How to polish a too coarse sharpening stone?

D

Don M

Joined
Apr 30, 2000
Messages
846
I have an Arkansas hard stone that is cut/finished too coarse to achieve what I bought it for. It won't give me a nice polished edge. It has a coarser finish than my "soft" Ark stone, and I think it is due to the the way it was cut, not the grain size. Is there a relatively easy way to "polish" the stone?
 
Lapping compound on glass would get rid of any large scratches, and will leave you with a finish that will easily self polish, quickly. However if the stone has large inclusions, which isn't that rare for Arkansas hones, you have to do a deeper lapping until you cut below the aggregates.

-Cliff
 
What kind of lapping compund is this, and where can I get some?

I was considering aluminum oxide sandpaper, but I don't know where to get a fine enough grit for the finish I want.
 
Don, the cut of new stones slows down with use. You might want to sharpen less critical knives until the surface becomes less aggressive. Offer to sharpen kitchen knives for family and friends; it makes for good practice.
 
Use Silicon Carbide lapping compound, available at many places. You can find it from about 80 grit all the way up to 600. After finishing with 600 the stone will still be much coarser than its natual finish, but as Andrew noted, it will self polish with use. This should happen quite quickly, on one knife for example. If it doesn't you probably have large aggregates in the surface of the hone.

-Cliff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top