i have a set of 3 spyderco hones. medium fine and ultra fine. they work very well dry. wondered if anyone had good results trying these wet with water, lather etc. thanks!
using spyderco hones
- Thread starter kansascutthroat
- Start date
They do work with water/lather but not as well. I've had Spyderco's for years and tried them wet for a bit a few months back on straights and seemed to slow the cutting and no advantage to them being wet.
Also....do not lap them.
Also....do not lap them.
I used the UF with and without water and found it to do better dry. I actually tried to lap mine once though and made a stupid error, so I wouldn't try that if I were in your situation.
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Utopian
The advantage of diluted lather (or any bit of soap or detergent in water) over plain water is because of the tendency of water to bead up and simply get pushed off of non-porous hones like the spyderco and most barber hones. Another thing that you can try is to cut an inch or less off of the hone to use as a rubbing stone. I found that made the hone a little faster but still not enough for me to like the hone all that much relative to other hones I use. Mind you, I only tried this with the UF, which is the only one I have.
So, why don't you lap them? What do you do if you suspect they aren't flat?
They come guaranteed with a certain level of flatness from the factory and they are ridiculously slow to lap. Also there has been mention that the effect of the stone being lapped works against your attempt to sharpen and since I've never lapped them I don't know exactly but this is from folks who have.
If you suspect them not to be flat just send them back to Spyderco.
Agree, they are made flat to within a certain margin, and Spyderco does not recommend lapping by the user. Lapping will change the intended function of the grit. (Some say it improves things, but others disagree.)
Even if water or soapy water doesn't improve their function, many folks prefer to watch the action of water for clues about the honing progress.
I have a set. My complaints are twofold: One, they are slow cutting. Two, they are very hard so if you make a bad stroke they will chew up the edge badly.
Even if water or soapy water doesn't improve their function, many folks prefer to watch the action of water for clues about the honing progress.
I have a set. My complaints are twofold: One, they are slow cutting. Two, they are very hard so if you make a bad stroke they will chew up the edge badly.
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Utopian
Despite the advice to not lap them, it's still a good idea to chamfer the edges. The Spyderco have sharp corners that definitely can trash an edge with just a slightly imperfect stroke.
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Utopian
Is this the voice of experience?Oh hell ya they will
