Hey /diy/, i recently bought a sharpening stone to maintain my knives and i want to know your opinion on the technique. Ive heard contesting opinions on whether to use water, oil, or go dry. Pic related is my stone. I got a 4 dollar SS folder for work purposes. Yes i know SS is an inferior knife material, but i cant seem to get the edge i want. Either its true what they say about SS not holding a fine edge, or its just me being green.
If the blade isn't holding an edge, try increasing the angle of the blade in relation to the stone. It may seem counter-intuitive, but on some shoddier metals, it actually work pretty well in some cases.
Some more info: i have a norton crystolon stone, one side coase, one fine. The norton website recommends using oil for lubrication, so unless i can get good contradicting info here, i will be using oil. I used water in my first attempt with mediocre results. Better than the factory edge but with more to be desired
>>911736
that is a shit tier stone for shovels
get at least 2000 grit+ for knifes
>>911753
After experimenting with some 1000 grit sandpaper and way oil, i think youre right. The 1k grit improved sharpness very much, and passed the paper test with clean cuts and no tearing. Im thinking i might get a super fine india stone.
>>911736
"stainless steel" is not a bad knife material.
Its a vague term that could be any number of steels. In this case, literally the cheapest thing they could find.
The problem is, I saw that exact knife at walmart, and i know you did actually pay 4$ for it.
You are never going to get a real good edge on it, and it will never have any sort of edge retention at all.
You are better off hopping back over to walmart and buying a Buck Bantam or some other buck knife they have there for 15-20$
Or maybe whatever 20$ chinese garbage Kershaw is putting out these days.
Will be infinitely easier to get an edge on it, and will actually hold it
>>911745
There is some controversy about using oil on whetstones. Some woodworkers have been saying they get better results using them dry, and regularly scrubbing with soap and water to lift out particulates.
the argument for oil is that the film of oil keeps the "gaps" in the stone from filling with metal shavings and glazing over. The argument against oil is that those shavings then float around in the oil, getting stuck between the stone and knife and leaving microscopic scratches on the blade edge that adversely impact it.
But yeah, those guys are grinding level whetstones, you do want a much higher grit. IF I remember right the standard crystolon double sided is something like 120 grit on the rough side and 240-320 grit on the smooth side. And 1000 grit is considered sharp, generally, although scalpel sharp can be up to 12000 grit.
Don't forget honing compound and stropping lightly to put that final edge, and if you put the time in you can get a good edge that way even starting from 320 grit.
Also also, unless you go with diamond stones, you're going to need two in a few months. sharpening will tend to dish in the stone on the areas you sharpen most, and rubbing two together in a circular pattern is pretty much the only way to reflatten it.
If you already discuss sharpening stones...
Anyone knows a relatively cheap source of whetstones? A typical price for a set of 3 stones of e.g., 600/1200/3000 grit is killing me.
Pardon me for wondering but why are you using a stone to sharpen a double bevel blade when there are knife sharpening tools that would give a much better finish?
These stones generally work well with long or flat surfaces.
Either way, I use Norton sharpening stone oil and the first time I use it I used half a tin just to drench it so there's plenty of lubrication.
For a finer finish you might want to consider a higher grit or even one of those 'stick on glass' micron finishing kits. I think 3M make one?
Also consider waterstones instead.
About this topic, why has nobody mentioned that any medium is dependent on the stone itself? You wouldn't use a Japanese waterstone dry or with oil just as some stones require oil or dry (as the case of the Fällkniven DC3 I have).
Stick to the fine side of the stone until you're ready to practice reprofiling. Practice holding the same angle and keeping track of the # passes so the edge stays centered.
The burr is important, that's how you know you're getting to the edge. Once you get the burr across the whole edge, change sides and make the same number of passes, check for a burr.
If you already have a burr, flip if and take the burr off with a pass or 3, done.
If not, keep going until you do, counting the passes. Flip, do those passes, you should have a burr.
Get a Lansky or DMT kit. They're not perfect, but they are nearly foolproof.
You can stick with the 1000 grit paper on a flat surface, most use a piece of glass for the flat surface.
If the manufacture suggests oil then use oil. Stones are made from different material, some use oil, some use water, some can be used dry.
As you found out your stone is still too course to get a razor edge.
Look for an extra fine diamond stone for a razor edge, diamond stones can be used dry or with water. I like the water.
I inherited this stone from my great uncle who was 87 when he died this year. This stone was his grandfathers.
>>911921
I have a sharpening tool but i want to get good at sharpening with a stone. I work at a machine shop so i have ample supplies and tools to go wild. Its my new hobby. Pic related is my first knife i made from a spring steel scrap and a purpleheart hilt.
And thanks for the replies guys, like i said in my first post, i am very green still.
>>912060
*knifemaking is my new hobby
