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What stone do you use.
- Thread starter alexmin
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,246
Alex, I don't think alot of knifemakers are using them. I have never seen any posts on any forum for the last 18 months that I have been on them ever mentioning them. That is why I posted the stone file pics and info. to expose more makers to them and maybe give it a try.
I think once makers get a good grinder and get proficient at using it they most likely stick to grinding. It's the "if it's not broken don't fix it" attitude which is a pretty safe bet most of the time.
I would be curious myself to find out who else may occasionally be using stones to finish knives.
I think once makers get a good grinder and get proficient at using it they most likely stick to grinding. It's the "if it's not broken don't fix it" attitude which is a pretty safe bet most of the time.
I would be curious myself to find out who else may occasionally be using stones to finish knives.
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,246
I have seen a few sword makers that are very much into traditional finishing techniques use stationary stones. One maker built a water recirculation and filtration pump to keep the stone constantly wet. His whole setup was pretty cool with diffused lighting and an ergonomic chair to save the back.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2006
- Messages
- 21
i use a host of traditional polishing stones for anything i have done involving a hamon. and use various arato, binsui, kaisei, chu-nagura, koma-nagura, hadori, jizuya, uchigumori, and nugui. to name just a few.
for non japanese style blades, i use binsui, lansky stones, arkansas stones, and some generic ones ive picked up over the years. to be honest... they all do the same thing. its just my preference.
i also love pieces of steel ive collected from metal laythe's. i believe their the cutting bits. they make perfect sharpening steels, and can easily be picked up cheaply.... i honestly dont think ive got a favourate method of sharpening. considering that the outcome is the same. it relies on how im feeling, and how close a certain stone, or steel is. i just have a wide selection cus things tend to accumulate.
for non japanese style blades, i use binsui, lansky stones, arkansas stones, and some generic ones ive picked up over the years. to be honest... they all do the same thing. its just my preference.
i also love pieces of steel ive collected from metal laythe's. i believe their the cutting bits. they make perfect sharpening steels, and can easily be picked up cheaply.... i honestly dont think ive got a favourate method of sharpening. considering that the outcome is the same. it relies on how im feeling, and how close a certain stone, or steel is. i just have a wide selection cus things tend to accumulate.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2005
- Messages
- 1,297
Alex, the following is copied and pasted from Don Fogg's website. They are his words, not mine, and they may answer your question:
Handfinishing
The finish I like best on my knives is a hand rubbed finish. I do not do any more with the machines at this point, but move to the bench vise. To hold the knife securely, I use a small drill press vise with padded jaws mounted in my bench vise. I put a bar of steel 1"x15" that has a leather pad glued to it in the vise and lay the blade on top so that the blade is fully supported and the point is behind the end of the bar. This is a flexible arrangement and allows me to work on blades up to ten inches in length with good support. This is similar to the sword polishing arrangement pictured in the sword forging class notes.
There will be some slight irregularities in the surface of the blade and at the transition from the bevel to the ricasso. I clean these up and flatten the surfaces of the blade using a 320 grit red brick edm polishing stone. I use different grits of these stones and store them in small, stackable plastic trays, one for each grit. When I am ready to use the stones, I fill the trays with distilled water and a dash of Rust Lick coolant. This will keep the stones from clogging and galling the work. The Rust Lick also has an additive to inhibit rusting. You can get these supplies from MSC.
The EDM stones are friable and will break into the curve at the ricasso and clean it up quickly. Use light strokes and work diagonally to the blade in one direction. When the blade has been flattened and all previous grinding marks removed, I switch to the 600 grit stone and go over the blade at an angle 90 degrees to the previous stone. Again, light strokes, cleaning the stone frequently by rinsing in the tray water, I clean up all the previous stones scratches looking at the work from all angles in a strong light until I am sure only the 600 grit finish is showing.
Then you can switch to paper. I use 600 grit wet or dry cut into 1" strips and wrapped around a block of Corian. I wet the paper in the same solution as the stone, but held in a wider container. I use the paper lengthwise on the blade and rub with short heavy strokes to remove all of the diagonal scratches. The final passes are made with the paper wrapped around a block that has a hard rubber face. Using just the edge of the rubber, I begin at the ricasso and with a single, unbroken stroke pull the paper from ricasso to tip. I move the paper to get a fresh surface on each stroke and continue until there are no swirls or waves in the scratch pattern. This makes a good serviceable finish and is faster to do than it appears.
You can get a dramatic effect on your blades using contrast to accent the finish. Mirror polishing the swedge or mini bevels works nicely. I do this by taking those surface up to 2000 grit and polishing with Simichrome. I also like to leave a forged texture pattern on the flats of my blades for contrast giving the blades a distinctive look. The final finish is what sets a finely crafted blade apart from factory or hurried work.
The finish I like best on my knives is a hand rubbed finish. I do not do any more with the machines at this point, but move to the bench vise. To hold the knife securely, I use a small drill press vise with padded jaws mounted in my bench vise. I put a bar of steel 1"x15" that has a leather pad glued to it in the vise and lay the blade on top so that the blade is fully supported and the point is behind the end of the bar. This is a flexible arrangement and allows me to work on blades up to ten inches in length with good support. This is similar to the sword polishing arrangement pictured in the sword forging class notes.
There will be some slight irregularities in the surface of the blade and at the transition from the bevel to the ricasso. I clean these up and flatten the surfaces of the blade using a 320 grit red brick edm polishing stone. I use different grits of these stones and store them in small, stackable plastic trays, one for each grit. When I am ready to use the stones, I fill the trays with distilled water and a dash of Rust Lick coolant. This will keep the stones from clogging and galling the work. The Rust Lick also has an additive to inhibit rusting. You can get these supplies from MSC.
The EDM stones are friable and will break into the curve at the ricasso and clean it up quickly. Use light strokes and work diagonally to the blade in one direction. When the blade has been flattened and all previous grinding marks removed, I switch to the 600 grit stone and go over the blade at an angle 90 degrees to the previous stone. Again, light strokes, cleaning the stone frequently by rinsing in the tray water, I clean up all the previous stones scratches looking at the work from all angles in a strong light until I am sure only the 600 grit finish is showing.
Then you can switch to paper. I use 600 grit wet or dry cut into 1" strips and wrapped around a block of Corian. I wet the paper in the same solution as the stone, but held in a wider container. I use the paper lengthwise on the blade and rub with short heavy strokes to remove all of the diagonal scratches. The final passes are made with the paper wrapped around a block that has a hard rubber face. Using just the edge of the rubber, I begin at the ricasso and with a single, unbroken stroke pull the paper from ricasso to tip. I move the paper to get a fresh surface on each stroke and continue until there are no swirls or waves in the scratch pattern. This makes a good serviceable finish and is faster to do than it appears.
You can get a dramatic effect on your blades using contrast to accent the finish. Mirror polishing the swedge or mini bevels works nicely. I do this by taking those surface up to 2000 grit and polishing with Simichrome. I also like to leave a forged texture pattern on the flats of my blades for contrast giving the blades a distinctive look. The final finish is what sets a finely crafted blade apart from factory or hurried work.