It works really well! I used to oilstone (or Lansky) everything to get nice V grinds, but you ended with your hands covered in nicks and dirty hone oil.. The mouse mat thing works really well and having the 'station' cuts out mess almost totally. I just use a damp tissue to wipe up the 'paper dust and that's it. I now have the sharpest knife I've ever had... (I am self confessed 'sharpening challenged'!)

I use my stones dry. I found the easiest way of cleaning them is to scrub them with a dry green scotch-brite pad. A couple rubs and it's all clean. For cleaning ceramic rods, I use a regular pencil eraser. Quick, easy, and it works great.

Great sharpening station, Paul!

Now we need to get you hooked on waterstones! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I really need some live demonstration of this....

Of Paul the Brit getting hooked? He's already hooked on ScrapYard Knives. What more proof do you need?

Oh, waterstones....

...Well, I live in the dirty Northeast, so I'd be no help. ...Unless you wanted to mail a knife to me and see what a double-sided Norton 1000/8000 can do for you when your knife gets mailed back (no swords, please).

Ooh, at a push I could probably find houseroom for a Scrapper 9! Plus the INFI mudder (I feel an etc coming on!)

I've heard of waterstones before, they sound pretty good. At least they are cleaner than my good old oilstone..

This is why I don't want to use my LE...that blade is wicked sharp and a zero edge, with my sharpening skills (or lack therefore of) I would end up putting a V grind on it. How do you effectivly sharpen the LE?

Getcher self a magnifying glass and look at the edge! Does the grind go all of the way from the spine to the very edge or 99.9999% and then have a teeny micro-bevel? If it's all the way to the edge, lay the blade flat on a strop or a phone with fine-grit wet-dry sandpaper and draw the knife over the strop or paper so the spine moves and the edge trails behind. If there's a tiny, microscopic edge at the bottom of the grind, raise the spine of the blade to about half its height (if it's 1/4" thick, lift it 1/8" off the strop or paper) and do the same.

Go slow; come to a complete stop; and lift the knife so the edge leaves the strop or paper first before repeating. There are no set amounts of how much time it should take.

A sharp blade only matters if it's being used to cut. Otherwise, it's just an expensive and potentially lethal knick-knack (instead of a priced-too-good slicing monster). you've got a pm.

Ah, that is is new to me; when I oilstone (or use 'paper) I've always 'pushed' the edge across/into the abrasive with the spine following (like trying to take bark off a tree or make a feather stick), rather than dragging the edge over it... Sounds like I had it wrong way round.

So long as you're not cutting the paper or stone and so long as your knife is sharper than before you started, you're doing it the right way. Actually, even if you do cut the paper, but the knife ends up sharper, it's still the right way.

Oh happy day! I may learn how to sharpen a knife after all!!!

GF - Perhaps you should change your signature line to read:

"Only a fool believes that there is only one way to sharpen a knife!" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />