Diamond sharpening stones first need to be “pre-sharpened”. We recommend using an older knife when using one for the first time. You'll notice that the surface of the sharpening stone is initially somewhat coarser in texture. After sharpening a few knives, the stone reaches its intended coarseness.
It's important that you don't use force when sharpening with diamond. Applying force causes the sharpening stone to wear down unnecessarily quickly and can even cause permanent damage to the sharpening stone.
When sharpening with a diamond sharpening stone, you basically use the same method as a conventional Japanese sharpening stone. Just keep in mind that every knife has its own sharpening angle. Want to read more about this? Then click here.
To keep the sharpening stone in good condition, we recommend that you brush the sharpening residue off the stone with a hard brush after sharpening.