sharpening stone identification and questions

L

luisdent

Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
57
I have a sharpening stone my friend is letting my practice on. He can get a knife pretty sharp pretty quickly using it. It won't shave hair, but it cuts very well as far as I can tell. It slides through paper smoothly and other things. I'm not sure if it's a false sharpness from a burr that will wear out quickly or not, but I'm curious what level of sharpness one "should" be able to get with these stones, and if perhaps someone can identify what type of stone and approximate grit he has?

https://flic.kr/p/rCrfVS
https://flic.kr/p/rECmeZ
https://flic.kr/p/qHJ4DA
 
Don't know what that stone is, but I've had great results from the Smith's Ceramic 1000 grit stone. They only run about $5! 1000 grit will get you as sharp as anything you'll ever need (unless you really want to shave with you knife :-) I have a variety of stones, carborundum, Arkansas, etc. but find I use the Smith 1000 more than any other (that's for sharpening, not re-profiling a blade).
Rich
 
Last edited:
Someone else will know more about this than me but....

The two sided gray stone looks like an old school "carborundum" stone, AKA Silicon Carbide. They varied through the years, but the older ones usually had a fine side that was considerably finer than today's fine SiC stones. Say 450 to 550 grit as a guess. The ceramic rod is probably somewhere between 600 and 1000 grit ANSI. Test both sides of the gray stone with your fingernail. Feel how it bites in and how much it drags (or glides). Then try it on the ceramic rod also. You can get a little bit of sense of the relative grit ratings that way.

You could also take a sacrificial piece of steel of some sort and do a few passes on each of the stones (and rod) to see the scratch pattern. That should also give you a relative idea.

Finally, if neither of you can get a shaving sharp edge from those stones, it's likely just a technique issue. Hard to be sure without being there, but a somewhat coarse stone, followed by a relatively fine stone can usually produce a shaving edge. One big key is to make sure you apex the edge entirely by forming a burr on one side, then on the other, and finally removing it.

Brian.
 
Agreed, the first stone looks like a combination SiC stone. With a coarse and fine side. This stone alone will produce a arm hair shaving sharp edge. With no burr, no problem. Technique and experience should prevail. That same stone today made by Norton has a grit of 100 on the coarse side and 230 on the fine side. Your fine side could be finer if it's from 1960 or before. DM
 
Wow. Thanks guys. I am new, so I need to learn and practice technique. I'm just trying to get an idea for when I buy my own stone. I was thinking a 600/1000 grit combo would be good for sharpening and smoothing out the edge. I want to have it as sharp as it was from the factory. I have a crkt ripple 2, and it it came shaving hair and slicing through everything I threw at is incredibly well and lasted that way for months of regular use, slowly becoming more and more dull. He brought my knife back to cutting "better". Slicing through paper, for instance is much smoother and easier. But it's still not like it was originally. I was so impressed that I really want to learn to sharpen it to that level at least. I'm not too worried about going further, as that worked very well for me.

So it sounds like I don't need much, but I can't seem to find any affordable stones. I'd prefer not to use water or oil (he doesn't on this stone). There are no local hardware stores that carry anything but $80 diamond stones... I was hoping to find something no more than say $20. Is that possible?
 
I don't know about $20 diamond stones, but Ragweed Forge has diamond plates for about that. Just back them by gluing to a piece of wood or something to make them easier to handle. And as I said, the Smith's Ceramic are only about $5. The Smith's stone don't require any lubricant. Ragweed Forge carries them also. The most important thing is to keep the bevel straight and that just takes practice. Decent stones can be found at most decent hardware stones (don't know if they would carry the Smith's or not). Ragweed Forge is reasonable, fast and reliable.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SharpeningCatalog.html

Rich
 
I've worn out several carborundum hones over the years, until I switched to diamond hones. The DMT bench stones I bought 20+ years ago (red/green) are still working as well as the day I bought them, and will probably outlast me. I also use Diafolds for field sharpening.
 
I just remembered that I have an old barber's hone for straight razors. I found it in an old box of stuff I had put away years ago.
I got it out and washed it off with water; dried it and than with just two light strokes each side, my old EDC will shave arm hair (not that I plan shaving with it :-) That is without stropping the blade. Just a thought, see if your barber has an old razor hone that he might let you have or sell cheaply. Might be a solution for those that are shaving sharp folks.
Rich
 
I've been using my SiC stone for 9 years and have not wore it out. It requires leveling but it will last for many more years. Certainly 20 more plus the initial investment was far less than a DMT twin grit. DM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top