Worn stones

[Steve]

hi guys,

 

how do do you know if your stones are worn…..should they wear right down to the plastic handle.  Mine are hardly worn from what I thinking but my 100 grit stones feel like they do absolutely nothing when I use them, the 200 grit stones feel and sound like they are doing more?  Anyone know what may be going on here, the 100 grit stones don’t seem to be taking any material off at all.

 

thanks guys

 

 

steve

[tcmeyer]

I think that we use (maybe abuse) the coarser grits more than the finer grits on the same handle.  In most cases, the first grit we use is for metal removal, while all subsequent grits are for finishing.  I’ve gone through a number of 400/600s and 800/1000s.  In every case, it was the coarser grit (400 & 800) that wore out first.  I use the 400s for metal removal and would guess that it gets 5 – 10 times as much use as the 600s.  I try to avoid using the 100/200s, as they leave scratches so deep they seem to take forever to remove with the 400s.  Of course, this means it takes forever to break-in stones which are almost never used.

I conclude that a stone is worn out if I can see areas in the center (and usually along the edges) of the stone which are shiny.  Even 1000-grit diamonds won’t be shiny.  If you have relatively new stones (less than 50 knives, say) it’s possible that you are comparing a well-broken-in 100-grit stone to a 200 which is not fully broken-in.

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[Mark76]

I agree with Tom. You should definitely not wear them down to the plastic handle. But when they’re much less effective than before, they may be worn too much. But, as Tom also said, don’t compare handles that are well broken in to ones that are not. In my experience the WE diamond stones are among the best on the market and should last hundreds of knives.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Steve]

Just bad another look boys.  The 100 grit stones look and feel smoother then the 200 grit stones. They actually feel smooth against a blade when in the clamp.

 

There seems to be plenty of meat on the stone but not sure that means any thing.

I take it that the whole grit on the plastic  handles us not the whole grinding material or is it.  Should thay wear all the way down to the plastic to wear it out?

 

[dulledge]

Steve wrote:

I take it that the whole grit on the plastic  handles us not the whole grinding material or is it.  Should thay wear all the way down to the plastic to wear it out?

Diamonds are on thin metal plate, and metal plate is glued to plastic handle. You cannot wear to plastic in any case.

[Steve]

OK thanks for that mate.  I think I have worn the diamonds of the plate then.  I think I have reprofiled a lot of knives with the 100 grit and that is probably what has worn the 100 out.

 

Does that sound right to you buddy?

 

Steve

[cbwx34]

Have you cleaned them?  They can get clogged with ‘swarf’…

Clean them if you haven’t, then one way to check for wear is to compare the majority of the stone with the ends, which don’t see much grinding action.  This should give you an idea of the wear on them.

[Steve]

OK guys. Here is a photo through a jewlers loop.  From what I can see there seem to be plenty of diamond stones left on the plate.

 

Can some confirm that what is seen it the photo is the metal plate with plenty of diamond stones remaining in it?

 

What’s your thoughts folks?

 

Steve

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[wickededge]

Steve,

It’s hard to see from the photos. Can you take a photo straight down onto the surface of the stone, roughly in the middle? The stones are made by taking steel bar stock, plating it with nickel, then plating the diamond to the nickel. Eventually you’ll knock all the diamonds off of the nickel plating and end up with shiny, exposed nickel. There are odd cases where the nickel plating can fail and it will flake off in chunks, exposing the steel underneath. In your cause, you may have worn enough diamonds off to get down to the nickel layer but it’s impossible to tell without seeing a photo of the surface.

-Clay

[Steve]

Here you go buddy.  What do you think?

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[wickededge]

Thanks. It looks like you have lots of diamonds left. Try cleaning the stones really well to remove the swarf from in between the individual diamonds.

-Clay

[Steve]

OK thanks ks Clay, what method is best used. I’ve got a ultrasonic cleaner if that is recommended.  What’s your recommendation  mate.

 

Steve

[Organic]

You might want to review the discussion in this tread linked by cbwx34 for information on cleaning. Many people use barkeeper’s friend and a toothbrush with good results.

[wickededge]

Steve wrote:

OK thanks ks Clay, what method is best used. I’ve got a ultrasonic cleaner if that is recommended. What’s your recommendation mate. Steve

Try Windex, rubbing alcohol or white vinegar with a nylon brush.

-Clay

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