Which whetstone?

[Patrick Bateman]

I recently bought this knife-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chroma-Type-P18-Chefs-Knif...

and it's the dog's bks. I'm curious as to which whetstone(s) and what grit I should buy to keep it as sharp as possible. Any brands I should look for? Would one stone do or would it be really beneficial to get various grits 800, 3000, 6000 etc.?

[uncinqsix]

Ideally, you need two grits, one around 800-1200, and one at around the 5000-6000 range. You can do this with two separate stones or a combo stone with one grit on each side. Combo is the cheapest option, and the King brand ones are a good solid choice - they are old tech and a bit soft, but do the job well:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/japanese-combination-wa... or a nice Suehiro combo http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main... The latter is bigger and better.

For individual stones, you can get awesome ceramic ones like http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main... but probably an overkill for sharpening the occasional knife (great if you have a workshop full of tools to sharpen though.)

Edited by uncinqsix on Friday 20th June 10:37

[wolfracesonic]

Some good info here Japanese water stones A combination stone would probably suit you the best. It just depends on how anal you want to get about sharpening: Do you really want be stood in the kitchen Sunday dinner time covered in cutting slurry, trying to get that perfect edge whilst the roast goes cold? Some interesting reading about more traditional knife steels here Z knives
Have a look at these just in case Oh bugger!

Edited by wolfracesonic on Friday 20th June 10:51

[uncinqsix]

wolfracesonic said:

Some good info here Japanese water stones

I forgot about Dieter Shmidt. Good prices and good service: I can recommend them as a seller.

[Patrick Bateman]

Thank you I shall have a look. Is it best to regularly sharpen the blade with just semi-regular use or can I wait until it's just starting to get noticeably less sharp?

[uncinqsix]

Patrick Bateman said:

Thank you I shall have a look. Is it best to regularly sharpen the blade with just semi-regular use or can I wait until it's just starting to get noticeably less sharp?

Both. Regular touch ups with the fine (5-6000) stone, and when that starts to get less effective, a proper sharpen starting with the 1000.

[Patrick Bateman]

I've seen videos of how to do it, fairly idiot proof in practice?

[uncinqsix]

Not quite idiot-proof, but it's by no means difficult and you'll get the hang of it quickly. Learn on some old knives before letting loose with your shiny new one.

The key is to keep the angle very consistent, which will require some care and attention at first until muscle memory takes over.

[Patrick Bateman]

Sounds like a plan, thanks again.