Sharpening Media - Oil, Water, Diamond or Abrasive Paper?

[Jelly]

At home I use an oilstone freehand, followed by a very fine lapping film on a flat surface if desired.

At work I've progressed to using a block of wood with 40, 80, 150 and 600 grit emery paper stapled to the four sides; If it starts to clog with all manner of gunk, I can just rip the paper off and tear some more from the roll... the results aren't as good but the convenience outweighs that.

I have some ceramic slipstones too, which are excellent; my only problem is that after years of using the same areas and the same grips to touch up profile knives, they're horribly deformed.

 

[GazPal]

I started with an oilstone, but the oil soaked the wooden case and started contaminating everything it touched. So I tried waterstones, which were very fashionable about fifteen years ago. They work very quickly, but the mess (they're not 'bench friendly') and faff involved in flattening them caused me to try a ceramic stone (medium). I've recently supplemented this with an ultra-fine ceramic stone. Advantages - 'bench friendly', easy to clean (sling them in with the washing-up), hard-wearing, quick-cutting, and the ultra-fine imparts a superb polish. Disadvantages - high first cost, and the medium stone isn't as flat as I'd like (the ultra-fine is, but only on one side).

Actually, the subject of sharpening is quite broad - apart from grinding and stropping, there are techniques and equipment for sharpening saws, non-straight plane irons, in-cannel gouges, carving tools, drills and brace bits, scrapers, screwdrivers, and for the power tool users, such things as morticer hollow chisels, planer knives, router cutters....Then there's the refurbishment of secondhand purchases. I suspect most of us would be mildly startled with how much we had if we put all our sharpening gear on the bench at once!

A coat of shellac, lacquer or varnish is possibly the best means of sealing the outside of oil stone cases and preventing leakage problems, or you could simply wrap the cased stone in a suitable cloth. The oiled cloth can then be used to wipe tools down during and after use.

I think initial high cost, plus perhaps test driving low quality sharpening stones/plates must to be the main aspects preventing people from making the initial investment and I can't honestly blame others if they're unable to justify such investments if their involvement doesn't involve high frequency use. Bye-passing SWMBO's radar as new kit arrives is another matter entirely, although not altogether unrelated. :?

Lack of space prevented the inclusion of ceramic plates within the subject title, but I agree 500% they're well worth mentioning, as well as test driving and investing in if you've the opportunity.

The entire subject of sharpening media is as broad a topic as one could envisage, but methinks we can cover the basics here and possibly expand onto the topic of slip stones, router bit sharpening, etc., whenever someone mentions them. We've not even touched upon the means of grinding/re-grinding bevels, but it's mostly a case of "if a method or piece of kit works for you, by all means use it", although I'm a great believer in freehand honing as it stands you in good stead (If a honing guide user) should your guidance kit fail during use or when needed. :wink:

 

[Sawyer]

After many years with oilstones, I bought an inexpensive Axminster combination waterstone and a flattening stone about a year ago. Haven't needed to use the flattener yet.

 

[GazPal]

After many years with oilstones, I bought an inexpensive Axminster combination waterstone and a flattening stone about a year ago. Haven't needed to use the flattener yet.

Hi Sawyer It sounds like you got a good deal there. How often do you sharpen with it and which grit sizes are involved?

 

[morfa]

Ceramic stones look interesting. Do they really work ok with out oil/water?

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Ceramic stones look interesting. Do they really work ok with out oil/water?

Hi Morfa,

In answer to your question, not in my experience. The first ceramic stone I bought was the medium. The retailers write-up quoted the manufacturers as saying that they could be used dry, so I tried. The results were initially quite good, but after about five or six widish chisels, a metallic glaze started to form on the stone, and it cut slower. It wouldn't wash off; I did eventually shift it with scouring powder (Ajax) and a kitchen pan-scrub, but only after a lot of elbow grease.

Since then, I've always used it lubricated. I've not tried oil, I use water with a little drop of washing-up liquid in it to break the surface tension. I keep it in a Fairy liquid bottle, and add a bit more as the stone dries during use - some gets pushed off the end, some evaporates, and a very little soaks into the stone. Now, the abraded metal holds in suspension in the water, and can be wiped off during sharpening or washed off at the end of a work session.

The stones come in a strongish ABS plastic case which is just right for catching the water pushed off the stone during sharpening, making them very bench friendly (provided you don't inadvertently tip the water out moving it off the bench and back to it's shelf after touching up a tool edge). They are 'normal' sized at 8" x 2", but rather thin at about 1/2", so not great for using on edge with such tools as wooden spokeshave irons - it's a bit of a balancing act. The cases are relatively small and not too thick for stone cases (9" x 2 1/2" x 7/8" overall), making them easy to store away once they're washed and dried.

The medium stone is not quite flat. One side is distinctly hollow in length (by about 1/32" - about 1/2mm), the other side isn't too bad, but has a bit of a hump in the middle, and slightly raised ends (by about 1/64" - 1/4mm - or less). I live with this, but don't use the stone for 'flattening' jobs. I use wet-and-dry to 1200 grit stuck to float glass, then finish the flattened chisel or plane iron on the ultra-fine stone. This approach seems to work well.

The ultra-fine stone I only bought about 9 months ago, but it has quickly become a favourite. One side is ground flat (the other isn't, it's hollow in length by about 1/64" - 1/4mm), and the first time it was used grinder marks showed up as it abraded metal. However, the stone feels as smooth as polished marble, and works fast to give a very good polish. It's not as brilliant a polish as I've got with a leather strop dressed with jeweller's rouge, but it's pretty damn good, and it won't dub the edge, either.

I use mine freehand. For jig users, they may present a bit of a problem in that there's no register or running surface for jig wheels except the stone surface itself. Without building a holder with running surfaces level with the stone face, I'm not sure how you'd overcome this.

Of the three systems I've tried (oilstones and waterstones being the other two) the ceramics are by far the most convenient and versatile sharpening stone. I can't compare with diamond stones or lapping films, though; I've no experience of either. If the ceramics were properly flat when new, they'd be unbeatable. I have tried flattening the medium on coarse wet-and-dry on float glass, well soaked in water, and it smoothed the wet-and-dry out nicely without much apparent effect on the stone. There is a large, flat coase diamond lapping plate on the market, but I'm too much of a tightwad to shell out £100 plus for a one-off job. I may try (if I find one at a reasonable price) a smaller coarse diamond plate used like an engineer's file; I did have a go with a fine diamond hone which did seem to cut the stone, but too slowly to be of use.

So on balance, used within their limitations of flatness, they are excellent. The medium cuts quickly and leaves an edge suitable for jack plane irons and chopping chisels. The ultra-fine, having a flat side, is an absolute gem, and gives a good working edge to try plane irons, smoothing plane irons and paring chisels. I don't regret buying them; indeed, I'd be loathe to part with them, and would certainly replace them if I lost them.

 

[Sawyer]

After many years with oilstones, I bought an inexpensive Axminster combination waterstone and a flattening stone about a year ago. Haven't needed to use the flattener yet.

Hi Sawyer It sounds like you got a good deal there. How often do you sharpen with it and which grit sizes are involved?

250/1000 grit, under £20.00 at the time. I use it on a daily basis, freehand only, but have developed the habit of using the whole surface of the stone to minimise hollowing. It sits permanently in water in an old saucepan: I didn't fancy paying the exorbitent price of one of those 'waterstone ponds'!

 

[GazPal]

After many years with oilstones, I bought an inexpensive Axminster combination waterstone and a flattening stone about a year ago. Haven't needed to use the flattener yet.

Hi Sawyer It sounds like you got a good deal there. How often do you sharpen with it and which grit sizes are involved?

250/1000 grit, under £20.00 at the time. I use it on a daily basis, freehand only, but have developed the habit of using the whole surface of the stone to minimise hollowing. It sits permanently in water in an old saucepan: I didn't fancy paying the exorbitent price of one of those 'waterstone ponds'!

You certainly got a good deal there and I couldn't agree more regarding the prices charged for "water stone ponds", as virtually any container could be put to good use. One of my brothers cobbled together a dish with a plastic paint tray for his water stones.

Correctly using as much of the stone's surface during use is definitely the way to go when whetting blades/irons. During my apprenticeship I was taught (Freehand also) to work blades across my sharpening stones using a figure of eight motion and it certainly helps spread surface wear evenly as possible and is much better (For both stone and whetting speed) than tracking blades across a smaller area.

 

[bugbear]

During my apprenticeship I was taught (Freehand also) to work blades across my sharpening stones using a figure of eight motion and it certainly helps spread surface wear evenly as possible and is much better (For both stone and whetting speed) than tracking blades across a smaller area.

Surely that concentrates wear in the dead centre of the stone, exactly where you don't it?

BugBear

 

[GazPal]

During my apprenticeship I was taught (Freehand also) to work blades across my sharpening stones using a figure of eight motion and it certainly helps spread surface wear evenly as possible and is much better (For both stone and whetting speed) than tracking blades across a smaller area.

Surely that concentrates wear in the dead centre of the stone, exactly where you don't it?

BugBear

Nope. Much depends upon how you configure the pattern, as it can follow large, small and intermediate sweeps across the stone as you attempt to cover all corners without slavishly following long sweeping strokes. Fitting end blocks/stops flush with the surface and at each end of the stone also helps increase coverage and spread wear across the extremes of the stone, as these allow the potential for you to begin and end each sweep or stroke off the stone.

 

[Jacob]

"Figure of eight" is more notional than prescriptive. The idea is that you move the thing about all over the surface over the stone in overlapping smooth round movements. Ditto sanding with a machine (or by hand for that matter) and a lot of other processes.
Doesn't do to be too literal BB, you might miss the point!

 

[GazPal]

"Figure of eight" is more notional than prescriptive. The idea is that you move the thing about all over the surface over the stone in overlapping smooth round movements. Ditto sanding with a machine (or by hand for that matter) and a lot of other processes.

Precisely Jacob

 

[GazPal]

Does anyone use the scary sharp method and how does it compare with the methods already mentioned?

 

[morfa]

Ceramic stones look interesting. Do they really work ok with out oil/water?

Hi Morfa,

In answer to your question, not in my experience. The first ceramic stone I bought was the medium. The retailers write-up quoted the manufacturers as saying that they could be used dry, so I tried. The results were initially quite

<snippy>

The ultra-fine, having a flat side, is an absolute gem, and gives a good working edge to try plane irons, smoothing plane irons and paring chisels. I don't regret buying them; indeed, I'd be loathe to part with them, and would certainly replace them if I lost them.

Thanks for the massively detailed write up. The ultra fine certainly looks good. Pity they're not actually flat, but there we go.

 

[DTR]

Does anyone use the scary sharp method and how does it compare with the methods already mentioned?

I used wet & dry paper on glass for a while. It got my irons beautifully sharp but I found it a bit of faff compared to oilstones.