Saw Norton combo 4k/8k stone down the middle?

[Aaron Rappaport]

I have a Norton 4K/8K combination stone, and when I use both sides of it I don't enjoy the time spent rinsing the 4k grit off the 8k side. So, I got the idea that I might turn it into separate 4k and 8k stones, each half-thickness, by sawing it down the middle using a diamond grit hacksaw blade available at Home Depot for cutting tile. Has anyone tried this? I don't want to get 1" of the way through and then find out I need to buy 7 more diamond grit blades.

Thanks,

Aaron

[David Weaver]

Stone cutting was done with a slurry before diamonds...well, maybe there was something else between, but long before diamonds it was done with a slurry and wire. I think your idea will work, but you're going to have two thin stones that aren't that desirable. How attached are you to using the 4k side?

I think you have a chance of ruining the 8k side with a rough cut or worse, and I don't know if there's glue in the middle of them, but if there is some kind of adhesive, it might make the diamond cut idea less feasible.

I'd choose one side or the other if the contamination is an issue.

I have cut natural stones with old used HSS hacksaw blades, and I'd be inclined to think that if you're going to go at this, that may be more accurate than a coated diamond blade. It really dulls an already dull blade, and the blades I've used are the 18 tooth (coarse for a hacksaw) blades that don't have any waviness to increase the kerf.

But I really think you'd be better off finding a cheap mid-grit stone and using just the 8k side and leaving the 4k side down.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've not experience using that particular stone, or combo stones in general, so I could be way off, but I found it a lot easier to rinse the surface of my stones of the normal excess material from flattening and swarf and such by dunking in a big bucket of warm water, rather than trying to use the sink. No idea if that's feasible for your situation or would work well with the stones you have, but it's worked well for me - I've used the same bucket for multiple stones without too much issue.

[Aaron Rappaport]

I was hoping half thickness would be ok, since the 4k and 8k stones don't get that much wear. If I were to et a cheap mid grit stone to replace the Norton 4K, which grit should it be. I have read somewhere that Norton's grit rankings are different than other manufacturers', with the result that Norton's 1k - 4k - 8k progression is akin to 800 - 1200 - 6000 from elsewhere. (Or was that 4000 at the top, not 6000? Can't recall for certain.)

Aaron

[Aaron Rappaport]

Joshua,

The problem with combo stones is that everytime you use the 4K side, some of its grit runs down the sides of the stone, onto the surface that it sits on and onto the face of the 8K. The grit on the surface of the 8k can be rinsed off at the cost of having to re-nagura the 8k. What's worse is that if the stone is put 8k-side down onto its supporting surface then there is a risk that any 4k grit on that surface will get imbedded in the 8k face. The cure for that is a quick surfacing with a diamond stone, followed up by the nagura. It just gets a bit time consuming.

Thanks for your bucket of water idea. I'll give it a try.

Aaron

[Jim Belair]

I have read somewhere that Norton's grit rankings are different than other manufacturers', with the result that Norton's 1k - 4k - 8k progression is akin to 800 - 1200 - 6000 from elsewhere. (Or was that 4000 at the top, not 6000? Can't recall for certain.)

Whether top end was 4000 or 6000 it's hard for me to believe Norton 1k - 4k would be equivalent to 800 - 1200. My Norton 4k brightens up the edge a lot.

[Jim Koepke]

Ignorance must be the reason for my bliss.

I have always just given the 8000 side a quick spritz of water and started honing. How much contamination is there going to be and how bad of an effect will it have?

Since it is friable grit isn't it already a bit smaller and worn already?

Though currently I am mostly using separate 4000 and 8000 stones using the combo stone in the past didn't seem to keep me from getting a good edge and doing some woodworking.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

My advice. Just don't use the 4k side...like at all. The 8k can easily do its job straight off the 1k.

[Aaron Rappaport]

Thanks Jim, it's encouraging to hear that maybe I don't need to be quite so careful. Maybe any loose 4k grit on the 8k gets pushed to the side in the first couple of strokes, and then the next couple take care of any resulting 4k scratches? --Aaron

[Aaron Rappaport]

The one place I think the 4k is really indispensible is for back flattening. Otherwise, although many don't use an intermediate stone in the course of regular honing, there are certainly folks who find they help. I agree that common intuition about sharpening suggests that intermediate stones are unnecessary, especially if you use a micro bevel. However, intuition doesn't explain everything. For instance, why does a translucent ark prepare an edge so well for a strop?

[Jacob Reverb]

Seems like an awful lot of trouble, expense and risk to save a few seconds by rinsing the stone. I have the same stone and I simply 1) soak it 10 minutes in a Tupperware container, then 2) keep the same container of water nearby to a) add a little water when the slurry starts drying up and b) rinse the stone before I flip it over, and c) flatten the stone with a diamond plate when I'm finished. I'm not sure I see the huge hardship here...

[Prashun Patel]

I bet the vibration would crack the stone anyway.

I'd just post a WTB 4000g or 8000g in the classifieds; I bet you'd find one quickly.

[David Weaver]

The one place I think the 4k is really indispensible is for back flattening. Otherwise, although many don't use an intermediate stone in the course of regular honing, there are certainly folks who find they help. I agree that common intuition about sharpening suggests that intermediate stones are unnecessary, especially if you use a micro bevel. However, intuition doesn't explain everything. For instance, why does a translucent ark prepare an edge so well for a strop?

I'm guessing that the oilstones work well for a strop because the grooves are flatter. There is definitely a big difference in how much a translucent ark is improved by a plain strop than by how a waterstone is improved, or diamonds.

[Aaron Rappaport]

Seems like an awful lot of ... risk to save a few seconds by rinsing the stone. ... I'm not sure I see the huge hardship here...

Well, certainly not a huge hardship, in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, after reading through everyone's replies I think avoiding the risk factor of trying to saw through the stone wins. Hopefully, I was being unnecessarily careful by flattening the 8k side after each use of the 4k side, in addition to just rinsing it. The flattening did add some time to the routine. I'll give rinsing but not flattening a shot. Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. --Aaron