Whetstones Essentials – All You Should Know

Using whetstones to sharpen your blades will get them a lot sharper than using any other sharpening or honing gear like an electric sharpening machine. Whetstones have a finely angled edge that enables the knife to hold its sharpness a little longer as compared to when you use alternative honing devices. Furthermore, using a whetstone ensures that your blade remains slim which is still a prerequisite for having the blade cut efficiently and precisely. Examples of some superb whetstones include the Shun whetstone 6000 and the shun whetstone 300 1000.

Here are a few types of whetstones:

Low-Grit Stones:

A low-grit stone contains two different sides and has as its grit number, under 1000. The two sides both have a purpose. One side is for honing, and the other side is for helping remove scratches from sharp edges or chips. You can use this stone to sharpen obtuse blades and other tools that have chipped edges. Here are some specific uses of these whetstones.

• You can use this stone to sharpen knives that have lost their edges completely

• You can restore damaged knives that have chips and nicks

Do not use these stones to do your general sharpening since they will leave a coarse finish.

Medium-grit Stones:

The grit number of a medium-grit stone is usually between 1000 and 3000. These whetstones are ideal for general or regular sharpening as well as honing for straightening obtuse angle. Compared to the low-grit stone, the medium-grit stone will give you better results in sharpening your knives. Here are some uses of your medium-grit stone

• You can use the whetstone for restoring damaged knives and regular sharpening

• You should use the medium-grit stone moderately to prevent your edges from becoming thin.

• With medium-grit stone, your knife edges become finer than when sharpened with low-grit stones

High-Grit Stones:

High-grit stones have grit numbers of between 4000 and 8000. It is also called a finishing stone. These stones are suitable for sharpening knives that you use to slice meat and vegetables with. Such knives ought to be very sharp for easier and finer cutting. Here is more about high-grit stones.

• High-grit stone is ideal for polishing and refining. If you want your blade to restore its shine, you should polish it with this stone.

• These whetstones are finely abrasive, strong, and very hard. These features allow for detailed finishing.

• In between your sharpening routines, you can polish your knife using this stone to preserve your blade.

• This whetstone is especially good for sharpening western knives.

Using a Whetstone

It is pretty easy to use a whetstone. You simply move the blade over the stone to remove the steel layer while exposing another. The knife becomes sharper as you expose the thinner layer. You have to apply some effort to sharpen your blades. The softer the stone, the finer the blade becomes. For best results, you should wet your sharpening stone before starting the sharpening process.

Why Use Whetstones?

While many people would prefer an electric sharpener instead of a whetstone, these stones have some advantages too. For once, an electric blade may damage your knife or blades easily since you do not have full control of the process, but with a whetstone, you have full control thus can protect your edges. Whetstones are also a lot cheaper and have no maintenance costs. They take minimal space in the kitchen, are portable, and can be used anywhere with or without electricity. All they need is your expertise.