Thread: el cheapo method

Let me amend that, I shouldn't have said "modern stones." What I meant to say is silicon carbide stones and soft Arkansas stones don't need lubrication. Japanese waterstones DO need water because the slurry is what does the cutting. I'm going to edit my other post so I don't inadvertently steer people in the wrong direction. You're right. I have never owned a waterstone so like a dope I conveniently forgot about them.

Let me also clarify that this particular advice is for knives. I am not experienced at sharpening razors. (There aren't any 8000-grit silicon carbide stones anyway).

I have gotten good results by dry-honing with the aforementioned two types of stones, with ceramic rods, and with wet/dry sandpaper. But I should make it clear that I've never used any other kind of stone & can't speak intelligently about them. And you're right about another thing, John Juranitch's research is hotly contested.

Sorry for my sloppiness, I'll be more precise in the future.

A note about cocoa: vaseline seems a little sticky for my liking. I bet Crisco would work better but I haven't tried it yet.

Edited to add the following footnote for completeness:

"In North America we usually use oil on sharpening stones; in the rest of the world they use water. Tests by John Juranitch show that because oil carries the dross against the edge, better results are obtained with a dry stone. However, natural stones tend to clog without oil. I prefer ceramic and diamond stones used dry, and my second choice is Japanese waterstones."

-- From Knife Sharpening Tips by Steve Bottorff
http://www.ebladestore.com/sharpening_tips.shtml#using