Bought a soft 1000 grit six weeks ago and have sharpened maybe ten knives on it. Laid a steel rule across it yesterday and there's a visible hollow through the middle, enough to see light under the rule. That feels fast to me for six weeks of occasional use. Is this expected for a softer stone or did I get a bad one, and how often are people actually flattening?
It also dishes where you sharpen, which is why the middle goes first. Working across the whole surface rather than the comfortable centre patch slows it down noticeably. Doesn't stop it, but you'll get more sessions per flatten.
You did not get a bad stone. A stone that never dishes is either very hard or a diamond plate, and both trade away the cutting feel you're currently enjoying.
The thing nobody tells beginners is that a dished stone quietly changes your angle mid-stroke, so you get a rounded bevel and blame your hands. Any time your results suddenly get inconsistent, check flatness before you rethink your technique.
@burr_hunter · last yr. · 2 replies
Completely normal. Soft stones dish quickly by design, that's the same property that makes them cut fast and feel nice, since fresh abrasive keeps being exposed. Ten knives is plenty to make a visible hollow. I flatten before every session, takes about 20 seconds with a pencil grid on the surface and a flattening plate, and I stop when the last pencil mark disappears.
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@serger_scared · last yr.
Every session sounded excessive when I read it elsewhere but 20 seconds is nothing. Will do.
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