JAPANESE KNIFE - Whetstone Buying 101

Hey folks, thanks for tuning in as always!

We havent uploaded for a while as we've been busy restocking and getting new stuff in so get excited for the videos to come of those, but today we're starting with stones! We'll go over different grades, grits, and kits so you can find out whats right for you, and it may be more affordable than you thought!

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[yellowdogjb]

Regarding flattening or removing a nick in a stone. You are correct that using one stone to flatten another is not super effective as they reshape each other. In a pinch, use two different stones to flatten a third. You can also use the first two on each other a little. By using two stones to flatten a third, the second stone corrects any issues the first one didn't. Wet/dry sandpaper glued to a pane of glass of very flat granite will work pretty well also. Of course a diamond plate made for flattening is best, but they are expensive.

If you don't sharpen many blades, yet you have a stone that gets a nick in it, or gets a slight dish, a flattening stone may cost more then your stone. In that case, start with some course wet dry sand paper and move up to a finer grade a time or two as needed. I picked up some very cheap sharpening stones at Harbor Freight to use on lawn tools, axes and machetes. They are junk, even at their low price. They dish out if you stare hard at them. They are double sided though. You can rub them together and flatten them out pretty well. I have used them to flatten some natural Arkansas stones I picked up at garage sales. They may be too soft for ceramic stones though. If you come across a nice natural stone though w a few small nicks or mild dishing at a good price, grab it and try the wet/dry sandpaper glued to a sheet of glass. I've picked up some fairly good sized, vintage stones for just a few bucks. They make nice stones to store as backup stones at fishing and hunting camp, or to use on lawn tools, or to teach newbies to sharpen on. Once someone gets the skill down you can even gift them the stone.

[michaelbereny]

great Video! My only issue was where were you a year ago when i started sharpening. This video is quite informative and a person just getting into sharpening needs to see this. Thanks For sharing

[TheMasterLuke]

Love your videos always very informative and helpful. Just a heads up at 4:47 you mentioned a link to your sharpening video but it didn’t get added.

[ignacioperfetto]

Have an old Norton India oil stone that’s never been used and a nice Santoku Japanese vg10 knife. Will that stone work?

[fightingusik]

Nice fellas. What is your personal preference for a finishing stone for SLD say in a beautiful Ittetsu Bunka for general purpose?

[enriquegonzalo]

do you have any more of the intermediate or beginner kit? i only see the pro and gage option on the website

[Ahmed-lcow]

As a home cook would you recommend "honing" the edge with a ceramic rod or a leather stop?
Thanks for the informative videos !

[ianmorton]

just bought the beginner set and wanted to know the difference between the two sides of the leather strop and which side i should be using to finish my blade on

[georgemamakos]

I can't find the products you advertised on the shop

[gregorybupp]

Do you like the 600 or 1200 atoma diamond plate better for flattening stones?

[jonathanvella]

Boys why can’t we all just get along and watch the video damnnn ;p

[barashkaz]

Nicely done. Nice intro. I'd suggest messing with mics a bit so you don't get as much echo.

[mikelongboat]

are all your stones splash and go's?

[fredrikliljeblad]

yOUR VIDEOS USED TO APPEAR ON YOUTUBE QUITE FREQUENTLY. LATELY, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN POPPING UP NEARLY SO FREQUENTLY. iS THIS AN HOMMAGE TO SPRINGTIME, OR IS THERE ANOTHER REASON???

[hello.itsme.]

I hate those guys who call "First!"

[emieloss]

Thanks for the video. I don't fully agree with the not removing material with a honing rod part though. A honing STEEL re-aligns te edge but a CERAMIC honing rod usually is harder than the steel of the knife and will do some sharpening. The material of the ceramic rod is pretty much like a whetstone. You can also see the effect of it, because the white rod turns grey because of the residue from the removed metal. Using a progression of stones is quicker and more effective though. A ceramic rod is usually about 1k grit size and isn't as easily to rinse of residue as a stone is. The same goes for a diamond rod. You definitely remove material with those.

I usually use a honing steel for softer (German) style knives. a diamond or ceramic rod is better for harder (Japanese) style knives.

[MrSATism]

I don’t know if it was my comment specifically that inspired this video, but I’m glad to see it either way!