sharpening stone info/help

[Dude123]

hey guys, another sharpening stone question.

I came across a couple stones that belong to my father, but can't seem to find out much info about them. One is a Norton combination bench stone coarse/fine. The box says JB8, 175th anniversary edition on it.

The other stone is also a norton with IM-9 on it, which is an india stone, from what I can find.

can anyone tell me more about these stones? How would they be used/fit into my sharpening routine for japanese knives? any info about the grit level so they can be compared to other stones or how they would be used?

Would these stones be better suited toward sharpening kitchen knives or straights, or both perhaps? If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated, even if its just a redirect to the straight section of the forum. Thanks guys!

 

[DaveMartell]

Here's a chart for identifying Norton's stones.

 

[DaveMartell]

I've never been in love with oil stones myself. I'm familiar with them from use as a kid growing up and I know they work well on softer knives but they just don't work so great on hard knives like Japanese ones. They cut slow and clog which is the opposite of water stones hence my preference. Heck you got them for nothing so why not give them a try - you might be surprised.

 

[DaveMartell]

The "I" isn't on the chart but that India or aluminum oxide I believe.

 

[Dude123]

Thanks Dave!

I may send you an email tomorrow about adding a Bester 1200 to my knife order from the group buy, if you get them in before my knives ship up here. Shipping the stones probably isn't cheap, but I'm not sure if I can find a local source for them.

 

[wintermute2]

They cut slow and clog which is the opposite of water stones hence my preference. Heck you got them for nothing so why not give them a try - you might be surprised.

Depends on the knife. India stones will sharpen up VG-10 no prob. When you start getting into S30V and other wundersteels that's when you might want to ditch the oil stones - that's why I stay away from that kind of stuff. I'm a knuckledragger that loves my Arkansas stones.