Sharpening Pressure

When I went to the ACE site and looked up these stones it is described as a 60/80 grit. Which is a mystery to me.? I'll concede the coarse side
could be 80 grit. But the fine side is near 200 grit. The two grits are not close. Looking on Norton's site their medium grit is 180 so, it is possible a typo occurred on the ACE site. DM
 
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David Martin said:
When I went to the ACE site and looked up these stones it is described as a 60/80 grit. Which is a mystery to me.? I'll concede the coarse side
could be 80 grit. But the fine side is near 200 grit. The two grits are not close. Looking on Norton's site their medium grit is 180 so, it is possible a typo occurred on the ACE site. DM
Click to expand...
Hi,
SiC is friable?

The ace hardware website didnt used to list grits , a review mentioned making calls to find out its 60 80,
More weak evidence, the descriptions are very similar

Best for hand sharpening blades and cutting tools. Combination grits-coarse (60) for initial shaping and deburring-fine (80) for final honing of sharp edges. Fast cutting silicon carbide grain. Use with honing oil for best results.
  • Size: 8" x 2" x 1"
  • Grain: silicon carbide
  • Grit: 80 grit-coarse removal
  • Combination grits-coarse (60) for initial shaping and deburring-fine (80) for final honing of sharp edges
  • Fast cutting silicon carbide grain
  • Use with honing oil for best results
  • Made in USA.
 
In using it I would say the coarse side is 80 grit and the fine side maybe 180 grit. The ACE grit numbers are not correct. My experience. DM
 
David Martin said:
When I went to the ACE site and looked up these stones it is described as a 60/80 grit. Which is a mystery to me? I'll concede the coarse side could be 80 grit. But the fine side is near 200 grit. The two grits are not close. Looking on Norton's site their medium grit is 180 so, it is possible a typo occurred on the ACE site. DM
Click to expand...

I checked the SKU number from your photo at the Ace Hardware website and found the same thing, 60/80 grit, although the packaging is different. It's a mystery to me, too. I've never heard 80 grit described as "fine" and 120 is about the lowest I commonly see in a coarse grit (thankfully there are lower grits). I think the only 60/80 grit I've seen before now is a rubbing stone used for tiles.

I have a coarse Razor Edge Systems stone that may be similar to your Ace Hardware stone, except it's just one grit. I've been told by RES it's either 100 or 120 grit, but I'd say 100 as it looks and feels coarser than my Norton Crystolon coarse. The NC stone is pre-loaded and the RES isn't, so maybe that explains the difference in the look/feel. Hopefully I can find one like yours in an Ace store. It will be interesting to compare the grit with the other two stones.

I never thought about hiding sharpening stones when backpacking. Good idea!

HeavyHanded, thank you for your link, videos, and very helpful information!

bucketstove said:
SiC is friable?
Click to expand...

I think this has as much to do with the bonding agents as anything else.
 
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Yes, agreed the ACE stone is more coarse than my Norton JUM-3 combination stone and it could be 80-100 grit. Plus, in meat markets I have
used Norton's 'medium' grit stone they mfg. for their tri-hone IM-313 and the finer side of this ACE stone is very close to that stone. Thus,
my assumption that it is a 180 grit and the wording in ACE description is a typo. I've not ever seen a 60 / 80 grit stone. Why would you want those 2 grits in a stone? After having used this stone for several years, I would say it is a decent stand alone stone. Quick cutting, reprofiling is it's strong suit, lacking refinement on the upper grit. But if your going to follow up on the edge with a steel or strop then it would be fine. It is also a very good stone to be used as a stone leveler. Well worth the money to have in a sharpening arsenal as it can do many things and is very economical. DM
 
David Martin, thanks for your post. Informative and interesting. I had to go lower than 100-120 grit to get the reprofiling speed I want. Patience in removing relatively large amounts of knife metal freehand is not one of my strong points. But, after that metal is removed, a good quality coarse/fine stone, such as the one you describe, is what I'm looking for for sharpening and maintaining the edge.

I look for stones that are the most efficient, and can do what I need done for all my knives (I like utility, toothy edges), so I don't accumulate more stones than I need, and to keep the cost down. I'll definitely look for the Ace Hardware stone. Hopefully it's carried in all their stores. Thank you for your recommendation!

QEP makes a 60/80 grit "rubbing stone" for smoothing tile edges. I would have posted a link but still don't understand Bladeforum's policies about links.
 
MtnHawk1 said:
David Martin, thanks for your post. Informative and interesting. I had to go lower than 100-120 grit to get the reprofiling speed I want. Patience in removing relatively large amounts of knife metal freehand is not one of my strong points. But, after that metal is removed, a good quality coarse/fine stone, such as the one you describe, is what I'm looking for for sharpening and maintaining the edge.

I look for stones that are the most efficient, and can do what I need done for all my knives (I like utility, toothy edges), so I don't accumulate more stones than I need, and to keep the cost down. I'll definitely look for the Ace Hardware stone. Hopefully it's carried in all their stores. Thank you for your recommendation!

QEP makes a 60/80 grit "rubbing stone" for smoothing tile edges. I would have posted a link but still don't understand Bladeforum's policies about links.
Click to expand...

The QEP stone used to be good for rough sharpening, but they changed the composition years ago and they glaze up almost immediately. The grading stone that came with my Triton TWSS10 would be a better bet, but not as cheap - about $20 on big river.
 
Something to add re my ACE stones - I recently tossed the 6" one in the trash when I realized it was shedding large grit or agglomerations of smaller grit from the fine side.

Was working on a chisel at the time and kept feeling larger grit under the bevel. Kept clearing it away and it kept reappearing. Took a look at the surface and there were a handful of small voids or pockets where these blobs had come from. Haven't had the same issue with my 8".
 
HH, I just checked the wording from the packaging on my 6" SiC stones and both say, made in China.? Does this have anything to do with it? DM
 
David Martin said:
HH, I just checked the wording from the packaging on my 6" SiC stones and both say, made in China.? Does this have anything to do with it? DM
Click to expand...


DM, I don't know. I felt good about my purchases because I was supporting my local hardware store and buying American (according to the packaging). As a utility stone for most folks the stone would have been good enough for sure. I can't be using a stone that releases larger bits.
 
bucketstove said:
Hi,
SiC is friable?

The ace hardware website didnt used to list grits , a review mentioned making calls to find out its 60 80,
More weak evidence, the descriptions are very similar

Best for hand sharpening blades and cutting tools. Combination grits-coarse (60) for initial shaping and deburring-fine (80) for final honing of sharp edges. Fast cutting silicon carbide grain. Use with honing oil for best results.
  • Size: 8" x 2" x 1"
  • Grain: silicon carbide
  • Grit: 80 grit-coarse removal
  • Combination grits-coarse (60) for initial shaping and deburring-fine (80) for final honing of sharp edges
  • Fast cutting silicon carbide grain
  • Use with honing oil for best results
  • Made in USA.
Click to expand...
SiC IS friable. The particles themselves break down, Try lapping with it and you'll see. SiC, Whether in abrasive form or as a tool insert, is fragile. It'll break if you stress it the wrong way. I find that SiC stones give a wonderful finish compared to their grit level because of this.
 
HeavyHanded, thanks for your info about the QEP stone. I bought one last year but haven't used it much. Will watch for glazing.

I bought a Baryonyx Manticore recently to thin out some thick convex edges. So far have only used it once briefly, but I liked what I saw. I feel better using a stone that is specifically designed for this purpose.
 
Mr.Wizard said:
I can't PM you, but I thought you might watch this.
Click to expand...

Wow, I have a lot of respect for Jeff, but he's just plain wrong on this one.

IDK about making it one's premier leg exercise, that would be stupid. But as an accessory lift without machines its a great choice, right up there with Hack Squats that also have the knees past the toes - or maybe Tom Platz knows less about training legs than Jeff...

It won't wreck your knees, but if you already have bad knees it sure won't be appreciated at first.
 
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