question for the waterstone users

2

20mmf17

Joined
May 8, 2013
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138
when your stones get worn and lose their flat surface what is your process to bring them back?

specifically for edgepro stones does anyone have an alternative they use over edgepro's glass surface/carbide method?

i've seen a youtube video of someone taking their stones to their concrete sidewalk and that seems crazy to me.
 
Diamond flattening plate. I use the Atoma 140.


* Edit: I don't have an EP so my answer is based on my bench sized water stones.
 
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20mmf17 said:
when your stones get worn and lose their flat surface what is your process to bring them back?

specifically for edgepro stones does anyone have an alternative they use over edgepro's glass surface/carbide method?

i've seen a youtube video of someone taking their stones to their concrete sidewalk and that seems crazy to me.
Click to expand...

For the EP stones I mostly used a 6" DMT XC stone... usually lapped them under a running faucet. They're pretty easy to maintain.
 
I use a dmt plate but yeah diamonds are the way to go . Flattend the 120 stone on my driveway . Didn't want it touching my dmt
 
With the EP, are there any additional considerations relative to keeping the stone flat end to end, so the surface stays parallel to the mounting rod/direction of travel?
 
HeavyHanded said:
With the EP, are there any additional considerations relative to keeping the stone flat end to end, so the surface stays parallel to the mounting rod/direction of travel?
Click to expand...

You haft to keep your stone thickness in mind after you've used aND lapped them after awhile .

The coarse stones wear faster of course . So when you change stones if you don't reset your angle you can have problems .

They made a stop collar for this and while I don't have one it would be a good investment.
 
jc57 said:
Diamond flattening plate. I use the Atoma 140.

Edit: I don't have an EP so my answer is based on my bench sized water stones.
Click to expand...

Atoma may be a bit more than needed for EP stones, but would definitely do the job, and could be used for other things.

HeavyHanded said:
With the EP, are there any additional considerations relative to keeping the stone flat end to end, so the surface stays parallel to the mounting rod/direction of travel?
Click to expand...

Yes, it would affect the angle, (but this should be a consideration when flattening any stone, right?)

Spartan00 said:
You haft to keep your stone thickness in mind after you've used aND lapped them after awhile .

The coarse stones wear faster of course . So when you change stones if you don't reset your angle you can have problems .

They made a stop collar for this and while I don't have one it would be a good investment.
Click to expand...

With what HeavyHanded is referring to, the Stop Collar wouldn't adjust for an uneven stone (flattened at an angle). It only works to compensate for thickness between stones.
 
cbwx34 said:
Yes, it would affect the angle, (but this should be a consideration when flattening any stone, right?)
Click to expand...

When I'm flattening for freehand work I'm usually more concerned with flat surface rather than flat relative to the bench top. As I work if the stone is off a slight bit from end to end it really won't make a difference, any more than if the table I'm working on isn't level. As long as its close...

In practice most of my stones end up with a slight high spot along the middle like a loaf of bread (exaggerated) rather than a depression in the middle, so I tend not to even bother lapping very often.

I'd think with an EP I'd want my stones on a guide rod and that rod would be referenced to the lapping surface. I'm sure it isn't that critical, but if it isn't dead on you'll be making a convex that may or may not fall in with the next stone in progression.

Just speculating...
 
HeavyHanded said:
When I'm flattening for freehand work I'm usually more concerned with flat surface rather than flat relative to the bench top. As I work if the stone is off a slight bit from end to end it really won't make a difference, any more than if the table I'm working on isn't level. As long as its close...

In practice most of my stones end up with a slight high spot along the middle like a loaf of bread (exaggerated) rather than a depression in the middle, so I tend not to even bother lapping very often.

I'd think with an EP I'd want my stones on a guide rod and that rod would be referenced to the lapping surface. I'm sure it isn't that critical, but if it isn't dead on you'll be making a convex that may or may not fall in with the next stone in progression.

Just speculating...
Click to expand...

I should add the angle change wouldn't be much... probably not enough to worry. There was a time when some were building jigs just to flatten the stones... I didn't think it was necessary. I don't think it would be convex, it would just change the angle a little bit (if you're talking about the stone being flattened at an angle).
 
CKTG has a 140 grit lapping plate for around 20 bucks. I owned their previous plate in a different grit and for the money it can't be beat .
 
FWIW I flattened mine like another stone pencil marks from corner to corner except I do them in both directions some times I go overboard with pencil but it won't hurt anything you know.

I do turn the stone when lapping though every few strokes.

The stoke EP stones wear fairly slow
 
I use glass that I just picked up the Home Depot. Cemented 2 together for strength (12"x12" glass is pretty cheap). Then taped up the edges. And for the abrasive, I have been using rock polishing media (in 4 grits). I start with the finest grit to do the fine stones. As I move through the stones, I don't even bother to clean up the glass, just sprinkle on a little of the next coarseness, grab the next stone and go to work. Seems to work just fine on my EdgePro stones. Should go without saying, but obviously don't use on things like KME diamond stones. ;)

At least that is my cheap alternative to buying something special, as we already had the rock media from when the kids were still little. If a fine stone was deeply dished, I may work backwards with the media from coarse to fine. In that case you would have to rinse off before moving to next grit.
 
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