I need a finer grit whetstone.

Ferahgo

Ferahgo

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Mar 6, 2014
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So, I have been sharpening my knives on one of those Smith's Three stage Arkansas stone sets, and I would like to get the next level up. The fine stone is pretty smooth, but doesn't provide that good of a polished edge. I would like to upgrade to something that does my intentions a bit better. I would like to keep it under $20, if possible. And I would prefer it to be a stone of some sort.
 
You will find nothing of quality or in a fine grit for your budget.

We also need more than that to be able to help you at all. I'm not here to research what grit your final stone is. In reality though, you are using natural stones so they don't have a grit nor will they Sharpen like synthetic stones.

You could probably get a Hard black Arkansas stone but I hope you realize the limitations of Natural stones. A decent hard black stone will probably run you $60-$80 and that if its even the right stone to progress to.

I would probably recommend doing a bit of research on what you have, what you want your kit to do, and the cost of these items.
 
Depending on what steels you're wanting to sharpen & polish, it could be as simple as using some compound on a hard strop like wood to bring up the polish. The fine Arkansas stone should get most simple steels like 1095/CV and low-alloy stainless like 420HC, 440A, etc as sharp as needed, and following by stropping with compound on wood could bring up a quick polish on such steels; they generally polish very easily using readily-available compounds like white rouge, Flitz/Simichrome polish (or Mother's Mag), or diamond compounds. The harder the wood used with the compound, the crisper the edges will finish as well. If the edge is sharp and the polish is really the only additional need, then a wood strop with appropriate compound is what I'd use next; it's definitely the least expensive too, and could work well.

If you're using more wear-resistant steels like 440C, 154CM, D2, S30V, etc, then the Arkansas stones likely won't work as well anyway, especially in removing coarse scratches that need to be erased to enable polishing. With these types of steels on Arkansas stones, if the finish isn't coming up as you've described, that could be a part of the problem.


David
 
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Its possible :) but I haven't tried it
ebay and amazon list all kinds high grit stones, even 10000 grit, and the sellers all have high scores
if edge pro can sell 1000 grit stones for $17.00, and they're considered pricy
you can get a no-name chinese/japanese stones for cheaper
a king 1000 grit stone can be had for ~$20 at Asian grocery store
 
Up your dollars 40 more and you can get a Spyderco ceramic stone. Which is a good stone. DM
 
Try wet-dry sandpaper. You'll find it at every hardware, or automotive store, plenty of grit sizes to choose from, relatively inexpensive, and reusable.
And technically it is stone..it's just glued to paper :D
 
just buy a Belgian blue or bbw around 40 or so and be done with it, very good stone for the price.its a natural so grit varies some but around 4k is what most rate it as.
 
A good coticule is a couple hundred bucks so that's out. And only good for simple steels. Also they finish at around 8k. That's why razor guys love them. Like Jason said you're going to need to go up in money. And if that's the three Arkansas hone kit the final stone is a black. That'll give you a very shiny edge. If it's not with you're sharpening a steel which is too wear resistant or most likely need to work on your technique. Those stones work slowly and you need to spend some time on each one
 
A king 1k is an OK stone but it's no finer than a black Arkansas. Quite a bit more coarse actually

bucketstove said:
Its possible :) but I haven't tried it
ebay and amazon list all kinds high grit stones, even 10000 grit, and the sellers all have high scores
if edge pro can sell 1000 grit stones for $17.00, and they're considered pricy
you can get a no-name chinese/japanese stones for cheaper
a king 1000 grit stone can be had for ~$20 at Asian grocery store
Click to expand...
 
Jason B. said:
You will find nothing of quality or in a fine grit for your budget.

We also need more than that to be able to help you at all. I'm not here to research what grit your final stone is. In reality though, you are using natural stones so they don't have a grit nor will they Sharpen like synthetic stones.

You could probably get a Hard black Arkansas stone but I hope you realize the limitations of Natural stones. A decent hard black stone will probably run you $60-$80 and that if its even the right stone to progress to.

I would probably recommend doing a bit of research on what you have, what you want your kit to do, and the cost of these items.
Click to expand...

Jason hit the nail on the head.

Another option is to grab a cheap diamond plate and smooth the surface texture of your final stone. My experience is that arkies respond very well to this.
 
Vicv said:
A king 1k is an OK stone but it's no finer than a black Arkansas. Quite a bit more coarse actually
Click to expand...
ok :)
I included that info was as a price comparison point ... of whats available locally in a store you can walk into
even a smiths tri-6 is available locally for about ~$30
I see no reason a higher grit stone couldn't be bought for under $20 online
 
You very well might find one but I personally doubt it will be a very good stone. Probably pretty small. I like big stones. To get finer than a black Ark you're looking at a 3k+ waterstone. I've never seen one for less than $20. He said he wanted a stone so glass and lapping film is out. Which is too bad because that stuff is awesome! And a couple bucks a sheet. Takes some practice and a steady hand to use though
 
Vicv said:
You very well might find one but I personally doubt it will be a very good stone. Probably pretty small. I like big stones. To get finer than a black Ark you're looking at a 3k+ waterstone. I've never seen one for less than $20. He said he wanted a stone so glass and lapping film is out. Which is too bad because that stuff is awesome! And a couple bucks a sheet. Takes some practice and a steady hand to use though
Click to expand...
What makes a stone "good"?
You can see on ebay or alibaba all manner of 3k/8k/10k stones of all different lengths and thicknesses available for under $20
 
I stand corrected I've never shopped on there. I generally consider bester, shapton, naniwa, Sigma, suehiro to be good stones. They're at the $50+ range
 
Not bad. That's a very small stone though. 5x1.5x1. Still won't really add refinement to what the op already has. Will speed up his sharpening process though!
 
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Under $20 really limits the options. A King 6k might be found in the $30 range. Otherwise the recommendation to use silicon carbide wet/dry is the best choice. A few sheets of 2000 grit will do a good job. Put it over something hard, something with fine ridges even better.

Another option depending on the steels you're working is to keep an eye out for natural stones when hiking about. Fine silt-stones can do a great job and work just like a waterstone, splash and go. Lots of trial and error though.
 
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