Sharpening Stone Selection

The_KaramVit

The_KaramVit

Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
494
Hi Everyone,

I've really gotten to love free-hand sharpening. I've practiced a lot, probably a total of 10 hours now, and am always getting better. I use Spyderco Fine Ceramic and Spyderco Ultra-Fine Ceramic stones and finish with a KnivesPlus strop block.

I think i now need coarser stones to be able to do more serious reprofiling. The Spyderco Ceramics are very very fine and are most suitable only for touch-ups and polishing. Can anyone help me with my stone selection?

I've already looked into DMT Diamond Stones and am considering getting the coarse, fine and extra fine grades. I like them because they are low- maintenance, work when dry, and are affordable. However, i'm trying to make sure there's nothing i overlooked. Are there options out there?

Vit
 
The_KaramVit said:
I've already looked into DMT Diamond Stones and am considering getting the coarse, fine and extra fine grades. I like them because they are low- maintenance, work when dry, and are affordable. However, i'm trying to make sure there's nothing i overlooked. Are there options out there?
Click to expand...

I think this is a great idea. I have several different types of waterstones but always find myself going back to the diamond plates just for ease of use.
 
The_KaramVit said:
Hi Everyone,

I've really gotten to love free-hand sharpening. I've practiced a lot, probably a total of 10 hours now, and am always getting better. I use Spyderco Fine Ceramic and Spyderco Ultra-Fine Ceramic stones and finish with a KnivesPlus strop block.

I think i now need coarser stones to be able to do more serious reprofiling. The Spyderco Ceramics are very very fine and are most suitable only for touch-ups and polishing. Can anyone help me with my stone selection?

I've already looked into DMT Diamond Stones and am considering getting the coarse, fine and extra fine grades. I like them because they are low- maintenance, work when dry, and are affordable. However, i'm trying to make sure there's nothing i overlooked. Are there options out there?

Vit
Click to expand...

If reprofiling or other heavy grinding is your main concern right now, you could get away with just the Coarse DMT, since you're already considering diamond hones. I mention this only IF you're looking to save a little $$. The Coarse, Fine & EF DMTs are a great way to get going though, if you're willing to make the investment up front. Any one of those, or all three in sequence, are sufficient to give you great working edges, just depending on what edge finish you prefer. If you're wanting to pursue highly-polished bevels on your knives, the full sequence of DMT C/F/EF followed by the Spyderco F/UF will work the best to get you there. If you like 'toothy' edges on your blades, any one of the DMTs can do it alone; the Fine and EF are likely the most popular for such edges. The DMT Coarse, when used with good touch, is capable of leaving some wicked, nasty, scary-toothy edges on a blade; it's hard not to be impressed with these edges, for certain uses.


David
 
Thanks, David and lynus. Going to grab a coarse and one extra fine to start. I will consider getting the fine if the jump from coarse to extra fine is too great. I enjoy polished edges much more than toothy ones. I'm pretty confident that the DMT's will do.

Vit
 
I love my DMTs. :thumbup: Really wouldn't want to tackle Elmax, ect. without them.
I'm reworking the edge of a Microtech DOC Killswitch right now, and..whew, even with DMT diamond hones, this is some work..
 
The_KaramVit said:
Hi Everyone,

I've really gotten to love free-hand sharpening. I've practiced a lot, probably a total of 10 hours now, and am always getting better. I use Spyderco Fine Ceramic and Spyderco Ultra-Fine Ceramic stones and finish with a KnivesPlus strop block.

I think i now need coarser stones to be able to do more serious reprofiling. The Spyderco Ceramics are very very fine and are most suitable only for touch-ups and polishing. Can anyone help me with my stone selection?

I've already looked into DMT Diamond Stones and am considering getting the coarse, fine and extra fine grades. I like them because they are low- maintenance, work when dry, and are affordable. However, i'm trying to make sure there's nothing i overlooked. Are there options out there?

Vit
Click to expand...

Hi,

What is your budget?
I can recommend you better if i'll know.
 
The_KaramVit said:
and am considering getting the coarse, fine and extra fine grades. I like them because they are low- maintenance, work when dry, and are affordable.

Vit
Click to expand...

Agree! You may be able to skip the fine diamond stone though, go from Coarse to extra fine diamond, then your ceramic UF (you don't need the fine ceramic either), then strop. I don't have the ceramic benchstone but the spyderco sharpmaker rods in UF and this combination works great on all steels and no problems with removing the preceding scratch patterns IMO.
 
I've been using the DMT Dia-Sharp Extra Coarse, Coarse, Fine, Extra Fine, and Extra Extra Fine bench stones for about a week and am favorably impressed. Based on my experience with another manufacturers diamond bench stones over the last decade, I expect the DMT stones to wear in and get progressively finer for some time, but the results are excellent even now. I doubt if the Extra Coarse will ever get much use, but it was on the other side of the Coarse stone ;-) .
 
I just got my course and extra fine stones in. The coarse stone is impressive. It cuts really really fast and leaves a very respectable finish. I used it to regrind my CRKT Minimalist and it looks epic now.
 
The_KaramVit said:
I just got my course and extra fine stones in. The coarse stone is impressive. It cuts really really fast and leaves a very respectable finish. I used it to regrind my CRKT Minimalist and it looks epic now.
Click to expand...

Great, see how you like the transition from the coarse directly to the extra fine DMT. IMO you do not need any stones in between!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top