After soaking I use a 4000 Nagura during sharpening when the 5000 gets ornery. And keep it wet with a spray bottle.
Yes- I got the 15 minute soak time from Shapton's recommendation. I did forget about mine once for probably 45 minutes and it seemed fine but hopefully that will be the only time. I'm sure the 15 minute rec is conservative to allow for idiots like me.
I use 500, 2000,8000 glass stones and a 13000 Sigma followed by stropping, or that was the theory when I bought them and it quickly went out the window. I now hollow grind on a CBN wheel if grinding is required and follow that with three or four swipes on the 2000 for a micro bevel, then the 8000 and onto the 13000, hone with green paste on a piece of MDF and in less than five minutes I have an edge that is sharp. Touch up takes no time at all. It is truly a revelation in how fast it can be to have a working edge on a blade. The 500 is never going to be used at this rate from what I can see nor the rest of the Sigma stones I bought as a set from Stu.
Chris
Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening
I use Shapton Pros as well. My 3-stone core sharpening set is a 500-2000-8000 grit progression. I also have a 120 grit Pro stone that I use for grinding rough edges. I don't have a motorized grinder, but those CBN wheels look great. I use Spyderco's CBN Tri-angle stones in my SharpMaker for knives, and they work fantastic.
You should take a look at Chris Schwarz's sharpening manifesto over at his blog. Love him or not, he makes you think...