A Sneak Peek at the Manticore Series

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
Dealer / Materials Provider
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Mar 8, 2008
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Just had these babies land and will be testing them over the next few days to get a good feel for how well their performance tracks with what I anticipated, but so far it's right on the money. These are an 80/20 ratio homogeneous mix of ANSI 60 grit black and green silicon carbide in a ceramic bond that's the same as the Bull Thistle series. Because of their extra-extra-coarse grit, while most bonded stones get finer after surface texture is worn off, these actually get coarser. They have an almost slick feel as they come out of the press, but after a little use they quickly shed that surface layer and the real party starts. More pictures and info soon. :)

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I'm liking the Mutt pretty good so far. Guess that means I'll need one of these too. Any idea of the price on the Manticore yet?
 
Macro shot showing the 80/20 ratio of black and green SiC.

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Nice pictures! I'm looking forward. I've got a 120 grit Sigma PS II that is pretty cool, but you pretty much have to use it under running water to keep it from loading. It does not want to shed it's grit at all. It's like a solid chunk of Silicon Carbide.
 
I'm pretty pleased with how these perform for their wear rate so far. I've deliberately blunted a beater chef's knife a few times now and brought the edge back to life starting with the Manticore to refresh the bevel and it seems to be acting the way I expected. Very nice grit protrusion for a bonded stone and there's enough space between the grains for swarf chips to clear. It takes off little shiny "curls" of steel almost like a fine file, and there's been no noticeable blunting of the particles so far as they seem to shed at a rate that lines up well with their rate of wear. If anything, the rate of cut has been increasing as the finish left by the mold press wears off and exposes the stone's natural surface texture.
 
samuraistuart said:
Nice pictures! I'm looking forward. I've got a 120 grit Sigma PS II that is pretty cool, but you pretty much have to use it under running water to keep it from loading. It does not want to shed it's grit at all. It's like a solid chunk of Silicon Carbide.
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Has yours been used much? Reason I ask is that mine will take a slight hollow even if I am somewhat careful to use the whole stone. I believe these stones are known to have a very strong outer layer and once you cut through that they release abrasive far more readily.

I don't have any problems with glazing with mine, I honestly am wondering if it is too weak of a bond for my uses sometimes. I can't really tell if the massive amount of debris formed is the stone shedding or simply steel filings.
 
Maggot Brain said:
Has yours been used much? Reason I ask is that mine will take a slight hollow even if I am somewhat careful to use the whole stone. I believe these stones are known to have a very strong outer layer and once you cut through that they release abrasive far more readily.

I don't have any problems with glazing with mine, I honestly am wondering if it is too weak of a bond for my uses sometimes. I can't really tell if the massive amount of debris formed is the stone shedding or simply steel filings.
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Correction....I believe my stone is NOT the "II" series, but rather just "Sigma Power Ceramic Stone #120". I did notice the hard shell, too. No, I haven't use it a whole lot, several new knives/bevel sets/sharpenings. I think the hard layer has been removed for the most part, so it is possible that the stone may dish faster now. I said load earlier, but maybe glazing is more correct term? It doesn't seem to release grit at all, doesn't seem to dish much (comparatively speaking against like a Crystolon). Reading the suggested use by "Schtoo...Tools from Japan"....I use it under running water. Most knives I make are carbon steel....you see my problem in using the stone*. It REALLY does need to be used under running water, otherwise, it WILL glaze over. The only way to treat that stone once it's glazed is by loose SiC powder, CBN powder, or diamond powder (not taking an expensive diamond plate to that cheap stone). They say to use 36 grit SiC powder. It came with 60 and 120 grit....which even the 60 does not seem to refresh the stone all that well. The 36 grit might...I need to get some (stone SHOULD have come with 36 grit instead of 60 and 120). I can't imagine the stone I have shedding grit at all. I've only used one side, leaving the other as reference. After several sharpening sessions/conditioning with the SiC powder, it is much finer than the non used side. I would prefer a looser bond, really, on this stone. It's "cheap" enough to experiment with. Want a coarse, clean, apex? This would be a good choice for that.

*Especially new custom knives, I want the edge bevel to be perfect, so I use the Razor Edge Systems guides, with blue painters tape to prevent marring the blade polish....water here is a problem.

FortyTwoBlades, my apologies for any thread derail. I'll be glad to delete and move to new post if requested. I appreciate your posts/products. Headed to your store now...

....and order placed for the MantiCore and Bull Thistle stones! Exciting!!!
 
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samuraistuart said:
FortyTwoBlades, my apologies for any thread derail. I'll be glad to delete and move to new post if requested. I appreciate your posts/products.
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No worries! I consider it relevant since it's discussion of coarse stones and their comparative performance characteristics. :)
 
I doubt you have made it through the outer layer if you haven't noticed sharp abrasive coming to the surface. I would recommend using it with higher force on smaller contact areas until you get through the layer.

Once you cut through that layer it will begin to yield a slight hollow over time, I do a lot of changing blade geometries so mine needs a good flattening currently.

That said, I have been pretty happy with the speed of it but if I could get a stone that cut twice as fast and stayed just as flat/resistant to releasing abrasive I'd be a very happy camper.
 
Maggot Brain said:
I doubt you have made it through the outer layer if you haven't noticed sharp abrasive coming to the surface. I would recommend using it with higher force on smaller contact areas until you get through the layer.

Once you cut through that layer it will begin to yield a slight hollow over time, I do a lot of changing blade geometries so mine needs a good flattening currently.

That said, I have been pretty happy with the speed of it but if I could get a stone that cut twice as fast and stayed just as flat/resistant to releasing abrasive I'd be a very happy camper.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see how it goes in the future.
 
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