Just put in the water and wait for a while. You should have also put in some liquid soap - dishwashing detergent is what I use - and that helps a lot with the keeping things liquid. I do believe that Berry also states to keep the assembly covered with a wet cloth? That keeps the Cerium Oxide from drying out as the humidity is always around the 100% level under the cloth. You might also want to put the mirror and tool in a airtight plastic container with the cloth with it. That will allow for a much longer time between inspections for water content.