Pierre Imanishi Kitayama grain 8000

Sharpening knives can be one of the most satisfying and fun skills to learn and do. Whether you’re an old hand at sharpening, or just starting out, we want to give you a few tips to help you get the most out of your water stones. If you have any questions about care or technique, please feel free to get in touch, our contact information is below.

Waterstone tips:

• Use plenty of water. Periodically splash your stones with water as you use them to prevent the stone from plugging up with residue.
• Some stones require soaking in water for about 20 minutes prior to use, others only require a splash of water while sharpening. Knifewear brand stones tell you what they require on the package. A good way to tell which a stone requires is to splash it with water, if the stone immediately sucks up all the water on it, soak it. If it
  pools on top don’t soak it.
• Stones take on steel residue with use. A small Nagura stone can help clean the surface like an eraser.
• Use a truing stone to keep the stone surface flat. Softer stones might require this before every sharpening session. This will help you to maintain the correct angle for sharpening, which is critical for creating the best knife edge.
• We suggest lightly beveling the edges of the stone with a truing stone to avoid cutting yourself, and to prevent chips from coming off.
• In dry climates, certain stones can be vulnerable to cracking if they dry too quickly. To avoid this, wrap these stones in a damp tea towel and allow to dry more slowly. These include the Knifewear 4000 and 8000, as well as the Naniwa Professional series.
  

Important!

• Do not keep stones in direct sunlight, extreme heat or cold
  (e.g. Inside a car in winter) and avoid dropping them.
• Always wipe excess water off from the stone before storing.
• Never ever use oil on a water stone. It will ruin it.
• Have fun!