I wouldn't get too involved with buying many stones. You can do the whole thing with just two - a very coarse and a fine. In my case it's a 100G hand crank followed by a 1200 Eze-lap diamond. I then strop on leather. Sharp enough for my needs. Simple, quick and unfussy. The diamond plate is 6 x 2", wide enough for any plane blade providing it's skewed when sharpening. I can tell the quality difference between the Eze-lap and the Trend. At £25 the Eze-lap wasn't hugely expensive. In coarser grits and bigger sizes they are significantly more expensive.
Sharpening stone grit sizes
- Thread starter Honest John
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Jacob
What goes around comes around.
That's very minimal :lol:
I'd lash out and buy medium and fine. Medium - fast and will do for everything most of the time; fine for just the odd occasion when you need it.
I suspect oil stones last a lot longer than even the best diamond stones, but they are a bit fussier - you need to wipe them clean every time, and occasionally refresh the surface - for which I use a 3M Diapad, as used by car body finishers - they are flexible and will follow curves. They also seem to last forever.
A rare earth magnet is good for lifting swarf and keeping stones clean, which saves on oil too.
You need to spread the load and use the whole surface to even out wear, then they will never need flattening; another of the tedious modern sharpening rituals it's a pleasure to avoid!
Oil prevents rust. Water causes it; water stone users are encouraged to buy a very expensive additive which makes water less rust inducing. :lol: Madness - it's all about getting people to buy loads of stuff!
I'd lash out and buy medium and fine. Medium - fast and will do for everything most of the time; fine for just the odd occasion when you need it.
I suspect oil stones last a lot longer than even the best diamond stones, but they are a bit fussier - you need to wipe them clean every time, and occasionally refresh the surface - for which I use a 3M Diapad, as used by car body finishers - they are flexible and will follow curves. They also seem to last forever.
A rare earth magnet is good for lifting swarf and keeping stones clean, which saves on oil too.
You need to spread the load and use the whole surface to even out wear, then they will never need flattening; another of the tedious modern sharpening rituals it's a pleasure to avoid!
Oil prevents rust. Water causes it; water stone users are encouraged to buy a very expensive additive which makes water less rust inducing. :lol: Madness - it's all about getting people to buy loads of stuff!
lurker
Le dullard de la commune
John,
Are you sure about the trend plate?
Initially there are lots of loose bits (I understand all diamond stones are the same) and the plate is quite aggresive but then it beds down to where is should be.
If yours has truely gone bald it might be faulty but more like you were pressing on too hard.
Most of us purposely knocked the plate out of the holder so we could access the finer grit on th other side
I bought 6, some are still in their bubble wrap hopefully they will see me out!
I'm currently using two so I have both grades
Mine are fine
I know at least 4 other people who had them too and so far as I am aware they are happy as well.
Maybe someone who is more competent with the use of diamond plates might comment but I suspect the Axminster one will be no different.
Are you sure about the trend plate?
Initially there are lots of loose bits (I understand all diamond stones are the same) and the plate is quite aggresive but then it beds down to where is should be.
If yours has truely gone bald it might be faulty but more like you were pressing on too hard.
Most of us purposely knocked the plate out of the holder so we could access the finer grit on th other side
I bought 6, some are still in their bubble wrap hopefully they will see me out!
I'm currently using two so I have both grades
Mine are fine
I know at least 4 other people who had them too and so far as I am aware they are happy as well.
Maybe someone who is more competent with the use of diamond plates might comment but I suspect the Axminster one will be no different.
Two 'stones' is minimal but it works, although you do need to use two bevels. It does mean you can take out serious nicks and attain a pretty sharp edge with the fine stone. It's actually a 3 stage affair, I include the leather strop. Fortunately that can be had for very little.
The diamond stones need cleaning too. I use the glass cleaner, just as Sellers does. A quick wipe with some kitchen roll (just after sharpening) and the stone remains sweet. No idea how long the Eze-lap will last. I suspect a minimum of 10 years if the reports from others are true. Could be a lot longer than 10 years.
As for the Trend stone. I've had one for a few years (might be 4). It became my main stone. Although it wasn't badged as a Trend it is exactly the same plate, even the plastic holder is exactly the same. It still cuts and will sharpen perfectly well, although it certainly has become much finer through use. I've directly compared it to one of the Trend £5 plate and my 1200G Eze-lap. There's certainly no need to press down hard. Let the stone do the work. If you are freehanding then pressing down hard is likely to make things more difficult, easier to lose the angle.
The diamond stones need cleaning too. I use the glass cleaner, just as Sellers does. A quick wipe with some kitchen roll (just after sharpening) and the stone remains sweet. No idea how long the Eze-lap will last. I suspect a minimum of 10 years if the reports from others are true. Could be a lot longer than 10 years.
As for the Trend stone. I've had one for a few years (might be 4). It became my main stone. Although it wasn't badged as a Trend it is exactly the same plate, even the plastic holder is exactly the same. It still cuts and will sharpen perfectly well, although it certainly has become much finer through use. I've directly compared it to one of the Trend £5 plate and my 1200G Eze-lap. There's certainly no need to press down hard. Let the stone do the work. If you are freehanding then pressing down hard is likely to make things more difficult, easier to lose the angle.
bugbear
Established Member
lurker":2tsl2dkw said:
Although it was later discovered that the glue can be softened by heat - the glue is good enough to rip the metal plating, and the diamonds with it, off the main body if raw force is used.
post1027513.html?hilit=boiling%20water#p1027513
BugBear
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
Jacob - you wouldn't go straight to wood with oil on a blade, you'd wipe it off - what's the difference between wiping oil off and wiping water off? I'd rather get water on my wood by accident than oil. I've not a had a single thing rust (without any expensive additives) in over 35 years of using waterstones - what's so dreadful about water? Incidentally I've three or four different diamond stones and have not seen the need for oil or water, though I chuck them through the dishwasher once in a while.
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
OK, but they sell the additives - presumably to solve a problem.phil.p":3di3i87x said:
Were water stones around 35 years ago? I'd never really noticed them until perhaps 10 years back, but then I miss a lot of things.
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
Maybe they invented the problem to sell the additive?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brU_Pp- ... tml5=False
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brU_Pp- ... tml5=False
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
:lol:
woodbrains
Established Member
Jacob":8xkhu7e9 said:
Hello,
Waters stones are mentioned in the Record Planecraft book IIRC. My copy is a revised edition from 1954, can't say if it was in the earlier editions. Not such a new fad!
Mike.
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