.
#400 grit whetstone is used for coarse sharpening of damaged knives (eg, broken tip, chips or nicks in the blade), or for totally blunt blades if your knives (god forbid) haven't been sharpened in ages.
Ultra-fine grit stones: Ultra-fine grit stones, typically in the range of 8000-12000 grit, are used for polishing and finishing the edge of a blade. They remove almost no material and are great for giving the blade a super-sharp edge.
A 100 grit stone will remove dings and rust from an edge, and an 800 grit stone will smooth and polish an edge. Using multiple stones of increasing grit in succession will sharpen and polish an edge, and give the best results. To save money, a lot of skiers only buy a 400 “general purpose” grit diamond stone.
The 300 grit stone is best used to work small surface areas like narrow chisels and knife tips where greater pressure per square inch can be applied. For larger surface areas or to flatten the back of chisels and planes, it is best to use a 600 or even 1200 grit diamond sharpening stone.
For normal sharpening, stones between #700 and #2000 grain are used. We recommend stones between #700 and #1200 grain. To take off the fine scratches and the burr left by coarser stones, and polish the surface, one can use stones starting around 2000 grain.
Fine grit whetstones, typically ranging from 4000 to 8000 grit, are essential for achieving razor-sharp edges and polishing blades to perfection. These stones excel at refining and honing edges that have already been sharpened with coarser grits.
If your knives are already in decent shape but need a touch-up, a medium to fine grit, such as 3000 to 6000, will be sufficient. This grit range will help you maintain the sharpness of your knives without removing too much material.
The 1000-grit blue side was the coarser of the two, while the 6000-grit was finer.
I use what I simply refer to as coarse, medium, and fine diamond stones. The manufacturer refers to them as coarse, fine, and extra fine. The coarse one is about a 300-grit (American system equivalent.) The medium one is a 600-grit and the fine one is 1,200-grit.
Smoothing wood surfaces: If you're working with wood and you want a smooth surface, 400 grit sandpaper is a good choice. It can help to remove small imperfections, such as bumps or rough spots, and leave you with a silky smooth finish.
If it gets 'caught' on the paper or doesn't go through the paper at all you need to sharpen your knife. Use a medium sharpening stone ranging from 600 to 1000 grit, followed by a fine sharpening stone ranging from 1000 to 3000 grit.
When buying diamond stones, Paul suggests getting a coarse stone between 120-400 grit (250 is best), a fine stone between 600-1000 (600 is best) and a super-fine between 1200-1500 (1200 is best).
This is done fastest using a rotary buffer with a wool pad and the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. f you don't want to spend a ton of money then I'd recommend the Griot's Garage 6" DA Polisher.
Diamond stones are the fastest cutting sharpening stones. Speed is especially helpful when working with coarse grits where you may spend additional time on a dull edge.
Start with your lower grit whetstone. For kitchen knives, a good starting point is 1000 grit for the first sharpening, and 6000 grit for finishing/honing, so they're the numbers we'll use in this guide.
Look for a sharpening Stone grit guide that has microns and grits. Then look for descriptions next to it that explains what you should notice on your steel for each one of those ranges. This will give you a good idea.
For the first step in sharpening undamaged and regularly maintained knives, stones with 800-2000 grit are a good choice. For basic sharpening, it is best to use a 1000-grit sharpening stone. Stones with grit sizes above 3000 are suitable for final, smooth sharpening and for removing the burr.
Choosing the Right Sandpaper Grit
For heavy sanding and stripping, you need coarse sandpaper grit measuring 40- to 60-grit; for smoothing surfaces and removing small imperfections, choose medium sandpaper from 80- to 120-grit sandpaper. To finish surfaces smoothly, use a super fine sandpaper with 400- to 600-grit.
A sharpening stone with a grain size higher than 1000 is not necessary for a chisel. Hold the chisel at the right angle to the stone For most chisels this is approx. 25-30 degrees. Use the angle of the chisel's bevelled edge as a guide.
Following the grit sequence, or at the very least, never skipping more than one grit at a time, always yields that deep luxurious finish that we all envision when starting a project.
Diamond grit size is a critical factor in the performance of diamond tools, and it is commonly specified by a range, such as 60/80 mesh. This designation indicates that the majority of diamond particles fall between the 60 mesh and 80 mesh size range, with 70 mesh often being the average particle size.
For rough sharpening – to remove chips along the edge or to restore an unusually dull blade – you will need stones from 120 to 400 grit. We recommend stones from 120 and 240 grit in this case. For normal sharpening, stones from 700 to 2000 grit are used. We recommend stones from 700 to 1200 grit.
For Professional-Quality Sharpness: For high-end knives or professional use, progress through the grits from coarse to fine, ending with an ultra-fine grit (6000-8000) to achieve a superior edge.