- Joined
- Apr 15, 2014
- Messages
- 483
This is my first foray into Gesshin stones, and I will absolutely be ordering more. Soon to be placed is an order for the standard 400/2000/6000 set, as I have been very impressed with both the shopping experience (I absolutely buffeted Jon with questions and he was happy to answer every single one), as well as the quality of the product, as you will see.
First things first, however. New stone? Let's do a preliminary lapping...
Actually, wait. First first things first. I soaked this massive brick for about a half an hour. I don't think it really needs an entire thirty minutes, but I put it in the tub of water then just forgot about it for a while.
Drew a crosshatch, resprayed the surface, then I grabbed my JKI flattening plate and started scrubbing.
Removal of the crosshatch was easy for two reasons: It's a new stone, so typically there isn't much work to be done, and secondly, it is a softer stone, and built up a nice creamy white mud quite quickly.
With my stone prepped, it was time to select my knife, which was an 810 Contego
I freakin' love this knife. I love it so much I bought the M390 version, and the Canadian Border Security Agency also loved it so much that they kept it for themselves
After a few passes, I could see the stone cut fast. I have also sharpened that knife with a classic King 1000, and while it was not like I wanted to kill myself doing it, I did feel confident I would opt for a faster option next time.
It is a softer stone, building up a mud quickly and requiring low pressure for effective sharpening. Utilizing the mud was the intention, and proved to be enjoyable. One thing I really love about softer stones like this is the edge bevel you produce is so uniform. Harder stones can have a tendency to almost develop multiple angles on the bevel which requires more stropping work to even out.
Working both sides back and forth a few times, this was the mud generation after successfully completing this stage of the sharpening. Note that the puddle of white mud sitting at the base of the stone is from the flattening, not from the sharpening; while it is a softer stone, I don't want to give the impression it is excessively soft. There were no issues with gouging, nor did I feel the stone wore excessively during the sharpening session.
Time for a little stropping!
And the end result was quite excellent:
My standard for a "sharp" user edge is the ability to easily slice through phonebook paper. I know there are higher levels of sharpness, but I find this level to be my sweet spot for ease of achievement and adequate sharpness for daily needs.
Overall I really appreciate this stone, and if you had a DMT XC or C and a cheeky hockey-tape strop, you would have yourself a simple, yet complete set for achieving sharp edges on your knives, and quite enjoyably too!
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