KEEP THAT KNIFE SHARP

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If your stone comes packaged in a wooden box, you can simply cover the bottom of the container with velcro or a thin sheet of urethane foam to prevent the sharpener from sliding about. ( I also know of one ingenious soul who sank two screws into the top of his workbench, sawed off the heads, and then drilled corresponding shallow holes in the underside of the box. His anchoring method worked like a charm!)

OIL IT UP!

An oilstone will, of course, have to be oiled when it's in use. Some folks use mineral oil, a light machine lubricant ( like Three-In-One), or even water for this purpose. But if you want to do the job right, I'd suggest the purchase of a can of Norton Bear Oil-if you can find it-or Buck or Gerber Honing Oil. (Personally, I get the best and fastest results with Buck Oil.) The purpose of these fluids is not to lubricate, but to float the tiny chips of blade steel up and away from the stone's surface . . . keeping your honing tool cleaner and more efficient.

When the stone is firmly secured, ladle on at least a full tablespoon of the oil. Be really generous with the product. . . because this is one of the few instances in life where more is better. In fact, if your stones brand-new, it's not a bad idea to soak the entire sharpener in oil overnight before you use it. Novaculite is close-grained but as porous as a sponge . . . and the more oil the rock absorbs, the better it will work.

ON THE EDGE

Aside from the need for a good atone and oil, there's only one other "secret" to knife sharpening . . . you must constantly maintain the proper angle between the stone and the blade. Here's how to determine that "slant" and keep it:

With a source of strong light positioned directly over your work surface . . . lay the blade flat across the stone and slowly turn the handle to lift the back edge. As you do so, you'll notice that the shadow-cast on the stone by the tapered cutting edge of the blade-begins to disappear. When the small strip of shade vanishes, the edge is at the correct angle. (Though opinions differ, expert knifemakers say the "slope" should be between 20 and 30 degrees.)

Unfortunately, maintaining that angle through the entire sharpening process isn't easy. However, like most manual skills, you'll get the hang of it after a bit of determined practice. Just concentrate on keeping the angle . . . check it frequently against its shadow . . . and you'll acquire the knack in a relatively short time. ( If the "tilt" of the blade is varied from one side to the other-or if the knife is rocked back and forth-you'll make the edge round rather than acute, and the cutting tool can actually become duller as a result of your efforts.)

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