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View Full Version : No soaking required?


dan sherman
10-28-2009, 9:17 PM
What brand waterstones don't need to be soaked? I know Naniwa super stones, & Shapton glass stones don't, any other brands?
Stu Gillard
10-28-2009, 9:40 PM
I have a Kitayama 8000, and I was advised not to soak it.
David Gendron
10-28-2009, 11:17 PM
I think most water stone above a certain grit like 8K don't need soaking but I don,t know any other than the one you mention, in regard to not soaking the full spectrum of grits.
John Coloccia
10-29-2009, 12:06 AM
I think most water stone above a certain grit like 8K don't need soaking but I don,t know any other than the one you mention, in regard to not soaking the full spectrum of grits.

Generally that's true. I mostly use a combination 1000/8000 Norton stone, so I just leave it in a tupperware container full of water all the time. If I had separate stones, I'd not soak the 8000 grit simply because it just doesn't need it. I'm not sure it's detrimental, but I've never had real Japanese water stones....just the Nortons.

The Shapton stones are SWEET. I'll probably upgrade to those at some point, but you really need their stone flattening system or so I'm told. I'm told those don't need to be soaked at all.

Oil stones are a bit more convenient, but I'm a sharpness junkie, and the waterstones + leather strop just get me there. I recently picked up a Tormek, but I still strop by hand as a final step to get that ridiculously sharp edge that makes me smile.
Sam Takeuchi
10-29-2009, 1:18 AM
You don't need their flattening system. I use #400 diamond stone and it works fine. I happened to have it at hand.

Instruction that comes with Shapton Pro does say finishing stones should be soaked for about 10 minutes. I'm just not sure if it's 'your' finishing grit stone or stones categorized as finishing stone. I soak #8000 and #12000 while I work on #1000 and 5000, simply because it seems like the right thing to do. Probably I can get away without soaking, but they make those stones and they say these should be soaked...so can't be bad I don't think. I don't soak #1000 and #5000. They are softer to begin with, don't them to get spongy.