Sharpening stones are well-known methods of putting an edge on blades. Also referred to as “whetstones, the stones come in rectangular-shapes (about an inch thick) and are made out of a wide range of materials including ceramic, diamond, and Arkansas natural stones among others.
To sharpen your Oboe reed knife, one of the most important things that you need to consider is the type of sharpening stone to use. For inspiration, here are the most common types of whetstones:
1. Diamond Stone
This is a staple for many Obeo knife owners since they are effective and have extremely long life span. Most of them can be used dry though there are some types of diamond stones that provide smooth sharpening experience when wet or used with water. The only downside of diamond stone is the fact that it can eat your reed knife too quickly. Accordingly, only use this type of stone when restoring a knife that has been damaged.
2. Japanese Water stone
Water stone creates a bit of slurry that tends to renew constantly, allowing your reed knife to become very sharp. As the name suggest, you need water when using this type of stone. However, using the stone can be a bit messy. However, the result that you will ultimately get from this stone is worth it.
3. Indian Oil stone
This stone contains oil and doesn’t need to be oiled. It is not recommended to clean this type of stone because small participles of steel that get into its grain often create something like the ‘slurry’ of the Japanese water stone. This often creates a balance between polishing and sharpening the edge. The stone is useful in the final refinement of you reed knife.
How to use a sharpening stone
Although your goal is to keep your reed knife edge looking new, it is important to be careful when sharpening it. This is because if you screw the process even once, you risk wrecking your knife. To help you, here are a few tips to remember when using any sharpening stone:
• Ensure that the entire blade of your Obeo reed knife is contact with stone
• Use two hand to apply even pressure on the blade
• Only move the blade in one direction, lift, move and lift
• Never touch the knife’s handle when sharpening
Sharpening stones can help you restore the shine and functionality of your Obeo reed knife. And any of the above stones will come in handy when you are looking for a way to sharpen your awfully dull Oveo knife.
