Do-It-All stone... does it exist?

KarlMaldensNose

KarlMaldensNose

Joined
Feb 3, 2009
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My question is concerning stones -- waterstones, oilstones, natural Japanese, SiC, India, Arkansas, Naniwa-type with ceramic (?) abrasives embedded in them, Shapton glasstones, etc, etc... so many my head is spinning. I don't even know the difference between a lot of them.

What I want to know is, which of these strikes a good balance between being able to effectively (in terms of time and edge quality) handle traditional carbon steels (1095, 1080, 5160, O1, A2, etc.), "newer" carbon steels (INFI, CPM 3V, CPM M4), and the ever-emerging stainless super steels (CPM S30V, CPM D2, ZDP-189, etc.)? I realize one kind of stone won't do it all superbly. But maybe one kind of stone can do most of it satisfactorily, even do some of it very well.

You see, I was/am considering diamond stones, but I find my knife collection growing in the direction of big choppers, outdoors/bushcraft/camp knives, etc. which all seem to be made using carbon steels. What little experience I've had so far with carbon steel on diamonds hasn't been good, and I've read of others finding those two to not be the best of mates. However, I still love my folders with their stainless, high hardness, big carbide steels, which do much better on diamonds. We all know I'll eventually end up with both diamonds and stones to cover most of my bases;), but for the sake of arguement, which type of stone might come close to what I'm looking for?
 
For 1095 in Becker and Tops, I had been using a cheapo Norton stone, which has worked well. Part of it probably depends on your own ideology on sharpening choppers. I typically get them sharp on the Norton and then use a blue crock stick on them, which leaves them with a toothy edge. IMO, a chopper is destined for fairly heavy use, so I would like it sharp, but also like to spend as little time as possible sharpening it.
 
The only "stone" I have is a DMT diasharp Course/Fine combo. It, along with some lansky crock sticks and a strop, suits my needs perfectly. I don't need a mirror edge, just a sharp one.
 
I use a xx coarse DMT diamond stone, and an old Arkansas stone in conjunction with the Spyderoco Sharp Maker and strops.
I sharpen almost all my knives the same way and I don't notice a huge difference between the higher end steels.
If you like free hand sharpening I don't think you can go wrong with Diamond stones and strops.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Norton combination coarse/fine India (aluminum oxide) stone. If I had to have just one for everything.
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Me too. It does all I need. If I have to do major re-profiling, I will use my 220 Norton waterstone, but for basic everyday sharpening, the Fine India does a great job. And all for under $30 bucks. The darn things hardly wear out even !
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Fine India.
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HeavyHanded said:
Norton combination coarse/fine India (aluminum oxide) stone. If I had to have just one for everything.
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hiwa said:
Me too. It does all I need. If I have to do major re-profiling, I will use my 220 Norton waterstone, but for basic everyday sharpening, the Fine India does a great job. And all for under $30 bucks. The darn things hardly wear out even !
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Interesting. I was just looking at this Norton combo stone at Lee Valley today, thinking it might make a decent stone to get my feet wet with before I invest in something more expensive. It is economical, versatile, durable, clean. I had no idea that India stones are just aluminum oxide.
 
I dont think you can go wrong with a coarse/fine DMT combo stone. ive never had a problem sharpening my carbon steel knives with diamond stones.
 
I was just about to pick up a 220/1000 Norton stone today when my uncle gave me a two-speed motor, just what I need to power this (see first attachment). I'm still going with stones; this will just be a fun little side-experiment.:D

Edit: the motor is 1/3 hp, 2-speed (1725/1140 rpm)... anyone know if that's appropriate for those beltsander setups? It has a single shaft with some sort of bare hollow steel wheel on it. I'll post a pic in a new dedicated thread sometime thi weekend, but if anyone can comment on it now, then great!

Incidentally, what is the difference between the Norton India Stone 8 inch Fine/Coarse Combo Stone ($17.95) (see third attachment) and the Norton Water Stone 8 inch 220/1000 Combo Stone ($43.95) (see second attachment)? Pricing at knifecenter.com. The only differene I can see is that the more expensive one is 8"x3" whereas the cheaper one is 8"x2". The staggering price difference can't be due to that alone, can it?
 

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As previous posters have pointed out -- you get a lot of bang for your buck with a norton combo stone. I'd add that tere's not a lot you can't do with the extra large DMT XC/C stone and the basic sharpmaker; or the lansky mini crock stick setup rather than the full sharpmaker.
 
hkpokes_you said:
As previous posters have pointed out -- you get a lot of bang for your buck with a norton combo stone. I'd add that tere's not a lot you can't do with the extra large DMT XC/C stone and the basic sharpmaker; or the lansky mini crock stick setup rather than the full sharpmaker.
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Yeah, I have a Sharpmaker and love it, and am looking to build on it with stones. I will eventually (maybe sooner than later) end up with DMT Dia- or DuoSharps, but I first want to try my hand at freehand with something cheap (yet effective) and versatile, hence all the inquiry about different stone types and their relative strengths and weaknesses in relation to various steels.

P.S. I know it can get "old" fast for a lot you guys who've been here a while, and I appreciate the rehashing of info. and common wisdom (to everyone but us freehand noobs). And I am working on my annoying overuse (and misuse;)) of parentheses.
 
It looks like one stone is an India, and the other is a waterstone. The waterstone is designed to wear away in use and expose fresh grit, while the India is not.
 
KarlMaldsonsNose, the two Norton's Lee Valley has are the 2"by8" and the 2 1/2" by 11 1/2". The latter one is a huge stone. If you don't mind the price and weight, you can get really good ,long swipes with it. I just bought the 8" last week , as it fits one of my two waterstone holders I have. Still plenty big of a stone ,and somewhat more of a traditional size.

I also have the Norton waterstones ( separate ones of 220 and 1000 grits). I bought them separate , so I don't have to flip the stone over. The 1000 is a good general purpose stone as well, but definately wears faster, and requires occasional flattening, whereas the Norton Alum.oxide you will probably never have to flatten. My old one I got as a 1st year cabinetmaker apprentice has sharpened a whole ton of knives and plane blades ,chisels ,scrapers, etc. and is still going strong. It is the 8" model. I get a somewhat finer edge with the 1000 ,but I like the "feel" I get with the India stone better. Also , I don't go with super polished edges and like the toothiness of edge I get with the Norton better. I usually finish with a few passes of a strop to get the micro-burr off ,and I am happy with that. Good luck with what ever you choose ! :)
 
I have had the same 6" hard Arkansas stone from Smith's since 1985, and have never needed anything else other than a file for changing a grind. I have tried nearly everything on the market, and always come back to the Arkansas. Of course, it may take some serious elbow grease, but who doesn't enjoy sharpening a knife?
 
I have the lee valley ceramics and love them, I would say stay away from artificial water stones (king stones from lee valley) as they are soft and really easy to carve up, I got a little steep with a blade once and basically cut right into my 4k King. Nortons should be solid enough to not have this problem.
 
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