1st time stone buyer needing help

M

mikec9971

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May 2, 2014
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Im getting ready to start trying to free hand. I am looking at getting dmt dia sharp stones. Is there any disadvantage to buying the 6" double sided stones? They have a 2 stone set ( xcoarse/coarse and fine/xfine) at sharpening supply for $78. I will be sharpening s30v, 14c28n, elmax, and m390. Are 6" stones long enough? Do you guys recomend anything else? Thanks for helping.
 
I have found water stones in different grits to be the easiest way to obtain the edge you desire. I have a Norton set in four different grits. I can use them on every knife I have plus my straight razor. I also use a leather strop to finish the edge. Hope this helps.
 
I like the diasharps a lot. However, when I first got them, my results weren't very good. It took me a while to get used to them, and there was a break in period where the plates were less refined. Now I really enjoy them.

*Personally* I think the 6" plates are too small. I like the old advice I've read so many times: Get a stone/plate about as long as the longest blade you will sharpen. You can certainly sharpen a long blade on a short stone, but it's WAY easier with a longer stone.

Brian.
 
Good answers so far. I'd also think about whether you want a benchstone (longer) or a handheld stone (shorter). I learned to freehand many years ago with some old Buck stones short enough to be handheld. You can certainly hold a long stone, but it's a little more cumbersome and you have enough to deal with in the beginning stages of freehanding.

I would now prefer to have learned using a longer benchstone than the short Buck stones that I used. I think I would have gotten better results & developed the necessary techniques faster than I did, but I used what was available to me.

Also, consider that diamonds are more aggressive than other stones. You can learn to freehand with diamond sharpeners, but other materials might be more forgiving in the beginning.
 
Also whichever stone you go with try to use both hands on the knife when you are sharpening it. For example, I am right handed so I hold the knife handle in my right hand and place my left hand on the blade to help keep the angle where I want it. Now listen very carefully, if you use this method GO SLOW, SPEED WILL CUT. I have been sharpening for years and I still manage to cut me self sometimes.
 
I have the double 6" DMT set
The 6" are a little small for larger longer knives
They are fine for slip joints but longer than 4" they are small
Remember you cannot push hard on them you will wear them out very quickly, so the smaller stones makes that more difficult not to push
Regular not pushing hard, the stones will last for ever (a very long time)
So the DMT and 6" is not the easiest stone to learn free hand


Have you thought about 8" stones?

The King or Norton combination 250/1000 (8") double sided waterstones are excellent beginning stones and not expensive at all
They will eventually wear out, then you get to buy new stones that you will have grown into

Norton Indian Oil combination stones are also excellent for even cheaper
 
All may blades are 3.5" and under. Maybe i will try an 8" water stone. How often do they need re flattened? Also any tips for holding the knife at 20 degrees?
 
mikec9971 said:
All may blades are 3.5" and under. Maybe i will try an 8" water stone. How often do they need re flattened? Also any tips for holding the knife at 20 degrees?
Click to expand...

You might want to take a look at the sharpening block I make, is a good choice for many reasons. The site is linked in my signature below.

For the other questions, a 6" stone is very convenient but a bit small. If a good price I wouldn't rule them out for being 6", you can sharpen a machete on a stone that size no problem. The standard combination stone size of 2x8 is very handy - narrow enough to hold in your hand like a file on larger tools, yet has a decent surface area for placing on a bench and sharpening smaller tools. I tend to use a shorter scrubbing type of pass, so I don't need a very large stone.

3x10 is a good size as well, just have to keep in mind that the more surface you cover with your hand movements, the more corrections you need to make to keep the edge at the same angle.

A basic combination silicon carbide stone is also a very good tool to learn on, spend more $ once you get some time in. They don't dish much, cut most any steel, are cheap, don't load up easily, offer good feedback, and will always be useful no matter how many other stones you buy down the road. All that's need is some mineral oil or other honing oil.

A good way to gauge angles is to fold a sheet of paper into the corner a few times - 90, 45, 22.5, 11.25 - estimate the angle by using this as a comparison. You can also wedge one side of the stone and use a protractor or carpenter's square to set the angle. Then keep the blade parallel to the table/bench as you sharpen. I cover this in the last video on the page using the bases as a prop. You can use anything to hold one end up and the principles are the same.

Martin
 
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