I thought that alumina ceramic in Spyderco can not be cut since the stone suppose to last forever. Is Silicon Carbide sandpaper harder them ceramic? If I use 220 grit sandpaper will I make my Spiderco 220 as well? Why people buy several stones if it is possible to condition any Spyderco stone to any grit?
I am sorry - I guess my questions as dull as my knives (at least at the moment before I learned on how to sharpen -LOL) but is it hard for me to do things without understanding how it works
A Spyderco Fine or Ultrafine probably will last forever in use for a person, but nothing lasts forever. What set these apart from other Alumina Ceramics, is the density. These could be polished to almost a glass like surface. They dont seem to wear down to expose new surface and instead slowly load up... Easy to clean out with Bar Keeper's Friend and other products.
Alumina Ceramic, even Spyderco's, can be cut with Silicone Carbide.
Out of the box, a Spyderco Ultrafine is ready to go and flat enough to work up a screaming edge.
If it was absolutely flat, absolutely, if you laid it down on a flat surface such as clean glass, you're not going to be able to simply pick it up. It will suction to the glass and become an epic pain in the ass if you cant slide it off the edge of the surface.
That's the kind of "flat" that I want.
Like I said, I tried pouring 60 grit Silicon Carbide on glass and rubbing the stone in a circular motion. This was uncomfortably loud to the point where it created conflict in my house. "I'm almost done!" ...Nope. The stone is tough as nails and I ended up dishing the glass and convexing the stone, just a little.
The best solution for me was to use a sheet of Silicone Carbide sandpaper flat on glass with water poured on top. Like with everything else, including diamond, a lot of pressure needs to be used... make sure the glass is fully supported otherwise it will break.
These Spyderco stones are tough as nails and they will beat up and destroy any abrasive that you use, including diamond plates. For that reason, the sandpaper seems to make the most sense.
Once you get it flat, it becomes easy to modify the surface. If you go too fine and it's not cutting well, you can always reset the surface by revisiting the sandpaper or using moderate to light pressure on a diamond plate. With using plates, you're risking pieces of diamond getting lodged in the ceramic.
It's hard to quantify these in terms of grit, and maybe that's why Spyderco hasn't. I'd like to know the specific grits myself. I have not explored the bottom and top end of what can be achieved, effectively, with a Spyderco stone.