What stone/ceramics for a begginer

E

Everyday

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Apr 1, 2016
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I want to learn to free hand sharpen. My current steels are cpm 110, cpm 30v, cts-xhp,
and an assortment of Classic Wusthof and family members knives from Henkels on down to dollar store. At present I have an Ace hardware x course/ course stone, washita, soft AR, hard AR. These are recent gift from an old timer
My thoughts currently are A diamond DMT course. Then a medium, fine, ultra fine sharp maker bench stones for the better steels, and the natural stones for the softer steels. What say you experts? Am I close or way off base.

Thanks
Everyday
 
Everyday said:
I want to learn to free hand sharpen. My current steels are cpm 110, cpm 30v, cts-xhp,
and an assortment of Classic Wusthof and family members knives from Henkels on down to dollar store. At present I have an Ace hardware x course/ course stone, washita, soft AR, hard AR. These are recent gift from an old timer
My thoughts currently are A diamond DMT course. Then a medium, fine, ultra fine sharp maker bench stones for the better steels, and the natural stones for the softer steels. What say you experts? Am I close or way off base.

Thanks
Everyday
Click to expand...
Hi,
You're rich!
You've got more than enough equipment to learn freehand,
so stop thinking about what to buy next
and go practice freehand sharpening,
try it three times on same knife,
think about what you're doing,
and report back how it went and ask questions

Use the ace hardware stone, splash some water on it,
get a paring knife from the kitchen
rub one blade side until you raise a burr,
rub other side until raise burr,
double the angle and do 2 alternating passes per side to cut off the burr,
check for burr/test cut paper, if still burr repeat 2 alternating passes , check again
then do no more than 10-20 alternating passes at not-double angle, like original angle, or 15 degrees per side


it doesn't take a lot of practice to get shaving sharp

Here are a few good examples of these basics,
rub however long it takes to raise a tiny bur, cut it off at elevated angle , shave how to sharpen a knife - Joe Calton
Same basic sharpening method, raising the tiny burr is optional, these tips are "advanced" Extreme low grit sharpening : clay brick - Cliff Stamp
Same three step method, only shows newspaper slicing but it will shave Extreme low grit sharpening : 24 grit nubatama - Cliff Stamp
Shows actual arm hair shaving in this one Knife sharpening : 36 grit dressing stone - Cliff Stamp
$1 stone from dollar tree :) a considerable step up from sharpening on a regular brick
How To straighten/flatten out a lansky stone ??
 
^^what they said . Take your kitchen knives and go to work on what you have . If you've used oil on your hardware stone stick with oil on it .

If the hardware store Stone is the one I'm thinking of it should cut about any steel you have . It's been a long long time since I used an arkie so I'm not even going to Comment on them.

If you want to buy ceramics and diamonds that's on you I have the dmts and the soyderco medium and UF and honestly I have no need for the fine the medium and ultra fine do a fantastic job and the UF removes the scratches from the medium just fine . It's 95% technique 5% tools.
 
For the S110V, S30V, CTS-XHP and similar high-vanadium steels, you'd like the DMT hones best for cleanly cutting 100% of those alloys' content. The other stones mentioned won't handle the vanadium carbides as efficiently, because those carbides are harder than the abrasives in those stones (SiC and/or aluminum oxide, 'novaculite' in the Ark stones). The Coarse DMT is a good all-around option there, as it'll be aggressive enough for some bigger re-bevelling tasks and edge repairs; it'll also leave a great working edge by itself.

For all the other knives & steels you've got, your other stones should be fine, used according to your current plan as posted.


David
 
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Thanks Guys.
bucketstove thanks for those links. I've already seen some of them, but three of the cliff stump ones I had not, so very much appreciated.

Spatan00. I've already shapened several cheap knives with good results, they just took a long time. Thought maybe different stones would speed up the process. I'll agree maybe I need more experience more so than different stones.

David I think a DMT course is in my future. What other stone would you recommend for the next steps in progression for a smoother finish in those three steels. Also would the DMT diamond work better on the softer steels than the course stone I have presently.
Again thanks
 
Is the 2x6 dmt something that interests you? 2 grits one stone..dmt duos harp models are pretty affordable right now on amazon as well you can get a double sided plate and base for around 60 bucks . If you can get a coarse/fine or coarse/extra fine double sided plate.

Personally I'd get the biggest stone you can afford I have the 8x3 and the 2x6 dmts. I prefer the 8x3s just because of the extra room.
 
I have a full set of larger DMT, and picked up a 2x6 two sided C/F to go with my 2x6 EF interrupted surface, it even fits in the same wood box. A very handy size.

For the range of steels you have, a set diamond plates is in order, though your ACE stone will still handle the rough work. From there I'd look into some waterstones for non-super steels, but you might just as well use you Arkansas stones as they will do a great job in that role anyway.

Either way the ACE stone can do all your rough work and then just a question of what stones to refine and finish (or stop at the ACE stone!).

Practice, practice, but not on knives you value, make a trip to the local Goodwill and get a sack of lost souls to learn on - they make nice loaners once you start sharpening for friends and family.
 
Everyday said:
Thanks Guys.
bucketstove thanks for those links. I've already seen some of them, but three of the cliff stump ones I had not, so very much appreciated.

Spatan00. I've already shapened several cheap knives with good results, they just took a long time. Thought maybe different stones would speed up the process. I'll agree maybe I need more experience more so than different stones.

David I think a DMT course is in my future. What other stone would you recommend for the next steps in progression for a smoother finish in those three steels. Also would the DMT diamond work better on the softer steels than the course stone I have presently.

Again thanks
Click to expand...

If you're wanting to refine the high-wear steels beyond the Coarse DMT, I'd also recommend a diamond progression for the same reasons; that is, to cleanly cut/shape the vanadium carbides. It's up to you to decide how fine you want to go. Most users like anything from the Coarse (325 Mesh/45 micron) thru the Fine (600 Mesh/25 micron) and Extra-Fine (1200 Mesh/9 micron) for great working edges, either singly, or in a progression or combination (like Coarse followed by EF, for example). If you're wanting more polished bevels, continuing the progression through the EEF (3 micron) and diamond pastes down to 3 micron & 1 micron work well for that. Diamond pastes work a LOT better, i.e., faster to a high polish and with much crisper edges, when used on wood like balsa, basswood and others.

For your softer steels, you can use diamond for those, but it's not necessary. And with time & experience, you might also find the hardware store stone (either SiC or aluminum oxide) and the Arkansas stones to be a very nice match to simpler steels like 1095, CV, 420HC, stainless kitchen knives, etc. That's what I've come to like about the simpler stones; they often pair very well to the simpler steels, confirming that certain steels seem to 'like' certain stones. Now, having said all that, diamond will quickly and easily handle anything you throw at it. Just remember to use the diamond hones with a very, very light touch on all steels you sharpen. It makes for much cleaner edges, nearly burr-free with a light touch, and it's also better for the long life of the hones. On softer steels and thinner blades, such as with common pocketknives, a pocket diamond hone is probably the most versatile and easy-to-live-with tool to keep your edges tuned up in just a few passes, with no worries about oil, and very simple cleanup.

I'll say this also: the ultra-light touch that's learned on a diamond hone will also pay off big time on your other stones as well, for refining edges. That's probably the biggest thing I've learned in calibrating my touch to the diamond hones, and I've never regretted it. ALL of my stones suddenly 'worked better' after I'd figured out the touch for the diamond hones. :)


David
 
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Well last night I was given several kitchen knives to sharpen. So the practice will continue. When I feel more confident in my skill I'm going to get DMT continuous course, fine, extra fine stones for my better steels. For now the stones I have should suffice. Thank you all for your help and guidance. It is really appreciated.
Ed (everyday)
 
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