If you have a whetstone that is needed to be wet, first lower the stone in water until no more air bubbles come out. The more it takes to drench, the good you'll be. Make a point to intermittently wet the stone during the sharpening of knives. A sharp blade will not give you the cutting abilities of an expert gourmet specialist (that requires significant investment and practice), whet stone tools yet it will make your life much simpler and make cooking more pleasant. A sharp blade just makes everything better.