Which stone to get now?

M

My Young Apprentice

Joined
Dec 8, 2012
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132
I have the Norton combo India stone, 600 on coarse side and 1000 grit on fine side. (From what I can tell, the grit sizes for natural stones and other stones are different. I think the fine side India stone is equivalent to a "course" DMT)

I love the edge it puts on my leatherman, nice and toothy to do some work, and I just recently got enough practice to put a shaving edge on it with it. I have a Griptilian with S30V coming in tomorrow though, and I want to take better care of it's edge than I have with my Leatherman. Poor leatherman has been sharpened dozens of times in the name of practice...:p.

So what stone should I get to put a bit of a finer edge on the Grip, but not TOO much finer, because I still want that toothy edge. I'm thinking something in the DMT line, seeing as it's S30V, and on the India stone it may take a while to sharpen.

Edit: Also, I've been meaning to ask this question about sharpening angles. Since the new blade is going to be S30V, I want to put a more acute angle on it. I'm thinking 30 inclusive. I've been sharpening free hand though, and I've come to realize that without a clamp system, no matter how good you get you cannot get an exact angle without measuring it somehow. I want to continue sharpening free hand and honing my skills. I was thinking of using a protractor to measure the initial angle, then trying my best to keep that angle throughout sharpening. Does that sound like it would work?
 
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As far as holding angle is concerned just go with what feels best. If you want a lower angle then just hold lower, if you find it to be not low enough or too low then correct the point of hold with your next visit to the stone.

The grits of a Norton combo India is 100/300 respectively and though close you would still need a coarse DMT to refine the coarse scratch pattern left before moving to finer DMT grits. Switching abrasives and using abrasives that do not flow with each other in use will typically not work in your favor.

My recommendation would be a coarse/fine duo-sharp DMT plate.
 
Knifenut,
The fine India is rated to be finer than the DMT coarse stone. Why would he want to follow the India stone with the DMT?

Chris
 
CLuttrell said:
Knifenut,
The fine India is rated to be finer than the DMT coarse stone. Why would he want to follow the India stone with the DMT?

Chris
Click to expand...

I think he meant that since the Norton stone is a natural stone, and the DMT is a diamond stone, the scratch patterns will be all messed up if going right from the india to a finer DMT, that I need to correct the scratch pattern with a coarse DMT before moving onto finer DMTs. Which is a worry I also had and thought of earlier today after posting this. Good catch knifenut, lol. And thanks for the advice. I'll check out the Duo plate tomorrow once I get some sleep...
 
The Norton India isn't a natural stone, but is a man-made aluminum oxide. I don't have one, but it may be that it's 'coarse' (100) and 'fine' (300) sides leave a somewhat coarser scratch pattern than the DMT coarse (325). That may explain the recommendation to follow the India (Fine) with the DMT coarse.

The 'grit' ratings (by number) might not sync up anyway, between the alox India and the diamond 'mesh' spec as used by DMT.


David
 
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As David said, the numbers don't match up. My last part about the abrasives not working well with each other is a large factor too and the reason you would need to start at a similar "grit" with the DMT hones.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I'm ordering a fine/coarse Duosharp plus as we speak. Walmart had them listed for 65 bucks WITH the bench stone holder...but they are out of stock. So, amazon it is. Should I even use my Norton any more? After I get this it seems it will be obsolete...
 
Not at all, still a good stone that will have its uses. I would recommend the Norton for less wear resistant metals and the diamonds for highly wear resistant metals like S30V.
 
My Young Apprentice said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I'm ordering a fine/coarse Duosharp plus as we speak. Walmart had them listed for 65 bucks WITH the bench stone holder...but they are out of stock. So, amazon it is. Should I even use my Norton any more? After I get this it seems it will be obsolete...
Click to expand...

Don't ditch the Norton yet. ;)

I mentioned earlier, I don't have one. But, there seems to be a lot of knowledgable people here who have it and like it. Norton has a very good reputation, especially in regard to their India and Crystolon stones. With more experience and time, you'll likely discover it has it's place. I'm 're-discovering' a lot of old sharpening gear I wrote off and stashed away, a long time ago. And miraculously, it now seems to 'work' a lot better than I thought it did, back then. :)


David
 
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As posted by OWE : " And miraculously, it now seems to 'work' a lot better than I thought it did, back then."
I know where you are at David. I too have re-discovered some old equipment used to sharpen my blades recently. (old, old, Arkansas "whet stone") This was all I used to use on my knives for years, and carried it on the truck with me before I retired. It looks like a canoe if you look at it from the side now. It belonged to my Grandfather who taught me how to use it.
Then along came my discovery of this forum, and reading all the great knowledge from all the people on here and the different equipment and methods used. I thought "wow" have I missed the boat. I now have 2 different methods of sharpening my knives, and they are excellent at getting the job done in a short while. Wouldn't trade for them.
But, recently with the post by Mag' and the recent video by Jacknife, made me remember the old whet stone, and how it was good enough for over 50 years of sharpening my knives. With the knowledge I have obtained on here has made me think past the obvious of just rubbing on a stone, to thinking about edge angles, burrs, and the geometry of the edge design and how that relates to a sharp knife. Great stuff, and interesting also.

Blessings,

Omar
 
Nah, I'd never get RID of the Norton. I love the natural feel about it. Something about it just brings me back to when I was in Boy Scouts, and had absolutely no idea how to sharpen my knife, but still tried like hell. Now that I know how to use it properly, it's like bringing back my past and correcting it or something. Plus I like the natural feel of the grind...stone against stone. I've never used one, but I imagine my knife is going to slide over the DMT like butter and be sharp before I know it.

On a different note, what are your guys' opinions on the DMT bench stones and their Diafold systems? What I mean is, I only have my Leatherman and my Griptilian in S30V so far. I don't plan on expanding my knife collection too rapidly (I'm 22, with a 4 year old and a 2 month old...saving as much money as I can, heh) I won't be doing massive amounts of sharpening. Can I get a coarse/fine diafold and be just as well off?
 
My Young Apprentice said:
On a different note, what are your guys' opinions on the DMT bench stones and their Diafold systems? What I mean is, I only have my Leatherman and my Griptilian in S30V so far. I don't plan on expanding my knife collection too rapidly (I'm 22, with a 4 year old and a 2 month old...saving as much money as I can, heh) I won't be doing massive amounts of sharpening. Can I get a coarse/fine diafold and be just as well off?
Click to expand...

I like my 2 diafold (F/E & E/EE) quite a bit, use them all the time. However for more flexibility, with $30 I would buy a 4 sided cheapy diamond block (SE or HF) for $15 and the rest for a dmt E 7/8x4 diasharp.
 
I wouldn't, the diafolds are great but not a replacement for a benchstone.

Personally, I have more sharpening stones than I have knives, some old some new but all have a place and get used when needed. It's your choice but I would not discard the Norton.
 
Alrighty, almost fully set up...I want to make a strop now. I've done some searches on the compounds used, but cannot find any info specific to what I need to ask. So ok if I ask here? :D

First, is it possible to polish an edge, not quite to mirror sharp, but shiny, and still have a bite to it? I understand a razor sharp polished edge is good for push cutting (shaving, whittling) and a toothy edge is good for slicing. If there is a way, which compound(s) should be used? I looked up a ton of different colors (green, white, yellow, red) but I still have no idea which ones will work for what I am describing, if it even CAN be done.
 
I've been using my Norton Combo stone. With a little patience, its amazing what you can accomplish. About a year ago, i added a Spyderco ceramic (fine) to my sharpening paraphernalia. I use it to further fine the edges on my knives with VG-10 and S30V blades.

Ric
 
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