Syderco stones FYI

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skunked

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Sep 25, 2004
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FYI Just got a reply from Spyderco regarding the medium and fine stones, I never knew but the medium stone is about 600 grit and the fine is about 1600 grit.
 
I'd say the medium might be 600 when new but they quickly get much finer than that. I'd say my medium is much closer to the fine now. I wonder if these ceramics can be reground or flatened? If so with what? I asked these questions over on the Spyderco forum but no answers yet. My white has a dip in it witch is wierd I rarely use it and thats the one I'm wondering how to flaten.
 
db,

You really should send back the white stone to Spyderco and have them send you a new one that is flat. I have read that regular cleaning with scouring powder and either a scotchbright pad or a brillo pad will bring the stones back to their original "cutting" ability.
 
I do clean my med bench stone however it's not as coarse as when it was new. I think the ceramic just gets finer with use what ever it is it' is much finer than 600 grit in my opinion.
 
Grit is a difficult thing to pin down for a benchstone. In terms of DMT equivalent grits I'd say that the med spyderco is around 1200 grit, and the fine would be somewhere in the 3000-4000 range. I think the medium is way finer than my 1000 grit waterstone, I'd guestimate it would be in the 2000 range, and the fine ceramics are very very fine once used for a while, like 6000 grit waterstones.
 
Yoda, I think you're using the Japanese grit scale instead of the US grit scale.

The previously stated Spyderco grits are correct according to the US scale.
 
Ted I beleive DMT is the US scale and I'd agree with Yoda the med Spyderco ceramic, benchstone, is more like 1200. With that said I don't have a DMT 1200, but I do have a DMT 600 and a Spyderco med bench hone and double stuff hone.
 
is it worth the 60 or so bucks for the diamondrods for the SM?? will they make life easier
 
M Wadel said:
is it worth the 60 or so bucks for the diamondrods for the SM?? will they make life easier
Click to expand...

That depends...

They cut much faster that the medium ceramic rods, but I usually end up using either my EdgePro or a medium diamond benchstone for a major re-work. If you'll USE them, I'd say they're worth the $60 asking price -- I've simply found that I prefer other methods. At work I've got a 24" long chunk of 2x2 (wood from a packing crate that I milled flat on an end-mill) laying behind my tool box. I stick 2" wide Gator Grit to it that I bought in rolls (120 and 240 grit). Makes short work of re-profiling most knives, though it's too wide for re-curves. The 24" length makes getting an even bevel fairly easy. If you can hold the same angle for one full stroke on the 120 grit you'll have enough bevel cut to let you 'feel' for the identical angle on the subsequent strokes.

I still use the SM for touch-ups though, and the extra-fine rods turned out to be a good investment for me.

Shalom,
Mark
 
Cliff said..
Originally Posted by db
..the med Spyderco ceramic, benchstone, is more like 1200.

It is much more coarse than the fine DMT, that is like a smooth plate.

-Cliff

The fine DMT is 600 grit and I'd disagree the Spyderco med bench hone is much finer than that. I don't have the DMT ex-fine, 1200 grit so I shouldn't have comented on that but I was agreeing with another poster and feel he's probably right the Spyderco med is more like 1200, maybe 1000 or even maybe 900 I don't really know. Maybe it's all 3 depending on how much use the ceramic has had. Like I said they seem to get finer with use. I din't really notice it until I got my other hone after I had been useing the double stuff hone for a few years. Yeah it's clean and yeah the older brown ceramic puts a finer edge on. Seems I'm not the only one to notice the same thing.
 
That was a typo, the x-fine is like a smooth plate, the fine one is not, you can feel its roughnes, I compared them with new ones awhile back to benchmark the Sharpmaker grits :

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sstamp/knives/sharpmaker_grits.html

I judged the finish of the hones under magnification as well as performed stock cutting tests. The medium sharpmaker rods are finer than the fine DMT hone by a significant amount.

I have four fine DMT hones, a rod, a large benchstone and small folding one, and a small rod, they are all the same. I have used two Sharpmakers, the rods were consistent as well.

-Cliff
 
From comparison with waterstones I would rate the Spyderco medium around 700-900 grit, the fine around 2000, maybe even a bit higher, and the UF stones at about 4000. Just under a mirror polish which starts around 6000 in my experience.

To rate the Spyderco stones in microns doesn't really seem to be sensible. If I recall correctly, all Spyderco stones are made of 25 micron particles, but fired differently. To give them a new "particle" size doesn't seem to make much sense, since they are not individual particles after firing anymore. I thing a grit rating is much more appropriate.
 
Cliff said...
"I judged the finish of the hones under magnification as well as performed stock cutting tests. The medium sharpmaker rods are finer than the fine DMT hone
by a significant amount.
"
Yup I think that is what I've been saying at least thats what I was trying to say. I do beleive the fine DMT is 600 grit at least that is what I've seen it rated at.
 
I do beleive the fine DMT is 600 grit at least that is what I've seen it rated at.
Click to expand...

According to DMT's website, their grits are as follows:
Black, extra-coarse: 220
Blue, coarse: 325
Red, fine 600
Green, extra-fine: 1200
 
I've been told the process used to manufacture the white fine and extra fine grit 204 stones is the same used to manufacture synthetic sapphire crystals.

Just an FYI.
 
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