Knife Sharpening

[LAC]

At last I've found some time to learn new skills and improve existing ones. One skill I've been working on is the technique or some may say 'art' of knife/blade sharpening. No machines or fancy gizmos, just plain whetstones.

I'm interested to know what grits you may use to sharpen from completely blunt up to a razor point sharpness. I've had success bringing the blade up to a reasonable sharpness using a 3000 grit, but then I haven't yet managed to get it to a really sharp razor edge despite finishing with an 8000 grit. Perhaps I stepped up to 8000 too quick, might it be better to use a 5000 or 6000 after the 3000, then the 8000? What about leather straps for finishing? I've not tried them yet, does anyone recommend them?