Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX
>I have made some strides in improving my abilities over the last few years, but I accept that I am not going to ever get it without being part of the tradition. To me though, the tradition of steel and sharpening is far too broad to be dismissed as BS just because one doesn't have the current ability to measure up.

That's pretty much the conclusion I've come to as well, only possible with liberal doses of humility and sublimation of ego. Is it necessary? No, absolutely not, but it's fun and I'm learning a lot.

I'm just starting on the natural water stone sharpening process, but so far it's pretty clear that the skill is in matching the steel to the stone. This is almost impossible to remember, so some methodology for recording results is necessary, doesn't hurt to have a laptop nearby.

And yes, it's been very tough obtaining a selection of stones on a limited budget. LV has helped a lot, and mifuqwai (Tomonori Nakaoka) on ebay has been most helpful, only real problem is that shipping costs are eating me alive.

So, like anything worth knowing, it's all process. The fact that occasionally I end up with a sharp tool is almost incidental. :)

Pam