> IMO you're missing the point here. Why sacrifice quality of honing, the
> reason Japanese waterstone cut so well is they are MUCH softer than
Arkansas
> oilstones. The black material left on the stone is metal coming off the
> knife.

Which is mostly rinsed off by the water I drizzle on the stone. The 1000 is
coarse enough to not retain the metal swarf, and the fine side is finished
with the nagura stone which suspends most of the swarf in the slurry. About
every fourth or fifth time I use the stones, I rub the two I have together,
which keeps both surfaces true and rinsing the resultant slurry away gets
rid of any blackness.

> Go to your local glass dealer and ask if they have any 1/2" scrap, then go
> to the hardware store and get some 220 grit wet & dry sandpaper.
>
> Put the sandpaper on top of the glass and spray with water. Rub the stone
> until all the black material is gone and you have a clean surface, this
> indicates it is flat again.

The same process is often used for fettling hand planes. I'm well aware of
it, although I belive that the abrasive used is normally a bit finer than
that. 220 grit is a bit coarse. Try something a bit finer and your stones
will last longer.

> Continue honing and you will notice improvement.

They have worked to the same high standard since the day I got them. I've
been using the same stones since 97 or so, and have no black metal buildup,
no clogging, my waterstones are flat, and the edges on my cooking and
relevant woodworking tools and those of several friends are immaculate.

The point I was making about flatness was in relation to kitchen knives,
which I was assuming that the original poster was intending to be the only
thing they were sharpening. In this case, the stone does not need to be flat
to work correctly as it does with woodworking tools.

John