Stone Talk...

pibbxtra19

pibbxtra19

Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
133
Hello All!
Just took my 2 XM-18's, CRK TI-lock, Strider SnG, and my Kabar Bowie to the sharpener today. I recently moved to San Diego and took it to a top rated local sharpener. To my surprise they left the shop more dull then they went in (I they to keep them as close to factory as i can). Im new to sharping and can't get that last little bit that makes it hair splitting sharp, so i figured i would take them to the shop and get that factory edge back. The shop repurposed the blades but left them dull. I have now decided to do all the sharpening on my own. That brings me to my question for all of you, what are the stones, grits, and brands of stones you own and use?

-Ricahrd
 
I just started using an Edge pro system because most of my knives now are over $100 and I wanted to the elimintate human error from hand sharpening so I dont have uneven bevels etc.. Plus its nice getting such excellent (hair whittling)results %100 of the time, which is something I could not do by freehand.

The more stone grits you run through, the better your end result will be (assuming technique is %100).. I form my edge with a 220 or 320 grit stone. Depending on how dull the knife is, or if im reprofiling, I even go as low as 120 grit. Once I get a good sharp edge to start with I run the gamut of 400, 600, 800, 1000, knocking the burr off at every grit.

One thing you have to remember is the higher grit stones dont do much (if any) sharpening. They just polish the edge, so you need to get the best edge you can at the lower grits if you expect a hair whittling result. I prefer Japanese waterstones and Spyderco ceramics for sharpening. Watch out with waterstones though, you get what you pay for and the dirt cheap "deals". are usually pretty crappy quality and they can tear your edges up really bad if they dont arrive already broken, warped or cracked..
 
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A lot of the "professional" sharpeners use a coarse grinding wheel and a paper wheel with strop compound on a buffer. It's possible to get a very sharp edge doing that but it requires care, and these guys have every incentive to just rush through it as fast as possible. It's also very possible to overheat the edge and ruin the temper at the very edge.

I was talking to the proprietor at a local knife shop that offers sharpening services, and he started talking about how he sharpens his customers knives. He did a demo for me and used the implements I mentioned above. When he was done he demonstrated the sharpness on a peice of paper, and it did not impress me at all. I wouldn't call it dull exactly, but it was at a level of dullness I rarely let any of my knives get to. I would have been dissapointed if I paid for it. Of course it only took him about a minute to do, and I don't think he charged more than $5 for it.

Anyways, I currently have an odd mix of diamond stones and water stones. I have coarse and extra course DMT diasharps, and 800, 1000, and 6000 grit King waterstones. I also have a home-made 4 sided strop with black, green, and white Bark River compounds and a side with red rouge (which I rarely use).

The 6000 king is a bit tricky to use. I think I need to get another fine stone, and I'm not sure whether I want a Spyderco UF ceramic or a DMT EEF.

As for getting that last bit of sharpness, I imagine it has to do with a tiny burr remaining on the edge. Assuming you're getting it sharp enough to cleanly slice phonebook paper, try investing in a magnifyer or microscope before a new stone. Unless you only have very coarse stones, I doubt the stone is the limiting factor. A better stone will just make it more efficient, but if there's a flaw in your technique the new stone isn't going to help as much.
 
pibbxtra19 said:
Hello All!
Just took my 2 XM-18's, CRK TI-lock, Strider SnG, and my Kabar Bowie to the sharpener today. I recently moved to San Diego and took it to a top rated local sharpener. To my surprise they left the shop more dull then they went in (I they to keep them as close to factory as i can). Im new to sharping and can't get that last little bit that makes it hair splitting sharp, so i figured i would take them to the shop and get that factory edge back. The shop repurposed the blades but left them dull. I have now decided to do all the sharpening on my own. That brings me to my question for all of you, what are the stones, grits, and brands of stones you own and use?

-Ricahrd
Click to expand...

I have a bin of stuff that I use, but most of the time a 1000 and 6000 grit waterstones will do 98% of any sharpening. However, I most often use a simple Norton combination Crystalon stone and some black and white compound because I frequently take my kit to work and use the bench there. Believe it, properly utilized you only need a coarse, fine, and finishing grade abrasive. Whether that be a coarse/fine combination stone and strop, or a 220, 1000, 6000 grit series of waterstone the outcome will be very similar. I highly advise Murray Carter's 'Fundamentals of Sharpening' and a 1000 and 6000 grit waterstone or combination silicon carbide stone from a quality manufacturer and some polishing compounds (I just use the stuff from Sears). Either way I get an edge that will tree top leg hair and whittle hair plucked from my head if I take a little extra time. Technique and understanding are 85% of it. Look through the archives here, check out videos on youtube - there's a ton of good advice out there. Don't be in a hurry.

Edit to add: my waterstones are Kings and Nortons. The Kings are very good on carbon steel and alloys up to s30v and 154cm (roughly) - the Nortons work better on tougher alloys. Diamond plates work the best on real high-wear steels. Silicon carbide works on everything.
 
Really everyone likes one method or another. I have waterstones that I really don't use, Shapton 1000 and Norton 4000/8000 combo. I also have Ark. natural stones and cheap silica stones that don't see any use any more. I have come to prefer Diamond hones for the coarse work and ceramic for the finer work. I also have used most of the jig systems witch really was how I learned to sharpen but now am a free hander all the time. I now use a belt grinder for almost all my sharpening. I guess my point really is try any system or stone that peeks your intrest and move on from there. Once you learn proper sharpening you can use just about anything and get a good edge. Heck Murray Carter can use a brick and cardboard and get a better edge than 99% of most anyone.
 
A large size Norton crystolon twin grit stone and a decent strop. Is hard to beat. DM
 
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