Wade and Butcher stone progression

[cotedupy]

I’m pretty sure almost all the Sigmas are AlOx. I think one of the coarser ones are SiC…. Just checked. In their ceramic series only the 120 and 240 grit are SiC. The rest are AlOx. Not sure about their Select II series.

Ah right, yeah I wasn't certain about that part. Good sleuthing! I'd read someone say they were SiC, though couldn't remember if it was the SSII being referred to. (TBH I've always been slightly hazy on exactly what the difference(s) were, sounds like that might be one of them).

I’m tempted to fill it with Vaseline.

Haha... it might just work! The way they handle water is pretty unusual; they behave kinda like Crystolon stones, and they're often sold 'oil-filled' obviously.

Have you thought about sealing and permasoaking?

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

Ah right, yeah I wasn't certain about that part. Good sleuthing! I'd read someone say they were SiC, though couldn't remember if it was the SSII being referred to. (TBH I've always been slightly hazy on exactly what the difference(s) were, sounds like that might be one of them).





Haha... it might just work! The way they handle water is pretty unusual; they behave kinda like Crystolon stones, and they're often sold 'oil-filled' obviously.

Have you thought about sealing and permasoaking?

My 1K and 2K are sealed on all sides but the top. I did this hoping to slow / stop the water leaking out the bottom. It did help but it still leaks out somewhere. I need to seal them again. I haven’t been using them much lately. None of my razors need to go down that far and my diamond plates are just too convenient for quick and easy knife work.

My understanding was the Select II series was designed to handle more like traditional whetstones while retaining the advantages of the ceramic sintered process.

I had the 6K Select II. It is woefully incorrect on the grit rating. It is a great 3K stone though. It isn’t crazy hard like the ceramic 1K or 2K. Chews through the hardest steels while being just soft enough to have no issues with clogging. The ceramic 1K and 2K are stupid hard, shed almost no grit, and do have an issue with clogging - and then they are a huge PITA to lap and clean because they are so hard.

I also have a 400 Select II. Interesting stone. Cuts fast and does very well for flattening and lapping other stones. It does give up a little grit but not a whole lot. Also while it is a real fast cutter, edge quality is not good on razors or knives. It almost invariably needs to be followed by a better finisher. The 1K and 2K ceramics leave fantastic edges.

 

[cotedupy]

My 1K and 2K are sealed on all sides but the top. I did this hoping to slow / stop the water leaking out the bottom. It did help but it still leaks out somewhere. I need to seal them again. I haven’t been using them much lately. None of my razors need to go down that far and my diamond plates are just too convenient for quick and easy knife work.

My understanding was the Select II series was designed to handle more like traditional whetstones while retaining the advantages of the ceramic sintered process.

I had the 6K Select II. It is woefully incorrect on the grit rating. It is a great 3K stone though. It isn’t crazy hard like the ceramic 1K or 2K. Chews through the hardest steels while being just soft enough to have no issues with clogging. The ceramic 1K and 2K are stupid hard, shed almost no grit, and do have an issue with clogging - and then they are a huge PITA to lap and clean because they are so hard.

I also have a 400 Select II. Interesting stone. Cuts fast and does very well for flattening and lapping other stones. It does give up a little grit but not a whole lot. Also while it is a real fast cutter, edge quality is not good on razors or knives. It almost invariably needs to be followed by a better finisher. The 1K and 2K ceramics leave fantastic edges.

Ah that's interesting to hear to hear the various comparisons, ta. I think I've only tried one from each series, and they weren't mine so I don't have a huge amount of experience with them. I'd definitely say the SSII did feel a little more 'traditional', in that it feels quite soft, though still does the weird thing with water.

Especially good to know the SSII 6k actually behaves quite a lot lower as I noticed on their website last night that they do a 1k/6k combi; normally 6k would be a bit high for my tastes, but if it's actually rolling nearer 3k then that sounds very tempting (if I can find one anywhere!)