Norton Stones anyone?

R

red96ta

Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
132
I think it's about time to replace my trusty benchstone. It's probably 30 years old and scooped out pretty good on both sides.....and who knows what grit they are, but it's a high quality stone.

I've been looking around and noticed that Norton makes some nice stones. What grit combo would you recommend? I like both the 1000/4000 and the 4000/8000 grit combo stones. Since the stone is primarily for maintaining blades, would which would you recommend? If I got with the 8000 grit, it would be a nice transition from that (3 micron) to a 1 micron strop, no?
 
The Nortons are good stones but they will dish out after a while and will wear much quicker than a natural.

I would suggest that you get a DMT8C first and flatten your old stone. It might take a couple of hours but it would make the old stone like new. If you get the Norton, you'll need the Norton lapping stone or a DMT to keep it flat so I would try that before sinking any more money into a new setup.
 
I have a Norton Combination Med. coarse and Fine India stone. This is an Aluminum Oxide abrasive type stone. I use the coarse side for reprofiling or thinning the edge of thick blades and finish on the Fine India side. On knives that are properly ground to a nice edge profile I use only the Fine India side. Results in excellent edge. The stone is 11.5 inches long. This size stone makes sharpening much easier. I have Diamond stones but seem to prefer the Norton. I have had it about twenty years and have sharpened literally hundred of knives on this stone and it has not dished out. I don't know but this is a type of synthetic stone I believe. I am thinking I might try some of the DMT Durasharp stone as I have heard and read good things about them. I don't use oil on the stones but use Kerosene or WD40. All my info on this type of sharpening has come from what the custom knifemaker Wayne Goodard has said and also some of the articles in knife magazines by Steven Dick.

RKH
 
I agree with RHK,my comb.Norton stone is 8".I also rememmber Wayne Goddard & Steve Dick recommending them.There is no way this stone is going to dish out.Maybe kelbro you're thinking about the Norton Water Stones-which I don't have much knowledge of.Diamond stones are great but expensive.You can get a diamond stick much cheaper.I have an Ultimate Edge 10" cats eye or eppilictical sharpener.Its 600 grit and I paid under $20 but that was over 10 yrs.ago.There are several makers that sell diamond steels,I have been happy ith the Ultimate Edge.Good luck red96ta.
 
Yes, my reply was in reference to the Norton Combo 4K/8K waterstones. No experience with the others. Sorry if this caused any confusion. I didn't know that the 4K/8K was offered other than a waterstone.
 
I Have an 8" Norton India Combo that I love to use. Had it for several years and used it alot, and it is still in great shape. And the fine side leaves a wonderful biting edge on my blades.

They are also inexpensive as well $11.99 at SMKW for the 8"
 
I've got a Norton 1000/8000 and it's great on its own and even better followed with a 1 micron strop (I usually use 1 micron polishing paper over glass).
 
I have two Norton Waterstones. A 220/1000 and a 4000/8000. Both are top drawer. They cut fast and consistently, and are easy to maintain.

OTOH, after having the opportunity to use a Shapton 1000 glass stone, I think if I had to do it over, I'd get a Shapton, and eventually collect the whole set from 500 to 30,000!

Not cheap, but still a bargain. :p

Ben
 
Nortons make a great product. I have a set of custom ones I got from MD Labs. They have radiused edges to be useful for sharpening 1/4" dia. serrations.
 
i really like my norton hard india with WD 40 for a lube, works really good on anything i have tried it on, and they are cheap compared to a lot of the other high tech stones ie diamond.

i use mine a lot on kitchen knives, for some reason though i love to mess with knives i hate sharpening kitchen knives(ibet it took me 2 hours to get my serrated spydie kitchen knife sharp it was so dull lol), and the norton india works really well on my kitchen knives.

but anyway point being i highly reccomend the nortons stones.

FWIW i have used mine quite a bit over the last 5 or 6 yrs and it hasnt dished out any at all, i dropped it on my ceramic tile floor and the edges chipped just a little, but it didnt effect its sharpening ability at all.
 
yes. the norton 1000-4000 combo stone is a great entry level waterstone, wears faster than some others but equally CUTS faster than some too.. they do take regular flattening, which is where a coarse (combo) cheap synthetic aluminum oxide stone works .. not good for much else IMO. I don't own any per se flattening stones, i do have cheap china rocks i use to dress my waterstones and remove rust from flea market or estate sale knives.

i buy the cheap china stones at flea markets for 2-3$ each specifically to dress other stones with and they're quite the bargain. i get a year or two out of one and then donate it to some unsuspecting victim for a garage rock. i will NOT use the 'presoaked' norton stones (come soaked in oil) for anything whatsoever, and in fact find most norton products redundant, inefficient, and annoying. their axe hone (round puck) and waterstones are the main exceptions, with a few fine arkansas stones being the remainder. i'd think you might do best with the 1000-4000, and then a DMT 8000 diamond stone.. (not everyone knows they exist!) .. at which point stropping and burnishing is rather moot, you can embrace it or you can skip it, matter of intention..

http://theconsumerlink.com/DIAMONDMACHININGTECHNOLOGY/detail/TCL+D8EE/105

and FWIW I use a 10-1 mix of water & generic dishwashing soap as my lube on most of my stones. a couple I use dry, a couple straight water, depends on the stone, but ALL dmt hones like it.

that's another reason to own the base, it makes for a safer sharpening.. as does a fish-filet glove on the OFF hand, the one not holding the knife.
 
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