sharpening stones

S

shaft

Joined
Jul 28, 2003
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going to lee vally today to pick up a stone...whats better for a large knife? water, oil, diamond? what size?

semper fi
 
Whatever, but use it dry!

Don´t ask, try it. I used a Puma stone with water with sad results. Now, using it dry, it is good, but a fine Apex works great in reprofiling a.s.o. I made my experience with dry apex on D2 HRC 59 and D2 HRC 60-61, that should say all.
 
Dry works very well for ceramic stones and diamond stones, but I think it would ruin an oilstone and waterstone very quickly.

If money is no object, I'd recommend a DMT course and extra course diamond stone, followed by a spyderco medium and fine. If you want to take an extra step, go for the ultrafine as well.
 
Shaft,

I'm a fan of natural stones. I would suggest a set hard and soft Arkansas stones and a medium diamond stone. Use oil on the Arkansas’s. The diamond hone use dry and rinse with water to clean them. Then of course you’ll want a steel and a ceramic rod for field sharpening.

The above combination will free hand sharpen most anything to a fine, hair popping edge. If possible avoid the jigs or fixed position sharpeners. You will find that every knife will sharpen to a different bevel angle to some extent and free hand allows you to make sight adjustments in the sharpening motion and angles.


Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Steve
 
I have a couple of Japanese water stones that have served me well over many years. I use a Spyderco 204 for touching up the edge and I reccomend the 204 to everyone who asks me what to use. However, Wayne Goddard, Ed Fowler and Bernard Levine all suggest a Norton Fine India stone and a slick butcher's steel as just about all you need to maintain your knives. I'm not going to argue with them. I need to get a Norton Fine India stone.
But you couldn't pry my 204 out of my hands. ;)
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt
Dry works very well for ceramic stones and diamond stones, but I think it would ruin an oilstone and waterstone very quickly.

Click to expand...

No, not more than with water. The key of water or oil stones is to create a paste. So you grind off some dust of the stone and mix it with the water or oil. The same happens when used dry, the dust comes up, with the difference, you avoid to create the paste, you blow it away.

There are some people saying, that the paste is contraproductive, because it contains more and more steel, so you gonna grind steel with steel.... If used dry, you blow away everything disturbing and grinding goes easy.

If the stone is new, you take away some more and then you got a plain good grinding stone. At least, i choosed the cheapest and they work great. What i want is to maintain the edge, not the stone, so what, if it might wears off?
 
As to using oil, water or dry... It's just a case of whatever works best for you. I tried using my Arkansas stones dry when I got them, but they loaded up pretty fast. I got tired of always cleaning them off. I switched to oil and found that it works great. The black surgical stone is so dense and fine, it doesn't take much oil to lubricate it. When I'm done I just have to put a few more drops of oil on and swirl my finger around on it to raise the steel particles, and just wipe it off.
 
Originally posted by TorzJohnson
As to using oil, water or dry... It's just a case of whatever works best for you. I tried using my Arkansas stones dry when I got them, but they loaded up pretty fast. I got tired of always cleaning them off. I switched to oil and found that it works great. The black surgical stone is so dense and fine, it doesn't take much oil to lubricate it. When I'm done I just have to put a few more drops of oil on and swirl my finger around on it to raise the steel particles, and just wipe it off.
Click to expand...

Torz,

I had the same experiance with Arkansas stones loading up when used dry. I have tried water in the past, and was not happy with the way the stone performed. The Surgical Black stone sure puts a fine edge on, it is my favorite stone.


Blop wrote:
No, not more than with water. The key of water or oil stones is to create a paste. So you grind off some dust of the stone and mix it with the water or oil. The same happens when used dry, the dust comes up, with the difference, you avoid to create the paste, you blow it away.
There are some people saying, that the paste is contraproductive, because it contains more and more steel, so you gonna grind steel with steel.... If used dry, you blow away everything disturbing and grinding goes easy.

Blop,
Oil or water acts as a lubricant and medium to remove the metal and stone particles from the working area of the stone. If you are creating a paste on the stone, then the porous surface of the stone is clogged and not honing the blade. You want to use enough oil and or water to float the particles out of the pores and away from the working area of the stone.



Steve
 
thanks for all the help, I done got me a really nice water stone,
the guy who helped me at the store runs a small sharpening business on the side...
he sat there for 30min discussing what I was looking for...great service...great store.:)
thanks again for all the help;)


SEMPER FI:grumpy:
 
Originally posted by .45acp
The Surgical Black stone sure puts a fine edge on, it is my favorite stone.
Click to expand...
Mine too. I love the "feel" of the stone as the blade goes over it. Sometimes I can't resist just running my fingers over it.
 
I freehand sharpen using a fine DMT hone followed by a surgical black Arkansas stone. For really fine edges, I finish with a translucent Arkansas stone and a final stropping on hard leather glued to a block of wood.
With these Arkansas stones, there is no such thing as a paste of stone and water. They are so hard and fine grained that the only particles present are steel. I have been using mine for 21 years and there is no discernable wear. They are both still perfectly flat.
I used to use hard Arkansas stones, but have found them to be too coarse for my purposes. After I discovered the better grades in the early '80s, I gave away the coarser stones.
 
Originally posted by .45acp


You want to use enough oil and or water to float the particles out of the pores and away from the working area of the stone.



Steve
Click to expand...

You mean, nearly rinsing, floating water or oil? That much?
 
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