TP Slicing with Endura 4 ZDP-189 with a coarse edge off Norton Sil Carbide Stone

Ankerson said:
Don't use sandpaper so I couldn't say.
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I have several carborundum SiC double sided stones. I just don't know the grit size. These stones are what I have been using since I was in college before I ever saw a glimpse of the dark side.
 
singularity35 said:
I have several carborundum SiC double sided stones. I just don't know the grit size. These stones are what I have been using since I was in college before I ever saw a glimpse of the dark side.
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Cool, the fine stone I have cuts pretty smooth really, the Med is a lot coarser though.
 
Javelin said:
I'm not so surprised, I used to strop with a SiC paste as the coarse stropping just after a XC Diamond stone then going to some green CroOx. I've always wondered why no one made a stone from the stuff, I may have to get one of these!
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They have been making Sil Carbide stones for a very long time, decades.

I learned how to sharpen knives on a Sil Carbide Puck back in the 70's.
 
I have never used a Silicon Carbine bench stone as a finish stone. I have only used them on a blade that needed some work for initial sharpening. In fact, I have never used a fine India as a finish stone, and have always gone to at least a Norton Soft Arkansas, or a Dan's True Hard Arkansas or a Norton hard Arkansas. Currently, on hard stainless steels, I will use a Spyderco medium and fine stone, followed by a 1200 grit Glover Compound strop (yes, this is silicon carbide), and then Norton diamond paste (1/2 Micron) on a strop.
I often stop at a stone like a medium Spyderco, fine India, or 1000 grit waterstone for a kitchen knife.
I like a finer finish on a blade for a pocket knife blade or a fishing knife. I have never been able to get that good of an edge with Norton Crystolon stones, especially compared with the India stones. It may depend on the steel, as I have never tried to sharpen my blades in ZDP-189 on anything other than my strop.
 
arty said:
I have never used a Silicon Carbine bench stone as a finish stone. I have only used them on a blade that needed some work for initial sharpening. In fact, I have never used a fine India as a finish stone, and have always gone to at least a Norton Soft Arkansas, or a Dan's True Hard Arkansas or a Norton hard Arkansas. Currently, on hard stainless steels, I will use a Spyderco medium and fine stone, followed by a 1200 grit Glover Compound strop (yes, this is silicon carbide), and then Norton diamond paste (1/2 Micron) on a strop.
I often stop at a stone like a medium Spyderco, fine India, or 1000 grit waterstone for a kitchen knife.
I like a finer finish on a blade for a pocket knife blade or a fishing knife. I have never been able to get that good of an edge with Norton Crystolon stones, especially compared with the India stones. It may depend on the steel, as I have never tried to sharpen my blades in ZDP-189 on anything other than my strop.
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I have some very old stones, one of them is a Hard Ark trans stone, it's small and will fit in my pocket, but I tend to like faster cutting stones personally.

I really don't like to spend a lot of time sharpening, refining the edge, something I really never liked to do all that much because I can get an extremely sharp edge off the faster stones and it doesn't take forever.

The EP stones cut pretty fast, but they are AO like the Norton India stones, but I feel that Silicone Carbide cuts the High Alloy Steels better than AO and I really never liked diamonds.
 
Dug up an old Norton Crystolon stone when I first began trifling with ZDP and it worked just fine. Don't know if it is permitted to say who sells them rather inexpensively, but a Fine grade silicone carbide in 8" X 3" is less than $20 semolians.
 
Gunny Bob said:
Dug up an old Norton Crystolon stone when I first began trifling with ZDP and it worked just fine. Don't know if it is permitted to say who sells them rather inexpensively, but a Fine grade silicone carbide in 8" X 3" is less than $20 semolians.
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Yeah, they aren't expensive and they don't seem to wear much either, sharpened 10 knives on mine sofar and I haven't made a dent in it yet.
 
grit sizes of various abrasives -
http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/grits.htm

wet/dry sandpaper also uses silicon carbide, so cutting action will be similar until the abrasive is gone. Silicon carbide is pretty friable, so the finish comes out smoother than the advertised particle size if you spend some time on it and let the abrasives break down into finer sizes.
 
hardheart said:
grit sizes of various abrasives -
http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/grits.htm

wet/dry sandpaper also uses silicon carbide, so cutting action will be similar until the abrasive is gone. Silicon carbide is pretty friable, so the finish comes out smoother than the advertised particle size if you spend some time on it and let the abrasives break down into finer sizes.
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It seemed to smooth out very nice after a few knives. :)
 
Silicon carbide is harder than Vanadium carbide so it will cut the VC in the vanadium steels clean. India is the Norton name for Alum Oxide which is not as hard as VC but will cut them but not as crisp and clean. The fine stone works up a nice slurry and seems to cut hard steels even better than the medium Crystalon (SC). In my experience this fine stone is probably the best for cutting the fiber base materials like rope and best for all around hunting and field use. If you work the slurry off the fine stone into the leather on a strop it will work as a tune up to restore the bite in the field. Only one or two light passes per side will make it pop again. The history here is that Wayne Goddard has been touting these stones for years and if you ever get a chance to go to one of his sharpening seminars it is learniing experience. Phil
 
Phil Wilson said:
Silicon carbide is harder than Vanadium carbide so it will cut the VC in the vanadium steels clean. India is the Norton name for Alum Oxide which is not as hard as VC but will cut them but not as crisp and clean. The fine stone works up a nice slurry and seems to cut hard steels even better than the medium Crystalon (SC). In my experience this fine stone is probably the best for cutting the fiber base materials like rope and best for all around hunting and field use. If you work the slurry off the fine stone into the leather on a strop it will work as a tune up to restore the bite in the field. Only one or two light passes per side will make it pop again. The history here is that Wayne Goddard has been touting these stones for years and if you ever get a chance to go to one of his sharpening seminars it is learniing experience. Phil
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Phil,

Thanks for ringing in and recommending the stones to me and using Windex for lube, it's working out great. :thumbup:

It really cuts the high VC steels fast and clean just like you said. :)

Jim
 
I just tried this. You have got to have some sort of secret custom made tactical toilet paper:p there is no way I could cut any TP without it tearing at my fingers even with a smooth shaving sharp 8000 grit finish :grumpy:
 
Nebulae said:
I just tried this. You have got to have some sort of secret custom made tactical toilet paper:p there is no way I could cut any TP without it tearing at my fingers even with a smooth shaving sharp 8000 grit finish :grumpy:
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Charmin Ultra Strong, same as I always used, the the one with the Red Label.
 
Pretty good results. So if I have this right , the Norton fine india ( orange color) is aluminum oxide and the grey-ish fine/coarse Nortons are silicon carbide capable of cutting harder metals faster?
 
Ankerson said:
Yeah, they aren't expensive and they don't seem to wear much either, sharpened 10 knives on mine sofar and I haven't made a dent in it yet.
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i have a wood working supplier not far from me that carries that stone. i might have to swing by and add one to my collection.
 
hiwa said:
Pretty good results. So if I have this right , the Norton fine india ( orange color) is aluminum oxide and the grey-ish fine/coarse Nortons are silicon carbide capable of cutting harder metals faster?
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Yes the India Stones are AO, orange stone, the coarse one is brown.

The Gray Stones are Sil Carbide.

Not just harder metals, but Harder metals with high Carbide content. :)

jimnolimit said:
i have a wood working supplier not far from me that carries that stone. i might have to swing by and add one to my collection.
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Cool, they are nice. :)
 
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