Wästikivi has become very familiar to Finns over the decades. In the village of Västilä in Orivesi, this slate-like stone has been quarried for hundreds of years. In the 1600s, the people of Västerstein invented the use of this stone for sharpening tools.
Wästikivi varies in roughness, averaging around 800-1000. Therefore, several different grits can be obtained by rubbing the surface and forming slurry. Similarly, the surface can be improved by using Nagura.