What (type - abrasive medium) are you using to finish tools?

[D_W]

I use sandpaper up to about 1000 grit then an 'ice bear' waterstone from Axminster up to about 6000 grit, then autosol on an old leather belt to finish.

The waterstone needs flattening far too often, and it's messy. If I were buying again I'd probably go for diamonds but I have it now so it's getting used.

I do edge maintenance just with autosol on the strop.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

You would probably like a shapton pro 8k. It would be as fast as the ice bear stone and finish about as finely as the autosol (two steps to one) and the wire edge from it comes off really easily or can be ignored if you desire.

I have tried a LOT of stones, which is part of the reason I asked this question. Sharpening stones and sharpening various implements is sort of a side hobby. Of all of the synthetic waterstones I tried (of the fast cutting variety), I liked the shapton pros the most - especially if you are willing to stick one to a wooden base with silicon to make it feel heavier.

The only catch is that by far the best way to flatten them is diamond hones. They can get a grip on parts of sandpaper sometimes and the resin (or adhesive, however the grit is held on to sandpaper) from the paper can end up on the stone.

The price to someone in the US (i.e., no VAT) for a shapton 8k pro and shapton 1k (an excellent replacement for 1k sandpaper) from toolsfromjapan is about $100 plus shipping. I think if you can manage to not drop them, it would take a couple of decades of hobbyist use to exhaust them, and they're not sloppy like the king/ice bear type stones.

 

[woodpig]

Are Ceramic stones harder than Japanese water stones?

The spydercos are harder by a mile. They are the hardest stone I have ever seen, rivaled only by jasper (either one does not abrade very fast with a diamond plate).

Thanks for that, duly noted! :wink: