Japan’s whetstones, also known as waterstones, are known for their great qualities. They can be either natural or synthetic. It is not necessary to purchase a new set of knives to sharpen these fine-grained stones, since they can also be used to sharpen other cutting tools. Whetstones can be purchased at any hardware store.
Why are whetstones so fascinating? With a whetstone, knives can be sharpened pretty quickly because surface particles are washed away. New particles can then begin to sharpen the blade through their sharpness.
The Definition of Different Whetstone Grits
Each type of whetstone uses a different range of grits, and they all have a different purpose.
For example, if you wanted to sharpen a knife with chipped edges, you wouldn’t need more than 1000 grit. Further, if you need to repair a dull knife with 1000-3000 grit, you should use it.
For the final step in finishing a knife, 4000 to 8000 grit is used. It is used to refine the edge of the knife. In conclusion, you should select 4000 to 6000 grits for sharpening a knife that is used for cutting meat.
Based on your experience, which whetstone should you choose?
The choice of a whetstone depends on your experience sharpening knives. You may want to consider a combination between 1000 grit and 6000 grit if you are just starting out or use whetstones only occasionally. Using these two together will prevent you from having any whetstone problems for a long time.
Alternatively, if you are already familiar with sharpening and using whetstones and are experienced with this process, 6000 grit should be sufficient for use as a finishing stone. As a result, a person needs at least three stones for different purposes: a grinding stone, a sharpening stone, and a refining stone.
Three types of stones are there in the world?
Stones of less than 1000 grit
Typically, and most commonly, this stone is used when damaged knives have chips in their blades and thus are damaged knives. A stone whose number is less than 1000 will be able to quickly remove chips of this nature.
Further, these stones can also be used to repair knives that are so dull that they have no edges at all. For normal sharpening, however, avoid coarse stones due to their abrasiveness.
A medium stone is between 1000 and 3000 grit
In the first place, you should be aware that the basic sharpening stone is 1000 grit. If you’ve lost the edge of your knife, but it is not damaged, you need to sharpen it with this grit. However, you shouldn’t use medium stones frequently because, over time, they can wear your blade down.
As such, if you must use whetstones frequently, go with 2000 or 3000 grit whetstones since these are less coarse. However, this does not mean that you should sharpen your knives every day, but just a little more frequently, because they aren’t meant to be used for maintaining the edge, rather they are meant to be sharpened.
Four to eight thousand grit finishing stones
Between a stone grit of 4000 and 5000 is considered to be a bridge between a sharpening stone and a finishing stone, the final stone giving you a highly refined edge. You probably don’t need to go beyond a number of 5000, but if you need to go beyond that, it would be best if you went ahead with 6000 or even 8000.
However, you should consider the purpose of a whetstone grit when choosing it. You will be better off with a stone of 4000 or 6000 grit if you need one for a meat knife. It is possible to use an 8000 grit stone on a knife that is being used only for cutting vegetables or fruit.
How to Take Care of Grit Whetstones for Kitchen Knives?
In order to ensure that your stone will last a long time, you should follow some practices. First of all, you should not soak stones of 3000 or over grit before using them. However, you can splash a bit of water if you’re really desperate to use them.
Furthermore, take note that you shouldn’t use oil or any other type of lubricant or grease when you’re lubricating a whetstone, but only water. Secondly, never put the stone back into its box following use until it’s completely dry. Taking proper care of the stone will keep mold from growing on it and affecting its quality.
It is our sincere hope that the information we have provided about whetstone grits was all the information needed. Also, it is true that you need to have a little bit of patience to learn the skills of using stones, however, with a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it.