Newbie sharpening questions

Spats McGee's Silly Newbie Questions, Round 4:

1. I've seen a lot of references to "refreshing" or "reconditioning" stones. I assume (without knowing) that "refreshing" a stone just means cleaning it. But how does one "recondition" a stone?

2. Anyone have any ideas how to get stones off a Tri-Hone? I like the stones just fine and while the base is relatively stable, I think I'd like 'em even better in the stone holder I bought.
 
It depends what kind of stone you actually use. Cleaning your stones regularly will keep them work (cut metal). Water stones, especially those with a soft bond - will wear with use quite quickly. You need to flatten them periodically. Oilstones too, but they will stay flat for a much longer time. Another point is that stones will glaze. Meaning the surface gets smoother and they won't cut metal as good as they did before.
You can use wet and dry sandpaper to flatten a waterstone. This will make the surface more aggressive, too. This method does not work as well with hard stones like oilstones. You could use silicon cabide powder and a granite tile.
Or you can use a diamond plate. But keep in mind: This will most likely destroy your stone. Only a few brands will survive this treatment.
There are some guys on YouTube who will demonstrate how that works.

Burrfection:


Stefan Wolf:


To name just two. It is a lot more out there.
 
Last edited:
Spats McGee said:
....2. Anyone have any ideas how to get stones off a Tri-Hone? I like the stones just fine and while the base is relatively stable, I think I'd like 'em even better in the stone holder I bought.
Click to expand...
For the benefit of anyone who reads later, I'm going to answer my own question. A reasonably warm bath in soapy water did the trick. It may have helped that the glue holding my stones in place is probably 30 years old, but with that said, I soaked them in relatively warm (but not hot) water with a squirt of dish soap. The last stone to come loose took probably two hours of soaking, but when a stone was ready to come off, it came off pretty much effortlessly.
 
Spats McGee said:
For the benefit of anyone who reads later, I'm going to answer my own question. A reasonably warm bath in soapy water did the trick. It may have helped that the glue holding my stones in place is probably 30 years old, but with that said, I soaked them in relatively warm (but not hot) water with a squirt of dish soap. The last stone to come loose took probably two hours of soaking, but when a stone was ready to come off, it came off pretty much effortlessly.
Click to expand...
I have an inexpensively-purchased 6-inch Tri-hone set that I bought probably 30-ish years ago. I bought it at a gun & knife show in Texas, IIRC. No packaging or branding at all, so I have no idea of its source. It came with a coarse SiC stone, a medium Arkansas, and a translucent Arkansas stone. I liked how the translucent stone worked and had hoped to separate it from the triangular block (of hardwood), as it was sized perfectly for use in-hand. But everything I tried failed. I'm pretty sure epoxy was used to adhere it, way back when. Tried softening the bond with acetone (purported to work for epoxy), which had no effect at all. That is probably the strongest glue joint I've ever seen. In trying to pry it loose, it developed a hairline crack in the stone. So I decided to let it be and not force it anymore.

I'd seen your question earlier about doing this, but hesitated to suggest anything because my own experience may not be typical of these things.
 
It sounds very much like the one I have. I was surprised at how easy it was. If you haven’t tried the bath, give it one. It’s not like it’s going to hurt the stones.
 
Spats McGee said:
It sounds very much like the one I have. I was surprised at how easy it was. If you haven’t tried the bath, give it one. It’s not like it’s going to hurt the stones.
Click to expand...
If it weren't for the nice-looking wood block upon which mine are mounted, I might've been inclined to try a soak of some kind. But I'd rather not run the risk of ruining the block for the sake of removing the one stone. And I no longer feel the same sense of urgency in wanting to separate it anyway. I can still use it as is, and I'm OK with that. :)
 
Over the years I have learned simpler is better. I just use EZE-LAP pocket sharpeners and ceramic sticks on most of my knives. I have an India combo for a larger stone. I find it easier, inexpensive, and more portable. YMMV
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
If it weren't for the nice-looking wood block upon which mine are mounted, I might've been inclined to try a soak of some kind. But I'd rather not run the risk of ruining the block for the sake of removing the one stone. And I no longer feel the same sense of urgency in wanting to separate it anyway. I can still use it as is, and I'm OK with that. :)
Click to expand...
I was the complete opposite. I actually considered sawing through the wood and then sanding the remnants off of the stones. 😂
 
Next up: The coarse stone off my Tri-hone, which looks like a man-made stone, seems to soak up every bit of oil I put on there. Should I just use it dry? Or should I buy a gallon of mineral oil and give it a bath?
 
Spats McGee said:
Next up: The coarse stone off my Tri-hone, which looks like a man-made stone, seems to soak up every bit of oil I put on there. Should I just use it dry? Or should I buy a gallon of mineral oil and give it a bath?
Click to expand...
Probably a SiC stone (silicon carbide). I'd not use it dry - or at least not for any heavy grinding work. These will load up & clog with swarf pretty fast, if not used with oil. I've also tried mine with water. But water won't suspend the swarf at all, on the surface. So it still tends to sink into these very porous stones and clog them.

You could apply some petroleum jelly ('vaseline') onto the stone, like a thick layer of cake frosting. Then use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it into the stone. Once it cools, the stone will be a lot less thirsty after it's filled with the petroleum jelly. Sort of emulates what some mfrs. like Norton do with their stones (India, Crystolon) to fill them with an oil/grease compound. If you prefer to minimize the oily mess in use with these stones, this is the way I'd go. Once filled, the stone only needs a light application of oil - so, it's not running through or dripping all over the place.

I do store some of my 'thirsty' stones in an oil bath, filled with the inexpensive pharmacy-grade 'laxative' mineral oil. Pic is below. They're always 'wet' and dripping with it, when I pull them out to use them. It's more messy to use them this way, as they need to stay very saturated to keep the film of oil on the surface. The thicker laxative-grade oil is better for that, as it won't run through the stone so fast.
OdcJ8vd.jpg
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
....You could apply some petroleum jelly ('vaseline') onto the stone, like a thick layer of cake frosting. Then use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt it into the stone. Once it cools, the stone will be a lot less thirsty after it's filled with the petroleum jelly. Sort of emulates what some mfrs. like Norton do with their stones (India, Crystolon) to fill them with an oil/grease compound. If you prefer to minimize the oily mess in use with these stones, this is the way I'd go. Once filled, the stone only needs a light application of oil - so, it's not running through or dripping all over the place.....
Click to expand...
OWE, this was a brilliant solution. I did it over the weekend and finally got around to trying it out. It's a tremendous improvement! Thank you.
 
Spats McGee said:
OWE, this was a brilliant solution. I did it over the weekend and finally got around to trying it out. It's a tremendous improvement! Thank you.
Click to expand...
Wish I could take credit for that idea - it's been suggested by other generous members here before. I think it's been an option in sharpening circles for some time, although not widely known. I did the same with a few of my stones and also liked it. :thumbsup:
 
It dawned on me later that I probably could also have put it in the oven on very low heat (~150*?) for a while, and that probably would have worked, too. I have a beat up, rusty old cookie sheet that I use for projects that I could have put it on.
 
Spats McGee said:
It dawned on me later that I probably could also have put it in the oven on very low heat (~150*?) for a while, and that probably would have worked, too. I have a beat up, rusty old cookie sheet that I use for projects that I could have put it on.
Click to expand...
I think others have done it that way in the oven, IIRC. I used a heat gun because it was handy for me at the time, literally within close reach. Kind of cool to watch the vaseline disappear into the stone too, in just a minute's time or less. It's good to use something to catch the mess as it melts - a pan or a layer of towels, cardboard, etc. Doesn't take a lot of heat to do it - I distanced the heat gun's nozzle far enough from the stone to keep it from getting too hot (using the lowest heat setting). I'd periodically place my hand near the stone to verify that, and distanced the nozzle far enough away that it wasn't intolerable. Shouldn't take anything more than maybe 120°F - 150°F near the stone's surface. It melts pretty easily.

I was thinking a little more about the history of using that method. I seem to recall seeing some very old literature from Norton, mentioning the technique. MIght've been a century back or longer - at least many decades.
 
Spats McGee said:
OWE, this was a brilliant solution. I did it over the weekend and finally got around to trying it out. It's a tremendous improvement! Thank you.
Click to expand...
Awesome to hear that it worked for you. I tried to fill a thirsty SiC scythe stone with oil. Did not work as expected.

Obsessed with Edges said:
I used a heat gun because it was handy for me at the time, literally within close reach. Kind of cool to watch the vaseline disappear into the stone too, in just a minute's time or less. It's good to use something to catch the mess as it melts - a pan or a layer of towels, cardboard, etc.
Click to expand...

My problem was the oil was everywhere. Not only in the stone. Even after a bath in warm water with dish liquid and a fierce scrubbing with a brush the stone was very greasy on its surface and the sides. Can't grab it without getting oily fingers. It is a mess.
 
Papilio said:
Awesome to hear that it worked for you. I tried to fill a thirsty SiC scythe stone with oil. Did not work as expected.



My problem was the oil was everywhere. Not only in the stone. Even after a bath in warm water with dish liquid and a fierce scrubbing with a brush the stone was very greasy on its surface and the sides. Can't grab it without getting oily fingers. It is a mess.
Click to expand...
What type of 'oil' did you use, in attempting to fill the stone? Sounds like it's something different than the petroleum jelly ('vaseline') I'd suggested, which is more of a semi-solid grease-like compound. It won't run out of the stone like oil would, once it cools after the initial filling.
 
It was vaseline and a hair dryer. But before I did that I used the stone dry and then with mineral oil. I think I was too generous with the oil. The stone was still thirsty but oily before the vaseline melting process. The "oil bath" before seemed to be a bad idea.
 
Papilio said:
It was vaseline and a hair dryer. But before I did that I used the stone dry and then with mineral oil. I think I was too generous with the oil. The stone was still thirsty but oily before the vaseline melting process. The "oil bath" before seemed to be a bad idea.
Click to expand...
IF you're still inclined to (and I wouldn't blame you if you aren't anymore), it sounds like more cleaning with a solvent, maybe mineral spirits or acetone might help in flushing out the excess oil before attempting the vaseline filling again. When the stone gets to feeling sufficiently 'dry' after the cleaning, the try the vaseline again.

With my stones, I have some that I dedicated to oil-bath sharpening only (and I permanently store those in oil). And for the vaseline, I dedicated some other stones that I hadn't soaked in oil - so they were relatively dry before using the vaseline. They probably had some light oil exposure beforehand, but only from a few random drizzlings of oil, before I decided to try them with the vaseline.
 
I am not sure what to do with this stone. Haven't used it a lot, it is more or less new. A coarse SiC can be useful. If I have a suitable cleanser at hand, I should give it a try. Thanks for your help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top