I have a digital microscope. Its great for getting down deep and analyzing an edge during various stages. It takes pics of the edge too! I mostly use a lighted 10x $7 loupe. All I need to use it for is to quickly scan along the edge to see if I’ve erased all the scratch marks from the previous grit before moving on. I can do this also with my naked eye and I don’t even have great eyesight. My edge sharpening needs are pretty basic. I also have a 30x loupe, but I found the higher the power the smaller the field of vision is with the loupe. On the 100’s that I may have to replace. . . . I’ll check them through the digital microscope but since they are already worn I have nothing to compare how the new ones come. All I know is my 100’s take twice the time to get a burr as they used to and I don’t want to spend yet another $70 to find I was wrong and they still have a lot of life left in them.
A question and a suggestion : Q: which microscope did you decide on? I seem to remember you having a wifi/usb type you liked in the beginning but became disenchanted with. S: Did you clean the 100 grit stones? They tend to get a lot of buildup (I’m too new at this so I haven’t experienced it yet but other members here were talking about it)[/quote]
I also have a clamp on light just above the WE setup. The scratches reflect this light making it easier to see with my naked eye with the coarser grits. As I get down to the finer grits, I use the 10x lightd loupe but that gets even harder to use when lighted once the edges are mirrored as it reflects the light back like a mirror would.
BTW the lighted 30x loupe makes removing splinters in your skin “a breeze”.
I have a digital microscope. Its great for getting down deep and analyzing an edge during various stages. It takes pics of the edge too! I mostly use a lighted 10x $7 loupe. All I need to use it for is to quickly scan along the edge to see if I’ve erased all the scratch marks from the previous grit before moving on. I can do this also with my naked eye and I don’t even have great eyesight. My edge sharpening needs are pretty basic. I also have a 30x loupe, but I found the higher the power the smaller the field of vision is with the loupe. On the 100’s that I may have to replace. . . . I’ll check them through the digital microscope but since they are already worn I have nothing to compare how the new ones come. All I know is my 100’s take twice the time to get a burr as they used to and I don’t want to spend yet another $70 to find I was wrong and they still have a lot of life left in them.
A question and a suggestion : Q: which microscope did you decide on? I seem to remember you having a wifi/usb type you liked in the beginning but became disenchanted with. S: Did you clean the 100 grit stones? They tend to get a lot of buildup (I’m too new at this so I haven’t experienced it yet but other members here were talking about it)
Yes I tried a $99 scope off Amazon for a few weeks. It was not of a $99 build quality IMO so I returned it for this one which works great and a bargain for $34.95. I don’t use the stand as I just run the scope along the blade when I want a closer look. Using the scope might even save one from slicing off the end of your nose when using a loup :o): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XNYXQHE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Good idea on cleaning the stones. I know wiping the DLF’s with a paper towel dipped in alcohol makes them look new again. For the stones I usually just brush them off over a barrel with a toothbrush after each use. An office mate of mine got his set a few months before I did. We sharpen the same types of folders, but he’s also a hunter so he sharpens many more knives than I do and he might have even bought his system used. He was complaining a few months ago that it took a long time to raise a burr with his 100’s so I lent him mine to try and he said that was the issue his stones were worn down so he ordered another set of 100’s. Thats why I’m thinking mine are wearing down and it could be time to replenise them. I can’t imagine how long it would take me to raise a burr starting with the 200’s on supersteels that some say they use the 200’s to reprofile.
I’ve read in several threads that some of the members here use a toothbrush and alcohol to clean the stones, I admit I haven’t doe that yet but I don’t sharpen many blades (as of now)[/quote]
I’ll try a google search that will turn up how to clean your WE stones. There is probably a Youtube vid on it alrady.
Does anyone know the micron sizes on the 2200/3000 stones?
I used mine for the first time last night, and so far I like how they worked. Need to see how they do after they’ve broken in, but I go to the superfine ceramics and then hand strop after the 1500, so used these in place of the ceramics. The edge is toothier, but nearly as sharp on a push cut.
I’m waiting for Clay to chime in since he has the most experience with the new stones. I had to close my eyes twice before ordering them, it would be nice to know a bit more and make a more informed purchase.
Alas. I’m just getting around to trying the new stones. Mine are actually quite pristine, with the first inspection resulting in a very positive impression.
I approach the grit combinations from a slightly different perspective, as I remounted my stones in a different sequence, running 200/400, 600/800, 1000/1500. My rule of thumb has been that the steps in grit should be somewhere between 50% and 100%. In other words, the next step up from 1000 grit should be somewhere between 1500 and 2000 grit. While the WE grits tend to be on the low side of the step increases, I would have chosen to go straight to 3000 grit from 1500. I plan to test my “theory” after I’ve got the new stones broken in.
Sorry for not getting around to this sooner, but I had earlier picked up a collection of eleven old wood planes on Craigslist and have be working my way through a restoration program. Some really interesting learnings on sharpening really old blades.
Maybe thats why they also sell the 3000 with a glass platen on the other side, so one can go right to a DLP. I have not used them on a start from a profiled edge yet. The two edges I’ve done so far with my new 2200/3000 and the MF ceramics already had mirrored bevels and were already apexed.
These new stones do introduce some complexity in figuring out a good grit progression and it’s impossible to create a one-size-fits-all answer because of the variety of different abrasives people already have in their collections. Another issue in recommending progressions is that the answer depends on your goals:
Maximum polish
Maximum sharpness
Fastest/most efficient route in time and money with focus on sharpness
Fastest/most efficient route in time and money with focus on polish
I've been enjoying the following progression for maximum sharpness:
1000#> 1500#> 2200#> 3000#. I like this progression because the 3000# finish is plenty aggressive but still refined and seems to hold up well. I recently applied this finish to my EDC with the new DRO handles for convex edges that we introduced at Blade Show and I really liked the way that edge performed, all the way up until I used the knife the stab into and slash 6 bags of concrete. The aggregate in the bags really trashed my edge Another reason I like the 3000# for my EDC is that it’s easy to touch it back up with just a few strokes on those stones.
I’ve been enjoying the following progression for maximum polish (to the naked eye):
If you already have the Superfine 1200/1600 ceramics, you can fit those in between your 1000# diamond stones and the 2200# diamond stones.
At tcmeyer pointed out, you can definitely skip some steps because there is so much overlap. For example, going from the 1500# to the 3000# will work fine, as will going from the 1000# to the 2200#. You’ll spend more time with the higher grit to remove the scratches from the previous stones, but it doesn’t require an unreasonable effort.
If I may ask, how did you go about re-mounting the stones on the handles? Thank you.[/quote]
I have an old hot plate - actually, I think it was used for fondue. Anyway, it has a small pot that sits on an open hot plate with the temp controlled by a simple adjustment knob. I don’t use the pot. I set the temp of the plate to about 200F and rest the face of the stone I want to remove on the hot surface. When the temp of the stone reaches about 180F, I slowly pry the stone from the handle with a knife.
Peeling the tape off is a chore. Pushing the VHB tape sideways with your thumb when it’s hot can blister your thumb badly, so wear gloves.
Having cleaned the residue of the original double-faced tape from the stone, I remount it to the new handle using three short pieces of VHB tape - one at each end and one in the middle.
Brewbear, I followed Tom’s method only on the electric range top. I used a cast iron griddle. I worked just at 200ºF verified with my IR Thermometer. That’s still a low enough temperature to not effect the plastic handles but also work efficiently against the 3M VHB double sided tape.
I let the two steel diamond stones rest against the skillet for about 5 minutes, with a bacon press weighting them down. I quickly pried the stones up and flipped them sideways, the short way, with a very thin screw driver. Like Tom said it is hot so wear safety gloves. I found at that slightly hotter temp the original double stick tape lifts right off with the screw driver if attempted immediately after removing the stones. I did the glass blanks also with the same method. (I used “Goo Gone” to remove any adhesive residue from the glass blanks. Then I cleaned them again with Windex before remounting).
I asked Tom via email which VHB tape he used and purchased the same 3M VHB RP32 tape from Amazon. For the re-mounting step I found it is easier to apply the tape pieces down onto the plastic handles into the flat indented mounting pads first. Then after the tape is positioned flatly and securely, peel the backing. Then use the raised edges to help you position the stones on the indented flat mounting pads. If you place the end of the stone just against the little lip it will fit right down flat with out the other end getting caught up on the lip causing a uneven mounted stone.
I worked two stones at a time when re-mounting them. I clamped the like grit pairs face to face with a paper towel between them and a thin piece of wood on the outside and clamped them for about 5 minutes. The clamping is probably unnecessary but it won’t hurt either.
Thank you both for the detailed replies. I just ordered the 2200/3000 grit stones and I’m planning to : remove the glass side on the 1500 I already have (with 6 micron DLF) and replace it with the 2200 stone. Attach the glass to the 3000 handle so my progression will be 800/1000, 1500/2200, 3000/6 micron DLF, 3 micron/1.5 micron, 1 micron/0.1 micron. I haven’t gotten to the stropping side yet, but I’ll get there, I finally got a microscope I have yet to install.
The window is waiting to be opened.. 🙂[/quote]
I can hardly wait for a bit of time when I can play, unfortunately work keeps me busier than a one armed paper hanger! My eight hours work days stretched to 12 and 16 hours of late and once home I have remodeling projects started long ago that I need to complete. I will get to play one of these days but for now I'm happy to sneak in an hour or so every once in a while and our knives are sharper than they ever were before.
Another reason I like the 3000# for my EDC is that it’s easy to touch it back up with just a few strokes on those stones.
