New to waterstones. Flattened my 1000 with a lapping plate on Sunday, sharpened four kitchen knives over the week, and a straight edge already rocks on it. Is that normal wear or am I doing something that eats stone unusually fast? I use fairly firm pressure because it feels like the metal comes off quicker that way.
Pencil grid trick if you do not already use it: scribble a grid across the face before lapping, then lap until every line is gone. It shows you where the low spots are and stops you over-flattening one end.
It also shows you your own pattern. Mine cleared the middle first for about a year, which was a very clear message about where I was standing.
Four knives is not much wear, and a slightly dished 1000 is mostly a problem for wide flat blades like plane irons. For kitchen knives a small hollow is survivable. Do not let flattening anxiety stop you from actually sharpening things.
Depends heavily on the stone. Splash-and-go stones and harder synthetics hold flat far longer than a soft soaker. If you find yourself lapping constantly and it genuinely bothers you, that is a reason to buy a harder 1000 next time rather than evidence of a technique failure.
@grinder_gremlin · 4w ago · 2 replies
Roughly normal for a soft 1000, and the firm pressure is why it is at the fast end of normal. Two habits fix most of it.
Use the whole stone. Most people work a 4cm strip in the middle and that is exactly where the dish appears. Move up and down the length deliberately, including the ends.
And drop the pressure. Heavy pressure on a 1000 mostly generates a bigger burr, not a faster edge — the abrasive does the work, you just hold the angle. Medium pressure, more strokes.
Mostly though, flattening should become a 30-second thing you do before every session rather than an event. Then it never has time to get bad.
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@till_and_tally · 4w ago
"Before every session" instead of "when it gets bad" is a real mindset shift. It takes no time at all when it is only slightly out.
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