# Guidance on sharpening stone setup for a begginer.



## NeedAdult (Jan 3, 2016)

Hello helpful peeps!

I recently upgraded my kitchen knife, and after being very pleased with how it felt to use, am looking to keep it sharp. I am a complete novice in this regard, and am wondering if i have all the bases covered.

Currently have a Mayabi Santoku
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/miyabi-mizu-sg2/santoku-knife-p133135

Pending purchase:

Stone Holder with Base
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...g-accessories/products/stone-holder-with-base
Diamond Flattening Plate
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...accessories/products/diamond-flattening-plate
Gesshin 1000/6000 Combo Stone
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...stones/products/gesshin-1000-6000-combo-stone


Is this a good setup for a beginner?

Is there anything else i will need (strop?) or need to know?

Thank you!


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## chinacats (Jan 3, 2016)

Wow, that's a nice setup to begin with and you won't have to upgrade. Very nice setup, you could add a strop or just use your high grit (6k) stone for the purpose (some people like newspaper which works fine too). I would also recommend a champagne cork for deburring

Oh, and I'm guessing that since you found Jon's site that you also found his sharpening videos...they will be your friend.

Almost forgot to say Welcome to kkf!


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## psfred (Jan 3, 2016)

That setup should do you just fine until (or unless, actually) you find you want more edge refinement or higher polish, etc. 

I just bought a friend a King 1000/6000 stone to start him out with, and while it will work the Gesshin is a better stone. I've used a Bester 1200 and a King 6000 for years, works well enough on knives and woodworking tools I didn't get more stones until recently, not that I' considerably more flush than I was when I got the originals. 

You won't need to thing much about more stones until you wear that one out -- I'd guess eventually the coarse side will get very thin.

For a strop, some nice flat wood loaded with green chromium oxide in wax (found any any hardware store for a couple bucks) will do anything you need, I've been using a piece of 2x4 for years.

Peter


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## richard (Jan 4, 2016)

chinacats said:


> a champagne cork


I personally find a full fruit red wine cork works better, like a Pinot or Zinfadel.

Joking aside, I think that's a great starting setup. Personally I just strop on my fine-stone, especially convenient if it's a splash-n-go, which it seems you can also do for this stone, but a leather or similar strop loaded with chromium oxide is also popular and has its proponents. Personally I don't think going much higher than 6000 grit on Western style double bevel Japanese knives is useful, but different fine polishing stones (5000-8000 grit is most common) will have different properties, feel, cutting speed, polish, bite left on the edge, how easily they "dish"/become non-flat (but you have that covered with a flattening plate). I haven't used Gesshins, but I've read many great things about them and they are very well-regarded here, and unless you develop a curiosity to get to know other stones (a bit of a danger hanging out here), I don't see a big compelling need to really upgrade from them down the road.

Yeah watch the videos and you can try your hand first on a cheaper knife just to get a little bit comfortable and build confidence. If you want to avoid scratching up your nice knife, develop some technique so you can maintain a consistent angle (Jon's videos are really helpful teaching the fundamentals). You can also use the sharpie trick and use the polish side first (which leaves much finer scratches than the 1000 side) to really dial into the factory bevel angle (which is about 10 deg per side on that knife). Be sure to be continuously stop and examine what you are doing.


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## Marcelo Amaral (Jan 6, 2016)

Welcome! You have the basics on sharpening gear covered. Besides Jon's videos, there's also Korin's: 
[video=youtube;9zRNT1v0-7s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zRNT1v0-7s&index=21&list=PLsSxXLQSZIe__A5THcrFGto9_PSkXWiN6[/video]


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 8, 2016)

you know what helped me crack the code? a cheap glass magnifying glass. i dont know how good your eyes are, but just looking at the edge magnified really illuminated how my actions were affecting the edge. i took a dull BUCK knife and stayed with it. Bucks are hollow grind knives..i kinda put a bevel on the edge. a nice clean shiny bevel. i can barely touch the edge. it feels like a freshly unpackaged razor blade. probably too sharp..since it is a hunting knife.

on your list..i have a nagura stone. (<--- i think that is what it is called) small white stone you clean the big stone with and it whips up a slurry in a hurry.


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## Matus (Feb 19, 2016)

You are indeed on the right track. 1000 and 6000 stones will be all you need for 'normal' sharpening. However you may want to add a coarse stone later down the road. Maybe you will want to do some thinning on some knives or get some slight chipping or broken tip fixed and for that 1000 stone will take too long. I would recommend either Gesshin 320 or JNS 300 stones (there are many others, but I have tried and liked these). Fast cutting, not dishing too fast and splash & go.


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