At the end of a long day...

[Dave Zellers]

... is it ok to let your stones sit and dry out with the slurry on them and leave them there until morning?

My routine at the end of the day thus far has been to flatten each stone, wash it clean and set it on edge to dry. Today I was exhausted and thought I was done until I saw the stones. I did follow my routine and clean them up but I'm curious to know for the future if just leaving them there overnight all sludgy would cause any harm. Actually, I'm also wondering if reconstituting the dried slurry the next day would give a jump start so to speak. I try to keep each stone from mixing its slurry with it's neighbor.

[William Fretwell]

No harm done just wet them and carry on. Flattening them every day is excessive and will shorten their life. Try and use the whole surface evenly , reversing the stones often.

[Joe Beaulieu]

I may be misinformed, but flattening your stones needs to happen much more frequently than "every day". I was taught that you need to flatten your stones continuously, that their use will by design cause them to need to be flattened. I don't go more than five minutes of use on any stone without using a diamond plate to refresh the flat on that stone. You can easily see the need, just rub a pencil over the surface of your stone in a cross hatch pattern. Then take either a diamond plate, or use float glass or a granite plate and sandpaper, and just flatten for one or two strokes. Where you take off the pencil will reveal the flatness of your stone. You will be very surprised.

I don't care if you flatten when you put them away, but I never start a session without flattening. In my opinion, I would rather have to replace a worn out stone than have to wrestle with a non-square blade.

BTW - I use all Shapton Professional ceramic stones, grades 250 through 12000. I typically start with the 1500 if the blade/bevel is ok. I normally go up on through the 8000, except smoothers, which get the 12000. If I am refreshing an edge, it is usually the 5000, then the 8000. I also strop my ladies regularly during use.

HTH.

JB

[Derek Cohen]

... is it ok to let your stones sit and dry out with the slurry on them and leave them there until morning?

My routine at the end of the day thus far has been to flatten each stone, wash it clean and set it on edge to dry. Today I was exhausted and thought I was done until I saw the stones. I did follow my routine and clean them up but I'm curious to know for the future if just leaving them there overnight all sludgy would cause any harm. Actually, I'm also wondering if reconstituting the dried slurry the next day would give a jump start so to speak. I try to keep each stone from mixing its slurry with it's neighbor.

Hi Dave

I use hard ceramic stones (Shapton, Sigma and Spyderco) and slurry is not a feature of these. One of the reasons for choosing these stones is they require less flattening than natural stones. The Spyderco requires minimal, if any, flattening at all. Nevertheless, all stones either need to be checked for flat, and at the least they need to be abraded so the surface is clean. How frequently one does this depends on the stones. The Shapton and Sigma are done at the end of 3 or 4 blades , and the Spyderco once every couple of months (mindful that my sharpening is usually of A2 or PM-V11 steel, which is harder and more abrasion-resistant than O1). By contrast, King stones would end up being flattened for each blade.

I do not flatten at the end of the day. I wipe down the stones and put them away. This has always been my pattern, even in the days of soft King stones. I do not see any point in flattening them at the end of the day. For all I know they may move over night as they dry. I always flatten them before use, the next occasion they are needed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tim Cooper Louisiana]

Hey Derek. What do you use to flatten your shapton stones?

[Derek Cohen]

Hey Derek. What do you use to flatten your shapton stones?

Angle grinder, Tim. I swear by it.

When I began using Pro Shaptons, about 10 years ago, I used a Extra Coarse DMT diamond stone. This worked very well, and I had no need to change, however I was offered a new, unused Shapton diamond plate. They are ordinary prohibitively expensive. This one was reasonable. It is still going stone. Very nice to use - nicer than the DMT.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Dave Zellers]

I also strop my ladies regularly during use.

HTH.

JB

Thank you for your reply. I only have one lady but I will definitely consult with her regarding her preference as we 'start a session'.

[Dave Zellers]

Hi Dave

I use hard ceramic stones (Shapton, Sigma and Spyderco) and slurry is not a feature of these.

Geeze Louise! I swear, as I try to learn this, every day I read something that contradicts what I just read the day before. I thought slurry was everything! OY!

I do not flatten at the end of the day. I wipe down the stones and put them away. This has always been my pattern, even in the days of soft King stones. I do not see any point in flattening them at the end of the day. For all I know they may move over night as they dry. I always flatten them before use, the next occasion they are needed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

This makes sense. Flatten right before sharpening. As Joe said. That is something I can take to the bank.

As I progress through this process, I'm experiencing more than enough improvement with each session to encourage me to stay focused and alert and learn.

In a way, it's like starting woodworking all over again but with decades of experience underneath me. In many cases I'm using the same tools but now they are sharper than they have ever been.

I'm getting much closer to that coveted confidence of 'This is what works for me'.

I'll be there when I can sharpen an iron and run off a flat ribbon that actually floats its way to the floor.

One of these days ...

[Jeff Ranck]

Angle grinder, Tim. I swear by it.

...

Regards from Perth

Derek

I'm wondering how in the world I'd actually be able to flatten anything with my angle grinder. I'd just gouge a huge hole in things. Of course, I have no where near your skill.

JEff.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I'm wondering how in the world I'd actually be able to flatten anything with my angle grinder. I'd just gouge a huge hole in things. Of course, I have no where near your skill.

JEff.

You use a jig....

[David Eisenhauer]

LV or Ln probably have a jig add-on that will take an angle grinder disc.