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Sharpening stone question.

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
I need to get a good stone to sharpen my Tojiro gyuto. I have the Gatco kit, but I believe the fine grit stone is only about 320 grit. I have a Col. Conk stone that I got with a set as a gift, and from what I could find out it's about 1000 grit I think. I also have a Carborundum 159 stone that a barber gave me and I've put posts up trying to find out what grit it is (and I've seen other people ask the same) but never could get an answer. The only thing I've found is that carborundum only goes to about 3000-4000 grit. Pictures below.

I've been looking at stones on the Korin site, and my question is...would I be better off getting the 1000/6000 combination stone or the single grit 8000 stone to go with the ones I already have?

Thanks for any replies.
 
I sharpen my kitchen knives with the Shapton Glass stone 500/1000/4000 progression with great results. I think it was around $120 for the set of three stones, but they're very forgiving, cut at a decent pace and leave a good edge finish. They're also pretty low maintenance as they don't need to be soaked and come pretty-well lapped flat out of the box (mine did anyway).
 
I have both the combination stones and the shapton stones (up to 16000) to use for sharpening. It can get about as expensive as the knives themselves! How much money do you want to spend?

The combination stone is not ideal, but will work well for you to get good practice on sharpening. I recommend this route if you'd like to spend a little bit of money and minimize your trouble of keeping track of things. You should spend some money on a stone flattener to ensure this combination stone is "flat" to ensure you get a good sharp blade.

If you've got some money to burn...Shapton is quite nice, it cuts fast, does a smoother job and makes the job enjoyable. You should definitely get a good flattener to ensure you get the most out of the material.

In case you run across it. I like the Shapton over all other models (including diamond) because of the forgiveness it provides in case you make a mistake. You just need to keep track of more than one stone (I have 5) which are fragile.
 
Hi Mike,
Tojiros aren't the easiest knives to sharpen on the first round, the bevels are often a bit off along the blade and they are very stainless meaning tough to grind. If I was in your shoes I'd be looking for something coarser than 1k (say 400-500x range), then a 1k, then a 5k tops. I suggest stopping at 5k because a new sharpener will only cause himself trouble through his natural wobble that will tend to round over the edge.

A good bench strop with diamond compound (not chromium oxide) is also advisable to help de-burr and get that kitchen knife edge we all want.
 

simon1

Self Ignored by Vista
Thanks for the advise guys. I got a 1000/6000 combination to just play with. I had hit the Tojiro with the 350 grit, then did the 1000 and 6000...got it fairly decently sharp.

Last time I just used the 1000, and it cut well.

Dave, I also got the sharpening guide from your website...it's helping me get the muscle memory down a bit. The steeper angle on the Japanese knives takes some getting used to. But, last time I was able to get the curve at the tip better...and that was just free handed. I may look at getting a bench strop next, then maybe a couple of more stones after I get some more practice with the ones I have.

Need to keep practicing. At least if I screw up I don't have a $500 knife to have to send off to be reconditioned. :biggrin1:

Oh, and I took a tiny nick out of the 6000 grit side while getting used to the angle. Should I go by the auto parts store and get some 2000 grit sandpaper, tape it to a piece of glass, then use that to flatten the stone back out or invest in a regular stone flattener?
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
I think the Gatco kit will be fine for establishing a bevel. The 1k/6k will do fine for finishing. You may find that the 6K is superfluous and that the 1k gives you results that you can't improve upon.

Yes, by all means, flatten that stone by whatever means at your disposal. Wet/dry paper simply stuck to glass with water will be sufficient if you don't want to spend any money. Try anything above 220 grit to start and then smooth it out with 600 or so is my suggestion.
 
Oh, and I took a tiny nick out of the 6000 grit side while getting used to the angle. Should I go by the auto parts store and get some 2000 grit sandpaper, tape it to a piece of glass, then use that to flatten the stone back out or invest in a regular stone flattener?


Most people start off using wet/dry autobody (silicon carbide) sandpaper stuck (by water) to a piece of glass, tile, granite, etc for stone flattening duty. If you stay with sharpening consider a diamond plate for this task. Stay away from the stone type flattening stones - they're not flat and need flattening often - they're a complete waste of money. Oh and you need to flatten your stones before you use them since stones don't come flat.
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
Thanks for the advise guys. I got a 1000/6000 combination to just play with. I had hit the Tojiro with the 350 grit, then did the 1000 and 6000...got it fairly decently sharp.

Last time I just used the 1000, and it cut well.

Dave, I also got the sharpening guide from your website...it's helping me get the muscle memory down a bit. The steeper angle on the Japanese knives takes some getting used to. But, last time I was able to get the curve at the tip better...and that was just free handed. I may look at getting a bench strop next, then maybe a couple of more stones after I get some more practice with the ones I have.

Need to keep practicing. At least if I screw up I don't have a $500 knife to have to send off to be reconditioned. :biggrin1:

Oh, and I took a tiny nick out of the 6000 grit side while getting used to the angle. Should I go by the auto parts store and get some 2000 grit sandpaper, tape it to a piece of glass, then use that to flatten the stone back out or invest in a regular stone flattener?

Personally I think a dent such as you made is not a big problem . . . your knife should just pass over it . . . but if you want to flatten it out I'd go way courser than 2000 . . . something like automotive wet/dry 320 would be where I'd start.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Just keep practicing and your results (and knife) will continue to improve.
 
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