I bought a stone at a hardware store the other night, but I don't think I'm using it entirely right. I'm getting a decent edge on the blade. It's sharp, but I'd like it to be sharper. I find that one side of the blade looks good, but the other does not.
Here is what I do:
Wet the fine side of the stone
Angle the blade at roughly a 20 degree angle with the stone
Starting at the tip of the knife on the edge of the stone nearest me, run the knife all the way up until I reach the edge of the blade near the handle
Flip to the other side and repeat
However one side of the blade has a nice, tapered look on the edge, and the other looks flat. Obviously I'm not doing one side properly, though I try and use the same angle and the same pressure on both sides of the blade. Which side, assuming my description is adequate, am I not doing properly, and do you have any suggestions on how to make sure they're even? And any suggestions on how to get a finer edge on the blade would be suggested. As I said, they're definitely sharp, but I'd like them to be razor sharp.
Lastly, I alternate sides with every swipe. Is this the proper technique? I started out doing 5 swipes per side, but I found that only exacerbated the unevening problem.
Thanks!