Wanting different/better freehand stones

I chose the DMT set with 3 grits that came in a wood box. I chose this because I too OCD on my edges. I was going to buy the ultra fine for my Sharpmaker but after much research I opted for a Benchstone type sharpening system. Don't get me wrong, the Sharpmaker gets my edges sharp but there is something about free handing that is satisfying. Not only that, but once that skill is obtained you can sharpen anywhere with compact sharpening stones.
The reason I chose diamonds is the practicality of it. The Sharpmaker takes some set up and needs cleaning frequently to keep it working properly.
The last step to get that edge super scary is the strop. I'm awaiting mine now. I think it's the last step to get a real sharp edge.
After all my research, it does come down to practice and technique but with the right stones your learning curve will be smaller. It sounds like you are almost there. For speed and practicality, such as touching your edc, DMT is the way to go IMO.
 
Djrichone said:
I chose the DMT set with 3 grits that came in a wood box. I chose this because I too OCD on my edges. I was going to buy the ultra fine for my Sharpmaker but after much research I opted for a Benchstone type sharpening system. Don't get me wrong, the Sharpmaker gets my edges sharp but there is something about free handing that is satisfying. Not only that, but once that skill is obtained you can sharpen anywhere with compact sharpening stones.
The reason I chose diamonds is the practicality of it. The Sharpmaker takes some set up and needs cleaning frequently to keep it working properly.
The last step to get that edge super scary is the strop. I'm awaiting mine now. I think it's the last step to get a real sharp edge.
After all my research, it does come down to practice and technique but with the right stones your learning curve will be smaller. It sounds like you are almost there. For speed and practicality, such as touching your edc, DMT is the way to go IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wanted the UF rods just to test them and I got them for 30 bucks shipped or something like that. I know exactly what you mean, I also enjoy the free hand aspect because I think if you can understand how to do it and do it well then you can then buy a wicked edge or one of the easier ways. If something were to ever happen and you are "in the field" or just wilderness you aren't going to be able to carry a big sharpener such as that and you'll be screwed but if you can freehand you could find something worth while.

What micron strop did you order?
 
highestpoint said:
Not saying you aren't correct but I thought I remember reading several threads about the UF rods and Sal (from spyderco) said that the micron on the fine and UF are the same just a different finishing process and that they couldn't compare them to an actual grit but other people had said that it was in a range of 1500-2k grit. So no offense but if you could give me insight to how you could say it was a 5k, I would appreciate that.
Click to expand...

Ok, so abrasives are complex. The Spyderco ceramics are all made with the same sized synthetic sapphires from the medium, to the fine, to the ultra fine. But the sapphires are kind of like the chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie. They are only part of the mix. The rest of the matrix is binder that they are in... the ceramic. The binder is the same in the fine and ultra fine stones and it's presumably a good bit finer than the binder used in the medium stone. The ultra fine stone is ground down with a diamond rotary grinder that produces a finer surface finish.

The abrasive action, or the ability to cut steel, comes from everything in the stone that's harder than steel: The binder and the embedded sapphires. There have been some informative threads here on BF that showed micrographs of the stones themselves, and the finishes they produce. The ultra fine is definitely finer than the fine. I think you already knew that. :)

So the numbers. Did I say abrasives were complex? Oh good. It's true about the numbers too. There are many different scales for comparing "grit numbers". When I quoted 5k, I said "waterstone". So I was quoting a grit number from the Japanese system, or the JIS scale. There are several other scales that are more common in the US, including ANSI and FEPA-P. The keystone to all of this is a wonderful document called "The Grand Unified Grit Chart". It's a sticky here, but here's a link to the G.U.G.C.. Looking at the entry for the Spyderco UF, you can see that it lines up with JIS 4000, ANSI ~1500, FEPA-F 1200, CAMI 1500, and more! Did I say abrasives were complex? :)

Your point about it being an estimate is correct. It's all about the surface finish imparted by the particular abrasive compared to the surface finish imparted by other abrasives and comparing them.

My original point was this: The Spyderco UF can begin to mirror polish almost any steel and impart a very fine finish. It sounds like you already knew this and that you get good results from it. I answered more completely because you asked.

Thanks,

Brian.
 
bgentry said:
Ok, so abrasives are complex. The Spyderco ceramics are all made with the same sized synthetic sapphires from the medium, to the fine, to the ultra fine. But the sapphires are kind of like the chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie. They are only part of the mix. The rest of the matrix is binder that they are in... the ceramic. The binder is the same in the fine and ultra fine stones and it's presumably a good bit finer than the binder used in the medium stone. The ultra fine stone is ground down with a diamond rotary grinder that produces a finer surface finish.

The abrasive action, or the ability to cut steel, comes from everything in the stone that's harder than steel: The binder and the embedded sapphires. There have been some informative threads here on BF that showed micrographs of the stones themselves, and the finishes they produce. The ultra fine is definitely finer than the fine. I think you already knew that. :)

So the numbers. Did I say abrasives were complex? Oh good. It's true about the numbers too. There are many different scales for comparing "grit numbers". When I quoted 5k, I said "waterstone". So I was quoting a grit number from the Japanese system, or the JIS scale. There are several other scales that are more common in the US, including ANSI and FEPA-P. The keystone to all of this is a wonderful document called "The Grand Unified Grit Chart". It's a sticky here, but here's a link to the G.U.G.C.. Looking at the entry for the Spyderco UF, you can see that it lines up with JIS 4000, ANSI ~1500, FEPA-F 1200, CAMI 1500, and more! Did I say abrasives were complex? :)

Your point about it being an estimate is correct. It's all about the surface finish imparted by the particular abrasive compared to the surface finish imparted by other abrasives and comparing them.

My original point was this: The Spyderco UF can begin to mirror polish almost any steel and impart a very fine finish. It sounds like you already knew this and that you get good results from it. I answered more completely because you asked.

Thanks,

Brian.
Click to expand...

Nice, thanks for the detailed reply. This is pretty much the same thing I had read in mentioned post about what Sal and whomever else said but this is also what I was looking for when I started this thread (and stones obviously) because I was looking for some answers to about a grit scale that such and such was comparable to. Doesn't make sense why stuff can't be on the same scale but then again everything has to be difficult. I had actually used the UF rods to put a mirror polish on my SOG seal pup. But you were correct about it being very complex as I am about to go check out that link and read up a little bit.
 
highestpoint said:
Yeah I wanted the UF rods just to test them and I got them for 30 bucks shipped or something like that. I know exactly what you mean, I also enjoy the free hand aspect because I think if you can understand how to do it and do it well then you can then buy a wicked edge or one of the easier ways. If something were to ever happen and you are "in the field" or just wilderness you aren't going to be able to carry a big sharpener such as that and you'll be screwed but if you can freehand you could find something worth while.

What micron strop did you order?
Click to expand...

I got a strop from stropman with the green and white compound. Not sure what the micron is.

I looked into all of them...wicked edge, ken onion belt sander type, belt sanders, edge pro, Murray carter etc. All have their good points. It really comes down to how detailed you want to be. For me it's a hobby, one of many, so I can only put so much into it. Honestly, for EDC use the Sharpmaker does a decent job. All depends how you use your blade.
 
I just got my first DMT dimound stone today 600 grit. And for the price and ease of use I will be getting more.Thees things are great.
 
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