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Gradyw

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Jan 23, 2017
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I was wondering what would be a good benchstobe to use in between my dmt extra fine and my ultra fine spyderco ceramic... was going to go with the fine spydercostone but all I see is 8x2 in size... might not be a deal breaker but wondering if there's anymore good options! Thank you
 
It's no problem to sharpen a 8" blade on a 2X8" stone. The fine Spyderco ceramic is a good stone. DM
 
Gradyw said:
I was wondering what would be a good benchstobe to use in between my dmt extra fine and my ultra fine spyderco ceramic... was going to go with the fine spydercostone but all I see is 8x2 in size... might not be a deal breaker but wondering if there's anymore good options! Thank you
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Isn't 8x2 the size of the UF Spyderdo stone you have? (Not understanding why this is a factor).

And, what results are you looking for, that you're wanting another "in between" stone? (Knowing this might get you a better answer).
 
The ultra fine is 8x3. Doesn't seem like a big difference but the 8x2 looks very thin in pictures. I have been thinking about the xx fine but then I'd have to break it in again and I'm pretty sure my xf isn't broke in yet if still leaves a kindve heavy scratch pattern for xf. And the reason I want an in between stone is for a better mirror finish. Something that will remove all the scratches because right now the jump from xf to uf is too much. Maybe I still have a long way to go to break in my xf dmt I have no idea
 
Ah. Didn't know they made one in 8x3.

The DMT XXF can have a long break in period... the ones I've seen and used can start out more coarse than the XF.

I'm thinking waterstone? Something in the 6K-8K range like a Shapton Glasstone might be a good choice... but not having actually used that progression with the setup you have... wait and see what others say.
 
I just read ab those last night.. they look pretty good just expensive like every other stone I have haha
 
How long of a break in does the extra fine dmt have.. I've had it for a month or two and to me stilll seems the same.. haven't used it as much as I would like to though was every couple of days now I'm lucky if it's once a week
 
I recently returned a DMT Diasharp XF for a defective surface plating. The replacement still took a few to break in.

I've had much better luck with recent purchase of a larger Duosharp. And overall it is my impression the interrupted surface plates have a more uniform plate coverage.
 
Gradyw said:
How long of a break in does the extra fine dmt have.. I've had it for a month or two and to me stilll seems the same.. haven't used it as much as I would like to though was every couple of days now I'm lucky if it's once a week
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How long is hard to answer... what I look for is a comparison between a part of the stone that sees very little use... usually at the ends. When you can tell a subtle yet distinct difference in feeling it with your fingers, between that area and the rest of the stone, (the ends will feel rougher), is when they seem to be "broken in"... (if that makes any sense at all).
 
Gradyw said:
The ultra fine is 8x3. Doesn't seem like a big difference but the 8x2 looks very thin in pictures. I have been thinking about the xx fine but then I'd have to break it in again and I'm pretty sure my xf isn't broke in yet if still leaves a kindve heavy scratch pattern for xf. And the reason I want an in between stone is for a better mirror finish. Something that will remove all the scratches because right now the jump from xf to uf is too much. Maybe I still have a long way to go to break in my xf dmt I have no idea
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You might consider using diamond paste on a firm/hard, smooth strop of wood, like basswood (or maple, etc); anything with firm, tight grain that can be sanded to a very smooth finish. DMT's 6µ and 3µ Dia-Pastes work pretty fast toward a mirror on most steels, coming off of the DMT EF (and especially off the EEF). In particular, I've really liked the 3µ paste, as it seems to produce the fastest visible change toward mirror in finish, even on steels like S30V. And to me, it's much easier than on a ceramic, as well, with none of the potential burring problems a ceramic always seems to bring. More and more, every time I use a ceramic, I find there are easier ways to accomplish the given task, and usually with better results.

Just be sure you go as far as you can on the hone sequence through EF, so the scratch pattern is manageable and the edge is fully apexed, BEFORE going to the hardwood and diamond paste strop.


David
 
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I have some green and white compound.. just some stuff I found on Amazon for leather strips.. haven't really been stripping because my edges off the uf have been razor sharp and in the last couple weeks I have been able to produce a hair whittling edge after making some wedges for my angles...I do have the double sided duo sharp I think I just need to use them more.. sharpening is just as addictive as anything else haha.. all the advice has been helpful and since I posted I've even started considering maybe getting a shapton glass stone after my uf.. don't know if it's worth it or if it'll make that big of difference for a good mirrored edge..they are pretty close just can't removed all the scratches with my currrent setup
 
Gradyw said:
The ultra fine is 8x3. Doesn't seem like a big difference but the 8x2 looks very thin in pictures. I have been thinking about the xx fine but then I'd have to break it in again and I'm pretty sure my xf isn't broke in yet if still leaves a kindve heavy scratch pattern for xf. And the reason I want an in between stone is for a better mirror finish. Something that will remove all the scratches because right now the jump from xf to uf is too much. Maybe I still have a long way to go to break in my xf dmt I have no idea
Click to expand...

The Spyderco Fine is a great stone. I use mine after my DMT Diasharp Extra fine. The 8x2 size is no problem. It's obviously narrower but it's very easy to use. I got from DMT 8x3 stones to the Spyderco 8x2 all the time and the transition is smooth and easy.
 
I don't have the Ultra Fine but the Fine puts a pretty refined edge on the blade. Not sure I would see the need for myself to go to the Ultra Fine. However, not sure about whether the Fine would be useful compared to the Ultra Fine in your case.

I'm not really concerned with getting the ultimate edge. I don't need to whittle hair and I don't need a polished mirror for an edge. The fine is really all I need for my purposes. Not sure the fine would really be a benefit for me compared to just stropping? But again, not sure if the reverse for you would be true? The fine might be a little more useful.

I just picked up the Spyderco Medium and want to play around with it to see how it compares to the DMT Extra Fine. Do I need them both? Well, yes I want them both I guess. Not sure there is a need for both in the same sharpening progression?
 
Even though the DMT EF is rated at 9 microns, it cuts like a more coarse stone. The Spyderco F is rated at 6 microns, but it cuts slower than a corresponding waterstone and burnishes the edge a lot because of it's composition.

In my experience, the finish left by the DMT EF is fairly close to the finish left by the Spyderco M. The Spyd M might be slightly more coarse; it depends on how much pressure you used on the DMT EF. The lighter the pressure, the more fine the edge and scratch pattern will become. With any stone.

In practice, I have jumped from the DMT EF to the Spyderco UF stone several times and produced a decent mirrored edge that behaves like a laser. It does fairly incredible cutting tricks like treetopping hair, push cutting phonebook paper at 90 degrees effortlessly, etc. But the mirror finish is far from perfect. It has scratches in it that are very hard to remove with just the Spyd UF. You really need a stone or two in between if you want a brightly reflective mirror finish with no scratches in it at all.

So it's up to you. You could get the Spyd M and F. Or you could get a few waterstones at similar micron equivalent ratiings. Or you could just live with the crazy performing edges that a Spyd UF can give you and not have a perfect mirror finish.

I hope this helps in some way.

Brian.
 
Yea I have the same results as u definitely not a perfect mirror but it cuts like a ladle and will whittle hair... so if I got a spyderco fine u think it make a big difference and take a lot of those scratches out?
 
^ I don't think you'd see a big difference with the Spyd F. The thing with refining scratch patterns is, you must erase the deepest, most coarse scratches first. I think a Spyd M would be more beneficial as it would "convert the scratch pattern" from DMT deep diamond scratches to Spyd shallow ceramic scratches.

But I haven't done much of this myself, so my advice isn't based on direct experience. It's more my guess based on my other sharpening experience.

I do know this: Using a tight progression of abrasives of the same type is the key to getting a mirror polish. If you really want to get into this, look up posts by a member named "Sadden". He's the mirror polish master.

Brian.
 
So do u think I need to spend more time on extra fine or do I need to start using all ceramics
 
I'd say switch to the Spyd M right after the DMT EF, then do Spyd F, Spyd UF.


But I'll defer to someone else who's actually *done* that progression. I'm just making an educated guess.

Brian.
 
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