Sharpening stones

[whittlingcave]

is therev a clear cut way of identifying between water and oil stones?

 

[kreisler]

ppl ask questions which doht come up in life

i sharpen wiv ceramics. ppl use it with soapy water spritzer, i prefer dry or a drop of oil. all 3 are legit ways to sharpen on ceramics.

yu asking the wrong question. if yu ask me

 

[AriesTheCam]

No difference really at all. A lot of them are made of the same material. A good practice is if you started using oil.. keep using oil on that stone. It soaks in and is kind of weird after if you were to randomly switch to water

Honestly I use a window cleaner like windex on everything but the ultra expensive vitrified diamond stone.

If I were you I'd pick up the set of ceramic stones spyderco sells (btw man many stones are really a form of ceramic even though they arent sold as such). You don't NEED to use anything on em... that being said windex (dollar store stuff works fine) works well on them too. It helps lift the metal particles that embed into the porous surface of the stone and helps you out to keep sharpening instead of stopping to clean it.

On the subject of cleaning I use that orange pumice hand cleaner they use in automotive shops.. it'll clean practically anything. Shit is amazing.

If you get to the point you ever need to know anything about flattening the stone hit me up. Also if you're ever in the need for a really good coarse stone.. they tend to be the hardest to get a perfect fit for your needs. I can point you in the right direction at least, but you'll pay heavy for it. A good coarse stone is expensive

Links the stones I mentioned:
They're on sale too

Spyderco Bench Stone - Medium

Made of the same ceramic material of the famous Triangular rods, this is a medium ceramic bench stone. While many manufacturers use the terms medium to mean a rather coarse level of grit, the Spyderco Medium is more comparable to other stones described as fine or even a little finer.

www.sharpeningsupplies.com

Spyderco Bench Stone - Fine

Made of the same ceramic material of the famous Triangular rods, this is a fine ceramic bench stone. While many manufacturers use the terms fine to mean a rather medium level of grit, the Spyderco Fine is more comparable to other stones described as extra fine or even a little finer.

www.sharpeningsupplies.com

Spyderco Bench Stone - Ultra Fine

Made of the same ceramic material of the famous Triangular rods, this is an ultra fine ceramic bench stone. This ultra fine is really one of the finest stones we've seen and will produce a very polished edge.

www.sharpeningsupplies.com

Great set for beginners or experienced users alike

Edit: link to a good cleaner https://www.acehardware.com/departm...lth-and-beauty/hand-cleaners-and-soap/8015075

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Good coarse stones aren't necessarily expensive at all.

Oil vs. water stones is a little tricky, but if it's got oil on it that's one clue. Vitrified bond stones may be oil or water stones, with oil stones usually being hard vitrified bond and water stones being a soft bond to compensate for the less-lubricating nature of water leading to sooner degradation of the surface grains. However, urea-formaldehyde bonded resin stones, aka "splash and go" water stones will be ruined by oil, as they are a hard bond that is water-soluble. Oil on them will prevent the water from being able to soften the affected spot and it will remain hard and load up badly.

 

[Ourorboros]

Water is safe on all stones, on a water stone it can be a disaster.
I think once you've seen an India stone and a Japanese water stone, you know.
Also coticule, Belgian blues, and Japanese naturals are water stones.

Edit to say - the first line should end with "on a water stone, oil can be a disaster". As in ruin your stone. Not all, but some.

 

[AriesTheCam]

Good coarse stones aren't necessarily expensive at all.

Oil vs. water stones is a little tricky, but if it's got oil on it that's one clue. Vitrified bond stones may be oil or water stones, with oil stones usually being hard vitrified bond and water stones being a soft bond to compensate for the less-lubricating nature of water leading to sooner degradation of the surface grains. However, urea-formaldehyde bonded resin stones, aka "splash and go" water stones will be ruined by oil, as they are a hard bond that is water-soluble. Oil on them will prevent the water from being able to soften the affected spot and it will remain hard and load up badly.

I guess "good" is subjective. I've been hand sharpening for 27 years (since I was 6).. I guess "cheap" is too though.. so whatever

Cheapest coarse stone I would recommend (a stone you could reprofile on) would probably be a chosera line under 300 grit. Kinda depends on your use need

 

[garry3]

Oil can ruin or damage some natural stones. Know what stone you are working with or find out before using oil.