overzealous waterstone truing

Re: overzealous waterstone truing

ThomD

>One thing to start is to use the whole surface of the stone. Skate all around there, use the donut parts of the stone, not the hole. You will find the stones wear a lot less. I like the method of rubbing stones together fairly frequently, I prefer to keep them flat with similar grit stones. Rather that waiting until I have made a mess of the stone and the blades, and then grinding them back flat. I have two of my base stones, like the 1200, and I rub them on each other, and I rub the finer stones on the coarser ones all the way up. I would find a jump from 1200 to 8000 too large, which also wears your stones since you will be sawing away for ever on the 8000. This practice is used by at least some japanese craftsmen, some complain it cross contaminates stones, but I haven't found it a problem.

Re: No difference.

Warren in Lancaster, Pa

>I think that if you try to use the entire stone and even concentrate on using those portions which are likely to be left high, then you will have less need for flattening and longer stone life.

Re: overzealous waterstone truing

Miles

>I'm a bit baffled that you all don't just use the DMT stones for blades, or at least flattening them & for primary bevel grinding, and if you must for some reason use waterstones for honing, at least the wear rate will be a lot less.

I confess I've not used a WS for any serious sharpening, but my DMTs work very well and handle A2 as well as HCS well enough for me. I do hone on leather for a final edge after a red DMT, or use an Arkansas in between. Either way, pretty decent edges. Not as good as David C, I bet, but much less faffing about than is described in this thread!

I know this is a quasi-religious issue, so please don't take offence!

Miles

Re: overzealous waterstone truing

ThomD

>There isn't any DMT stone that goes to 30000 (I don't personally but I would say the same thing about 4000). SO at some point you have to start the fafing around with the water stones, diamond paste, sandpaper, oil stones. The only bad part with waterstones is the mess, on ones hands, (potential) rust on tools, cold weather use etc... But the edges are still the best while maintianing good edge geometry (which isn't always necesarry but it's a plus).

I've used DMT since they came out about 30 years ago. A good product I would probably use more if someone would buy it for me in maybe a lab. I don't find they really do me any good though. And in the past they have worn out quickly when used to flatten. We had that conversation a while back, where I poited out here that the matrix is softer than the sludge on water stones, but I was assured all is fine with the new ones. It becomes a point where you have to decide do you risk that the opinion won't hold up in ones own particular pattern of use, and maybe just get taken yet again. Why bother when there are so many methods that work fine.

At the end of the day there is the full "Japanese" lets call it. perfect tool and perfect integrated sharpening system, in skilled hands. And then there is the tool that is less than 100%, but may be all that is actually needed for the style of work at hand. Krenov wrote an article in FWW a while back where he pointed out he probably (my guess) was a 70% edge man. He hand grinds on a wheel, and then does the edge on an out of flat oil stone.

If you are searching out the 100% edge then DMTs are not the ticket who wants to mud a multi thousand dollar stone with a DMT? And if you aren't after 100% why faf about with anything other than a grind and a buff?