Coarse and Extra coarse stones for recurves?

Nosetotail

Nosetotail

Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
398
I am wondering what is out there for doing a lot of work on a recurve knife. I hope I am calling this right. I'm talking about something like a BM 710 or BM Skirmish. I have seen the DMT cones and several round or oval "Diamond Steels", but these all start at a finer grit, and I am wondering what you use when you have a lot of steel to remove.
 
Sandpaper on a round dowel or the corners of a waterstone which are rounded to fit the recurve somewhat.
 
^ I have been considering those stones for a little while, but I'm not sure which ones to get. The sight is a little overwhelming. I remember the pink bricks thread, but I'm unsure if I should go for the Ruby sharp aluminum oxide or the EDM hard aluminum oxide.

Also, what is so great about the Ruby Degussit stones that they cost so much.

While I'm at it, have you tried the ceramics. I want to put together a mini crock stick style sharpener that I can adjust the angle on.
 
I've barely tried any of their stones; just ruby ones. My EdgePro has stones similar to the EDM ones and they leave a very fine finish. No idea on why the Ruby DeGussit stones are expensive.

You might have more success and enjoyment with a belt-sander and finer grit belts (320, 500, 1200) instead of picking through a mountain of polishing stones through trial and error.
 
For heavy re-curves you could buy the 1/2 size stones from Edge Pro mounted or unmounted,the mounted stone less liable to snap as it has a backing to it. The stones are only 6" in length so they are a bit tricky to work with as bench stones. The 120 grit from EP cuts faster than about any other stone I've ever found.
 
I wonder if EdgePro gets their stones from a supplier such as CongressTools. The longest stone you can get on Congress is 6".
 
IIRC, yuzuha said EdgePros stones are from Boride Abrasives (the stones themselves are silicon carbide for the coarse and aluminum oxide for everything else, not actual boride) and cbwx34 has said that the stones are just slightly thicker than any off-the-shelf polishing stones he's found.
 
From the few sights I have found the polishing stones on, they seem to be a standard assortment of sizes and I am getting the feeling that they are all coming from Boride Abrasives. I would like to find a larger diameter and longer half round, but I seem to be limited to 3/8" by 6" long. As far as off the shelf stones, I didn't know there were any out there, however I haven't looked nor do I have any idea where to look.

Something else I am curious about are the Norton India, Arkansa, and Crystalon stones. I can get the India in as large as a 6" by 1" in a fine, medium, and coarse, but the Arkansa and Crystalon stones seem to have less of a selection. I am wondering if these are natural or synthetic. My guess is that the India and Arkansa are natural, and the Crystalon is synthetic.
 
India and Crystolon are both synthetic. I think some of the Arkansas are reconstituted.

Another thing you can do, which can get pricy in the long run, is to make a curved surface of the dimensions you wish and then stick sandpaper to it with a glue stick. Aluminum oxide for shaping and thinning the edge and silicon carbide for honing and polishing.
 
I just bought the cardboard wheels system and it is by far the fastest way to put a shaving edge on a knife I have ever seen. I went with the 1 inch wide wheels and in less than 10 minutes put razor sharp edges on my EDC Lone Wold Doulbe Duty (S30V) A Myerco A/O with 440 steel and my Kershaw chive (420 steel) ...... The edges of the wheels easily did the curve on the Kershaw chive...... Now I have sharpened knives by hand with diamond flats for 30+ years so I do have a good hand but these wheels are incredible..... I mounted them on a 6 inch sears professional grinder........ Less than $100.00 total.
 
The way you and Richard_J describe that system, it sounds pretty nice and time-efficient. Since it'd kill my kitchen knives (if it isn't thinner than a whisker, more brittle than glass, and able to turn purple from cutting vegetables, I don't want it!), I never thought to get/try one for the knives that don't babying to be sharpened. Hmm... Thanks, redrummd!
 
Redrummd said:
..... I mounted them on a 6 inch sears professional grinder........ Less than $100.00 total.
Click to expand...

I have a real small Craftsman grinder that looks like it has five or six inch diameter stones. It's not much to look at, sorta like a homelite version. Is this the type of grinder you are talking about?
 
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