I just grabbed a random dull knife and tested my freehand skills on a stone i picked up at a flea market for 5 bucks. Sharpened it up and hit it with the strop and it was taking hair off my arm so i was wondering if anyone knew of some cheaper 1k grit plus stones. I have my eyes set on a pair of 1k and 6k stones for $105 but i need something a little cheaper for now.
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Know of any good high grit stones that wont cost me an arm and a leg?
- Thread starter Nogorn
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Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Jun 13, 2007
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Buying cheap now only means you spend more money later to get the stones you should have bought in the first place.
Not knowing the stone you have now makes giving a recommendation a complete shot in the dark. It sounds like you are looking at waterstones though so I would recommend Shapton. Not much more than the cheap stones you are looking at but have worlds better performance.
Not knowing the stone you have now makes giving a recommendation a complete shot in the dark. It sounds like you are looking at waterstones though so I would recommend Shapton. Not much more than the cheap stones you are looking at but have worlds better performance.
I have seen the two stones i'm looking at get a blade sharp enough to cut toilet paper. They are Japanese water stones used by Murray Carter.
http://www.cartercutlery.com/japanese-water-stones-set-of-2/
http://www.cartercutlery.com/japanese-water-stones-set-of-2/
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The King stones are on the more cheaper end of waterstones, but still should give good results. From what I have read, they are very soft and require frequent lapping(flattening) to maintain a flat even surface--something to keep in mind. I have used shapton glass waterstones, and they cut pretty much almost any steel and require minimal flattening as they are very hard. On the flip side, the shapton glass waterstones were the first waterstones I purchased. While I can get great results with them now, it took some time as the stones are very hard and do not have as much feedback compared to other stones. In any case, great stones. My favorite stone of the ones I have is the 500 grit. Nubatama stones are also supposed to be very nice, but I only own a 150 grit nubatama bamboo and non of the higher grit stones.
All these stones are still on the expensive side and I wholly agree with the logic of spending more, but spending once. If price is a huge factor though, and you want something from the low grits to the high grits, I'd recommend the washboard by Heavyhanded here on this board. I own one, and they are very convenient to use while providing great results. It uses sandpaper, but it'll last a long time as long as you use light pressure and clean the sandpaper.
All these stones are still on the expensive side and I wholly agree with the logic of spending more, but spending once. If price is a huge factor though, and you want something from the low grits to the high grits, I'd recommend the washboard by Heavyhanded here on this board. I own one, and they are very convenient to use while providing great results. It uses sandpaper, but it'll last a long time as long as you use light pressure and clean the sandpaper.
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
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- 11,170
They are very capable stones, a King 1k is a stone everyone should have in there collection and a stone I use often but it's not a stone you want to sharpen something like S30V with. It can do it but expect to travel a rough road.
They do best with carbon steels like 1095 or stainless like AUS8, so if those are the types of steels you often sharpen then you will be fine. I would recommend you check out the Naniwa 2k green brick instead of the 6k though, it's a bigger, better stone that produces a beautiful cutting edge. It would also be a few dollars cheaper.
They do best with carbon steels like 1095 or stainless like AUS8, so if those are the types of steels you often sharpen then you will be fine. I would recommend you check out the Naniwa 2k green brick instead of the 6k though, it's a bigger, better stone that produces a beautiful cutting edge. It would also be a few dollars cheaper.
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A combination 1k 8k Norton waterstone runs about $65. Very capable on most steels and make a nice edge. The 8k is very close to a mirror finish and recommended by a lot of straight razor folks.
Hey thanks! that should work just fine.