The quality of this stone allow us to use this stone from the beginning till the finishing of every blade. It is not necessary to use bonded abrasives to start sharpening. You can use this natural stone from the start to the end of a blade complete sharpening. You must respect the following steps:Place some honing oil on the stone (any natural oil). Never use it dry. The oil will keep the steel shavings from clogging the pores of the whetstone.
Lay the blade across the stone as illustrated, tilting it to the desired honing angle and draw the blade across the hone in a slicing motion, sweeping the length of the hone so that the whole blade from guard to tip is passed over the hone in one motion.
The honing angle must be kept between 20 and 30 degrees. The larger the angle the tougher the edge. Maintaining a consistent angle is the critical factor in honing your edge, too small an angle makes a weak edge which will dull rapidly. An angle much less than 20 degrees will make the edge so thin as to bend the knife edge slightly under honing pressure and there for it cannot really be made sharp.
Turn the blade over and again tilt to the same honing angle and repeat the same motion as in step 2. Take equal numbers of strokes for each side. After your knife has been honed , clean your whetstone by applying more honing oil to it and rub with your fingers then wipe off excess oil with a clean cloth. You can wash away the remaining oil if desired with soap and water.