Sharpening stone

K

KG4ULR

Joined
Nov 22, 2014
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289
Bought this stone at a "Dollar" store. Double sided but grits not indicated on package. May get to use it this week end :)

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Looks like a basic Coarse/Fine aluminum oxide stone. Very 'generic' stone, and sold under many brands; they all seem to look the same, regardless. It's likely the grit range would be something like ~150 on the 'coarse' side, and maybe up to ~320 or so on the 'Fine' side. I have one from ACE Hardware that looks the same.

Some stones that look like it can be much coarser though, such as ~60/80; those are sometimes packaged as 'tile rubbing stones', for rubbing rough edges off of floor tiles & such, and are too coarse to do much good for knife edges (I have one, and have only used it to rub rough edges/corners off of my SiC stones; works well for that).


David
 
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Where in the store did you find it, next to the knives?
I was at a dollar tree yesterday and I didn't see it, saw a ceramic wheel slot gadget

update: yeah just called a few stores , we don't carry that item , oh well
 
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KG4ULR said:
It was in "hardware" :) Have only seen it at one store.
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It seems as if some stores that used to carry these are switching to similar stones in silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive instead; that's likely a better stone anyway. I've noticed this in stones found at Home Depot; they carry Norton's 'Economy Knife & Tool' stone, which used to be in aluminum oxide until Norton switched it to SiC around ~2008 or so, and also at Sears, where I saw one of the SiC versions recently (& they still show an AlOx version online).

I HAVE recently seen these at Harbor Freight, as well as in a restaurant supply store's cutlery section, both in the last month or so. As I mentioned earlier, ACE still carries the AlOx stones as well (in addition to several sizes of SiC stones).


David
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
It seems as if some stores that used to carry these are switching to similar stones in silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive instead; that's likely a better stone anyway. I've noticed this in stones found at Home Depot; they carry Norton's 'Economy Knife & Tool' stone, which used to be in aluminum oxide until Norton switched it to SiC around ~2008 or so, and also at Sears, where I saw one of the SiC versions recently (& they still show an AlOx version online).

I HAVE recently seen these at Harbor Freight, as well as in a restaurant supply store's cutlery section, both in the last month or so. As I mentioned earlier, ACE still carries the AlOx stones as well (in addition to several sizes of SiC stones).


David
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David

Please call Mike Brubacher at telephone number 480 622 8859 in Phoenix.

He needs a UPS ship to address if you are interested - Edge Sharpness Tester (Edge On Up). Several Blade Forum members have requested that you be one of the "testers".

Thanks
 
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Nice grab!

I'm not a huge fan of my Ace stone. I can't really tell if it's AlOx or SiC. I do like the "economy" SiC stone from Home Depot though. Only thing is that the coarse side is pretty smooth.

Hope you don't mind me asking a question?

How do you dress a SiC stone when the coarse side gets too smooth (swarf buildup)? I clean it with Bar Keepers Friend, but that does nothing to rough it up.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Nice grab!

I'm not a huge fan of my Ace stone. I can't really tell if it's AlOx or SiC. I do like the "economy" SiC stone from Home Depot though. Only thing is that the coarse side is pretty smooth.

Hope you don't mind me asking a question?

How do you dress a SiC stone when the coarse side gets too smooth (swarf buildup)? I clean it with Bar Keepers Friend, but that does nothing to rough it up.
Click to expand...

The SiC stones will be darker, almost black, as compared to the greyer AlOx stones. I've also noticed, with both in-hand, the AlOx stones always feel denser/heavier than the SiC stones. The pic below shows three of Norton's stones; the one labelled as '87935' is the SiC stone, and the other two are AlOx. As seen when pictured alongside one another, the difference in color is more apparent. I've purchased a total of 6 SiC stones (2 of the 6" x 2" Norton Economy, and 4 from ACE in different sizes), as well as an AlOx stone (6" x 2") at ACE. All of the SiC stones are identical in color, and the AlOx is obviously greyer/lighter. I've also seen a stone at Sears, which appears identical in color to the other SiC stones I have. Last time I looked at Sears' online listings for their inexpensive 6" x 2" sharpening stone, I think they still showed an AlOx stone (6" x 2").

Another commonality with the SiC stones is, they'll tend to shed grit much more easily than the AlOx stones. This is also one reason the SiC stones will usually work much more aggressively and remain more consistent than AlOx stones, because they're always exposing new, fresh, sharp grit as you use them. SiC stones will eventually feel a bit smoother by touch, but they should still cut aggressively. This should be pertinent to your question regarding 'dressing' the stones, as the SiC stones shouldn't really need it anyway, aside from just flattening them if needed (I've used an AlOx 'tile rubbing stone' to flatten and ease the edges of one of my SiC stones). Because AlOx stones don't really shed much grit, they might glaze over in time and lose their aggressiveness. If your stone has become too smooth and isn't cutting steel well, it may be an AlOx version (Norton's 'Economy' used to be AlOx; don't know how long the older versions remained in stores after they switched to SiC).


David
 
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Omega Leather Works said:
Nice grab!

I'm not a huge fan of my Ace stone. I can't really tell if it's AlOx or SiC. I do like the "economy" SiC stone from Home Depot though. Only thing is that the coarse side is pretty smooth.

Hope you don't mind me asking a question?

How do you dress a SiC stone when the coarse side gets too smooth (swarf buildup)? I clean it with Bar Keepers Friend, but that does nothing to rough it up.
Click to expand...

If you use it with oil, that (glazing and/or loading from swarf impaction etc) will never happen. Once they glaze over, you can simply use it with a bunch of oil and it will condition itself though will take a little time. If really clogged, you could lap it with loose grit and lots of water.

The oil not only floats swarf right off the surface, it encourages the silicon carbide to break out of its vitreous bond more readily. Does a great job of keeping the surface in top shape and pays off as it will cut more cleanly at lower pressure. I have heard windex and simple green work well too, but I only use mineral oil. As an added bonus, oil doesn't get absorbed into the skin of the fingers and they stay just a bit more sensitive than when they take on water - is easier to feel for burrs.
 
David and Martin, thanks for your thoughts. I use the stone with usp mineral oil. The slightly thick stuff.

It was some time ago, but remember when we were emailing with Saint Gobain about the country origin of their stones, Mexico or Brazil (if I remember correctly)? For whatever reason I came to the conclusion that my stone was SiC. It's certainly black and doesn't look much like the AlOx Ace stone.

Maybe it's just me because my 120 grit Edge Pro stone seems very smooth. Don't know if you remember, but I had some trouble with it because I was using oil. The stone separated from the aluminum blank. I spoke with the EP CS and they said to only use water. The stone was appropriately aggressive, but has smoothed out quite a bit. One thing I've noticed is that there is a bit of rust on the surface which would obviously indicate swarf from my carbon knives. I found it interesting because I wouldn't have seen it if I'd been able to use oil.

So to lap a SiC stone, you need to use something more coarse, right? I think I may just try sand on the sidewalk, but grab some SiC powder if that doesn't cut it.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
David and Martin, thanks for your thoughts. I use the stone with usp mineral oil. The slightly thick stuff.

It was some time ago, but remember when we were emailing with Saint Gobain about the country origin of their stones, Mexico or Brazil (if I remember correctly)? For whatever reason I came to the conclusion that my stone was SiC. It's certainly black and doesn't look much like the AlOx Ace stone.

Maybe it's just me because my 120 grit Edge Pro stone seems very smooth. Don't know if you remember, but I had some trouble with it because I was using oil. The stone separated from the aluminum blank. I spoke with the EP CS and they said to only use water. The stone was appropriately aggressive, but has smoothed out quite a bit. One thing I've noticed is that there is a bit of rust on the surface which would obviously indicate swarf from my carbon knives. I found it interesting because I wouldn't have seen it if I'd been able to use oil.

So to lap a SiC stone, you need to use something more coarse, right? I think I may just try sand on the sidewalk, but grab some SiC powder if that doesn't cut it.
Click to expand...

AHemmm, well, if you're already using oil, the next best thing is to beat on it with a bit of oil and a donor knife or other piece of steel - use more force than you would when sharpening. Those grains will crack down at some point. Lapping with a coarse grit SiC will do wonders for it as well and work very quickly. If its just loaded up, you can apply a thick layer of oil, agitate it with your fingertips and let it sit for a few minutes - wipe off with rag. This can pull a lot of debris from the stone.

I get the rust deposits, I frequently have them on my rougher waterstones and sometimes on my mid grade ones as well if I don't take care to rub them down good after using.
 
Omega Leather Works said:
David and Martin, thanks for your thoughts. I use the stone with usp mineral oil. The slightly thick stuff.

It was some time ago, but remember when we were emailing with Saint Gobain about the country origin of their stones, Mexico or Brazil (if I remember correctly)? For whatever reason I came to the conclusion that my stone was SiC. It's certainly black and doesn't look much like the AlOx Ace stone.

Maybe it's just me because my 120 grit Edge Pro stone seems very smooth. Don't know if you remember, but I had some trouble with it because I was using oil. The stone separated from the aluminum blank. I spoke with the EP CS and they said to only use water. The stone was appropriately aggressive, but has smoothed out quite a bit. One thing I've noticed is that there is a bit of rust on the surface which would obviously indicate swarf from my carbon knives. I found it interesting because I wouldn't have seen it if I'd been able to use oil.

So to lap a SiC stone, you need to use something more coarse, right? I think I may just try sand on the sidewalk, but grab some SiC powder if that doesn't cut it.
Click to expand...

Specifically regarding the swarf buildup and rusting, my habits are a bit different than others, in that I've not used oil (for the most part) on my SiC stones. Just ONE of my 3" pocket SiC stones (from ACE) resides in a jar with some of that same USP mineral oil, more or less as an experiment, just to gauge if I liked/needed to use oil to change how it works (inconclusive so far). I've used that stone for touch-ups on smaller blades. All of my other SiC stones usually get used dry, or if I'm doing a lot of heavy grinding, I'll use them over a sink of soapy water and just dunk the stone occasionally. In ALL cases, I clean the stones with dish soap & water or Simple Green & water, after each sharpening session. Having used & cleaned them as such, they've stayed fresh-as-new, and I haven't had any issues with rusting swarf on them. Part of the reason I prefer using them without oil is, they clean up very easily and completely, with 5 minutes' time and some dish soap & water and a toothbrush. These stones are very porous, which makes it easy to flush the swarf out of them; more so, since they're not oiled. No glazing either, with any of them.


David
 
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