There’s no special treatment. Just give time, time. They’ll take on average 10 or more knives to start to come around. I have this same, as you call it, “blended family dynamic”. I thought I had the new stones broken in, but they still don’t give the smoother more consistent results of the older stones. Especially the coarser grits that really show their freshness.
My problem is the same problem that experienced long time Wicked Edge users have, all my personal knives are now well cared for and only require touch-ups. I have to use a beginner’s suggestion and find some beater knives to break my stones in on.
I
3 users thanked author for this post.