Page 4 of 12 FirstFirst 12345678 ... LastLast
Results 46 to 60 of 175

Thread: The One Stone Challenge

  1. #46
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    Yeah, they're not that magical. There will be no religious conversion or visions of the future after you touch one.

  2. #47
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Ekenäs, Finland
    Posts
    187
    I think simplifying a process can be a huge timesaver. Also most of us would do better on a golf course if we understood to bring fewer clubs. I recommend this. Several of by best rounds have been played with half a set of clubs. When you have less considrations you tend to let your brain work for you rather than against you. I like this idea and I will try it out.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Rust never sleeps
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/77333663@N07/sets

  3. #48
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Lawrence, KS
    Posts
    594
    Quote Originally Posted by Maurice Ungaro View Post
    David,
    Not being a rust hunter, do you have any suggestions for vendors of new Arkansas stones? I came across this place http://www.naturalwhetstone.com/aboutus.htm
    Any comment on their products?
    Good stones. The wooden boxes they put the stones in, not so much. But then you are buying the stone, not the box.
    Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

  4. #49
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS-mechT...y-OilStone.asp

    A pasted bit of literature from 1902 on wiktor kuc's site. Presume that the pike company wrote it.

    It suggests that stones were sold without labels and people tried them until they found something they like. The same method should be employed with japanese stones now, but taking the mine stamp off of a japanese stone through use is a no-no.

    I wondered why there would be soft arkansas stones of lesser quality in vintage form when the pike stones were so widely distributed, but also found some retailers who sold three stones "soft stones, washita stones, and arkansas stones".

    The arkansas stones weren't labeled as hard arkansas, but they certainly would've been translucents or black stones, and the soft stones they sold at a cut rate so that they would be less expensive than the pike mine washita stones.
    Last edited by David Weaver; 03-07-2014 at 11:09 AM.

  5. #50
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
    Posts
    1,898
    But what exactly is a "soft Arkansas"?

    I've tried several new (and don't ever recall seeing a vintage stone labeled as "soft Arkansas") and I've never seen anything I've liked. They have been either sold off, or in the pile labeled "OK to loan to idiot neighbor".
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  6. #51
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    It's a low density stone from somewhere other than the pike mine. The only ones I've tried that I actually are the ones from natural whetstone. I sold the one I had to archie, kind of wish I hadn't, but they're inexpensive enough I could get another one if I felt the need.

    Bad ones are frustrating to use because they're always slower than you expect them to be, and they're not very fine. You have to keep on them with a diamond hone to keep them cutting fast.

    Once you have a washita that you would agitate with a diamond hone, there's no need for them.

  7. #52
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Earth somewhere
    Posts
    1,061
    Quote Originally Posted by David Weaver View Post
    Maybe more of a challenge for everyone else, I've pretty much been following it already.

    But by the one stone challenge, I mean picking one stone (that you already have) that you will use for your entire sharpening process, and using it for everything (all of your planes, all of your chisels). And no breaking from it to cheat with any other stones.

    You're allowed two other things:
    * a grinder or a coarse stone if you don't like to use a grinder, but only one, not two coarse stones, etc.
    * some kind of bare strop with no compound. Leather would probably be best, but folded newspaper or burnished MDF would also work. Some kind of strop is needed if you're using a stone that's got enough bite to remove wear from the edge of a tool.

    You can slurry your stone or whatever is needed to make things work.

    I've been working almost entirely with a single washita stone, but I've got other stones that I could do it with if I was willing to let them settle in (some of the modern arkansas stones that are called "hard arkansas" but not translucent or black, a 1200 sigma power II, a fine india, a bester 2k, ...).

    Anyone up for it?

    One of my woodworking buddies was raised by a father who was a carpenter in england. He had 4 planes and two stones in his box and he had pretty much worn the planes out. His two stones were a carborundum coarse stone and a soft arkansas or washita (I didn't know enough at the time to know what they were, and he threw them away - the fine stone was probably a washita).
    How bout no stone at all. I've not used stones for years. I still have the first Japanese stones I bought in the early 80s and they have very little wear. I also have a 200 grit water stone that has lots of wear but that's all from my kitchen knives. Decades ago I went to an MDF disk that spins at approx 300rpm that's charged with white buffing compound; straight from the grinder to the buffing wheel. Haven't had a reason to use a stone ever since.
    Sent from the bathtub on my Samsung Galaxy(C)S5 with waterproof Lifeproof Case(C), and spell check turned off!

  8. #53
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    You can do that, could be a separate thread.

    I tried one of those inexpensive sanders at one point with an abrasive belt and a leather disc with compound. It worked, but I'm too stingy and it went too fast. I did fling an iron with the leather disc, too. 300 rpm would be a good speed.

    I still have the inexpensive sander, of course (4x36 belt and 6" disc and another 10" disc sander separate - both of those I usually beat on to work metal - they're both handy for that)
    Last edited by David Weaver; 03-07-2014 at 11:45 AM.

  9. #54
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
    Posts
    1,898
    Back to the "soft arkansas" comments, David: what do you mean by "agitate with a diamond hone"? I've never tried that (but to be honest, my stones are basically vintage and already broken in). I do have a few modern Nortons laying around, and by agitate, are you suggesting just to "re-face" the surface with a diamond stone and if so, what make/grit/type diamond hone are you referring to?
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  10. #55
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    Yes, dress the surface with a diamond hone. Something in the 200 grit range. finer than that will grade the ark to some extent.

    I haven't used silicon carbide to dress an oilstone (for fear that little bits of it will stay on the surface) but that might be a decent idea, too.

    Diamond hones don't really like coarse arkansas stones that mucy. I have a 220 grit DMT "bench stone", the ones with the plastic raised base, and it got pretty beat in the middle right away from using it on oilstones.

    Maybe an old carborundum/crostolon coarse stone would work, too. Haven't tried it. IT would probably sound and feel like sticking your head out of the car and letting your teeth scrape on a galvanized guard rail as you go down the road.

  11. #56
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
    Posts
    1,898
    Haven't bought any toys today, so I just ordered a DMT extra coarse diamond hone. Curious to see what this will do for the "newish" oilstones I have laying around. Of course, I may have to send SWMBO on a shoe shopping spree so I can get the stones into the dishwasher without getting caught (again).
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

  12. #57
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    13,076
    Coarse stones only for that DMT, obviously. It'll scratch up the surface of any nice hard black or translucent stones.

  13. #58
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom - Devon
    Posts
    503
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom M King View Post
    I bought a set from Halls a couple of years ago. The last set I bought was in 1974 from Smith's, but they don't sell them like they used to. Hall's also made a custom set of triangular files for me, and were very pleasant to deal with. The stones are nice, and I'd buy from them again.

    My first set of Arkansas stones were thrown out in the yard when a tornado hit a shop I had. The Washita and Soft stones were broken, but I continued to used the prized Washita halves for years until I got around to getting a new set.

    Graham, I'm still gonna get that Black stone to you when I get someone to carry it across. Postage comes close to the cost of a stone.

    I did the one stone thing, sort of, yesterday. We needed to clean up an old beam, and the iron in the scrub plane was not only dull, but blunt. I ground it on a CBN wheel, and went right to the Norton 8000 stone since none were soaking, and that stone doesn't need soaking. That got it sharp enough to shave with quickly, but since the Diamond Lapping Film was right there-I keep it on the drain board mounted on a 9x12 surface plate. I stropped it on the two finest grits, and polished the back a bit on the film. Total time from blunt to super sharp was probably around a minute.

    These days, I only use oil stones if we are on a cold job site, and the sharpening bench is a table saw.
    Cheers Tom! Though I regocnised the name . No pressure on that stone, as and when will be fine. I feel I need to come up with something in return. Let me know if you see any UK moulding planes you would like and I'll gladly ship in return.

  14. #59
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    United Kingdom - Devon
    Posts
    503
    David, it's interesting you mention the UK love for the Washita. Joinery text of the late 19th century and early 20th century is littered with glowing praise for them.

    Also on Welsh slate, now that's a way to get a cheap polishing stone http://www.inigojones.co.uk/products/Honing-Stone.php $10.00 > £6.00. I have one and it comes with a slightly textured surface that needs bedding in or dressing, can't complain for £6.00. It is suggested that it polishes to around the 8000 mark and the makers advise water. However it works just as well with my favorite honing juice which is baby oil.

  15. #60
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    DuBois, PA
    Posts
    1,898
    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Haydon View Post
    David, it's interesting you mention the UK love for the Washita. Joinery text of the late 19th century and early 20th century is littered with glowing praise for them.

    Also on Welsh slate, now that's a way to get a cheap polishing stone http://www.inigojones.co.uk/products/Honing-Stone.php $10.00 > £6.00. I have one and it comes with a slightly textured surface that needs bedding in or dressing, can't complain for £6.00. It is suggested that it polishes to around the 8000 mark and the makers advise water. However it works just as well with my favorite honing juice which is baby oil.
    What is your method of "dressing/bedding in"? I've got an inkling to order one.

    Postage to the US is $28.00 per stone, no matter how many are ordered. In dollars, the cost is $6.95 for the stone, totaling $34.95 with postage, so this is not a very high priced purchase!
    Last edited by Tony Zaffuto; 03-07-2014 at 2:18 PM.
    If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •