Hey all! If you haven't seen any of my previous threads, let me preface this post with the fact that I'm blind (sorry if this is redundant but it may affect recommendations).
So, I'm starting to grow my kitchen knife collection and have recently decided to start dabbling with sharpening my own knives. I've tried my best to watch (mostly listen to, really) videos on sharpening to try and build a mental picture of what I'm doing. I purchased a cheap 2 sided diamond plate with and adjustable holder on Ebay (400/1000 grit) that I've been practicing with on cheap knives that have been thrown in drawers and haven't been useable for a long time. I've made them all very functional at this point and my wife says the edges are much more even than when I first started. I can tell a big difference as well when testing on newspaper as well. I've learned how to feel for burrs and have been wrapping the plate with newspaper at the end to remove burr and strop.
Anyway, I'm at the point where I want to invest in a better set of stones but need help with choosing for my needs. So here is a short list of what I have and what I'm looking for.
1. I have a wide variety of steels from aus8 to blue#2, As. and r2. I will likely end up dabbling with some of the really hard zdp or hap40 type steels in the future.
2. I want splash and go stones.
3. Stone feedback is a big plus for me obviously.
4. White or very light colored stones are a plus for a high contrast slurry left by knife.
5. I'm not really looking to go over 5k/6k range as these knives are used and still need some bite.
6. I'm a "buy once, cry once" type person. So I don't want a "beginner" set that i will ultimately replace later.
So, with these concerns which route do you recommend? The traditional atoma 140 (flattener) plus 1k/3k/6k type progression or should I go a diamond stone route like the ones from jki that don't really need flattening?
Also, what is a nagura? I'm a little confused on what it's used for or is it only for certain stone types?
Lastly, what are your brand /stone suggestions in path of choice?
I was looking at the shapton glass stones but I dont seem to see a lot of followers for them here?
Let me hear some opinions. Thanks!
So, I'm starting to grow my kitchen knife collection and have recently decided to start dabbling with sharpening my own knives. I've tried my best to watch (mostly listen to, really) videos on sharpening to try and build a mental picture of what I'm doing. I purchased a cheap 2 sided diamond plate with and adjustable holder on Ebay (400/1000 grit) that I've been practicing with on cheap knives that have been thrown in drawers and haven't been useable for a long time. I've made them all very functional at this point and my wife says the edges are much more even than when I first started. I can tell a big difference as well when testing on newspaper as well. I've learned how to feel for burrs and have been wrapping the plate with newspaper at the end to remove burr and strop.
Anyway, I'm at the point where I want to invest in a better set of stones but need help with choosing for my needs. So here is a short list of what I have and what I'm looking for.
1. I have a wide variety of steels from aus8 to blue#2, As. and r2. I will likely end up dabbling with some of the really hard zdp or hap40 type steels in the future.
2. I want splash and go stones.
3. Stone feedback is a big plus for me obviously.
4. White or very light colored stones are a plus for a high contrast slurry left by knife.
5. I'm not really looking to go over 5k/6k range as these knives are used and still need some bite.
6. I'm a "buy once, cry once" type person. So I don't want a "beginner" set that i will ultimately replace later.
So, with these concerns which route do you recommend? The traditional atoma 140 (flattener) plus 1k/3k/6k type progression or should I go a diamond stone route like the ones from jki that don't really need flattening?
Also, what is a nagura? I'm a little confused on what it's used for or is it only for certain stone types?
Lastly, what are your brand /stone suggestions in path of choice?
I was looking at the shapton glass stones but I dont seem to see a lot of followers for them here?
Let me hear some opinions. Thanks!