How Long Should You Soak a Sharpening Stone? Get a Better Experience!

The single most reason why a knife should be sharpened is that a dull knife can be dangerous and it can easily cut your fingers. 

There are many different types of knife sharpeners and also there are many different ways through which a knife can be sharpened. Among them, using a whetstone is the most common way of sharpening a knife. 

Whetstones are pretty much easy to use, You have to make sure that you hold the knife blade at a proper angle while sharpening.  

Many chefs prefer using a Whetstone to an electric knife sharpener because whetstone is more convenient and it sharpens the knife in a much better way. 

Whetstone comes in many different types of material and the coarseness of the stone varies. A coarse grit can be used for a dull knife and significantly decrease the coarseness. 

The first thing to do before using a whetstone is you have to soak the whetstone in water. Usually, the finer grit Whetstone needs a few minutes of soaking time, and the coarse grit whetstone takes more time. 

Here the question arises how long does to soak in a sharpening stone? So I have prepared a detailed post about it.  

The usual time to soak a knife sharpening stone is about 20 to 25 minutes for coarse grit and for finer grit it should take about 10 minutes.

Why Do You Soak a Whetstone? 

Whetstone needs to be wet in order to use them because a wet sharpening stone sharpens the blade in a much better way. 

When the Whetstone is wet it decreases the friction between the blade and the Whetstone and there is less chance of the blade getting chipped off. 

Wet Whetstone not only decreases the friction in between the blade but you get a better grip and a smooth experience while sharpening. 

A wet whetstone will relatively take less time of sharpening when compared with a dry sharpened stone. 

How Long To Soak a Sharpening Stone?

There are two different types of sharpening stone finer grit whetstone and coarse grit. 

Usually, the finer grit whetstone needs a few minutes of soaking time around 10 minutes. The coarse grit whetstone should be soaked for around 20 to 25 minutes for a better sharpening experience. 

Once you have soaked place the whetstone on the top of a kitchen towel so that you can remove the extra water from the whetstone. 

Now you can drag the knife firmly and at an angle of around 15 to 20 degrees and start sharpening your knife blade. 

The knife angle might vary slightly depending on the type of blade you are using. Continue, repeating the stroke about ten times until the blade gets sharpened. 

Can You Soak a Whetstone For Too Long?

Well, you can soak the whetstone as long as you like as this will not damage the whetstone. 

This totally depends on the type and quality of whetstone you are using. If you are using a low-quality Whetstone it might get damaged over time if you soak for a very long time. However, a coarse grit whetstone might not get the effect.

While you are storing the wheat stone make sure that you leave it out to be dry to avoid cracks inside the Whetstone. Even though the wheat stone feels dry to tough but still there may be water inside the stone. 

Leaving the whetstone inside the water for months might cause damage to the stone. 

Is Oil Or Water Better For Whetstone?

Most professional chefs prefer using water to oil because water is less viscous and provides a better sharpening experience. 

The thumb rule is the lower the viscosity the better. The other option is you can dilute the oil with kerosene or diesel and the oil is likely to go. 

Waterstones including sharpening stones need to be soaked in water or oil to provide a lubricating surface to eliminate the extra friction and thereby improve the sharpening power. 

When a whetstone is used without soaking, the knife blade gets damaged due to extraneous friction and even the stone gets damaged. 

Water is mostly preferred as it is more convenient and it facilitates faster better quality sharpening.

Conclusion

The process of sharpening you just know can easily prevent your knife from getting damaged. 

While sharpening your knife blade make sure that you soak the whetstone inside water as this lowers the friction produced during sharpening. 

The information provided must be helpful. But still anyways, If you have some questions related to the topic that you need to clarify, you can freely comment and we will try to respond as soon as possible.

FAQ:

These are some of the most commonly asked questions asked by people and I have added them to this article.