Always willing to learn- This forum is the greatest!
addirSomewhere in the dark recesses of my brain I inherently knew about dry honing glazing or loading up the stone. I desperately am searching for that photomicrograph that compared the scratches on the blade edge after being sharpened dry vs. wet. You would not believe the smoothness of the dry sharpened edge compared to wet sharpened. The same exact stone and blade was used in the comparison. I included some information I found about cleaning stones although some of this may not apply to some natural stones or composites that recommend against prolonged soaking. The following are not my words (don't want to plagiarize):
All sharpening stones should be lubricated while in use, so the pores can float off and not clog the pores of the stone. Special honing oil is available, but kerosene works very well as a lubricant. In an emergency, even water may be used as a lubricant. If a stone cuts too rapidly, it can be tempered by soaking it in a pan of hot petroleum jelly, filling the pores of the stone with a thick lubricant. If the pores have been filled due to improper lubrication, clean your stone by soaking it in kerosene, then wash off the surface with a brush soaked in kerosene. This technique can even be used to reclaim almost worthless old stones that most people would consider useless or have already discarded!
For those with inquiring minds, be sure to read the following after expanding to the full page view by clicking in the paper's top right corner:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/10044505/E...John-Verhoeven