I sanded mine flat and it works as good as any other whetstone. The burr on the edge of the stone seemed to ruin the blade as i was using it. I also noticed that you can actually feel the difference in grit once you take the top layer off. The lighter half is substantially finer than the course side and is a nice, smoother solid finish to it like a quality whetstone. So it costs $3 and 2-3 hours of your time to get an awesome stone.
Stones pre-soaked in oil by manufactures can only be used with oil .. i.e. oil and water don't mix. Apparently the HF stones are NOT pre-soaked so you can choose to use water or oil .. but should stick with whichever you choose after that. I'd choose to soak in water for ten minutes before using each time ... but this is personal preference.
knuckledraggery like this is why the quality of manufactured goods has been steadily declining. it's much more profitable to make garbage and make you buy another one, and it works because there's enough crayon eaters out there that would rather wrap their dickbeaters around their wallet than around a can of elbow grease.
I saw this item for the first time at Harbor Freight the other day. Meaning, I probably hadn't noticed it before. I grabbed it, because it looked perfect for my camp axe. Mine also was not all that flat when I first got it, so I just flattened it on a brick, then some 220 wet/dry. Then I snapped it in half, so that I could use it half sized and more like a sharpening puck. Does exactly what I was hoping for on my axe. Worthy of my $2.
Hey there, i got two stones from hf and theyre both different actually, they said the packaging needs to be updated. The slightly greenish colored one is a tad finer and is sandstone. I have both of them, just bought a dollar store stone, and an actual norton crystalone. Im going to do a comparison video soon
The Norton stone is pre-soaked, but it's not with oil. It's a grease or jelly. If you were to soak a stone with the same porosity as a Norton with regular oil, it wouldn't stay in there. Some of it would seep out onto w/e surface you stored and used it on, and the stone would be a bit thirstier vs the Vaseline packed stone. This is one reason why some machinists store these type of stones in an oil bath, for instance. Some of the cheap stones are more porous and aggressive than Norton india. Some are denser and slower. Most all will do the job, if you tweak your process around them. But you can tell Norton spent a lot of time on their fine india to really optimize it between all the different compromises. Norton "fine" india is a very nice product. I put that "fine" in quotes, because when you buy the combo stone, it's called fine. But if you buy it as a single grit stone, they sometimes call it "medium," even though it's the same stone.
Hmm, I could have sworn that I left a comment on this video a while back... Anyway, the reason why the harbor freight stone is drinking so much oil compared to your Norton India stone is because all Norton oil stones come pre-soaked in oil from the factory. Now, this can be considered a good thing to some, and a bad thing to others depending on how you like to use your stones. I just so happen to not like using oil on any of my sharpening stones including my Arkansas stones and synthetic stones like the norton. I prefer to either use water or simply use dry and clean the stone with a rubber eraser. I digress, the reason why the harbor freight stone was drinking so much oil was because most cheap stones do not come pre-soaked with oil. They leave that to the user which is preferable in my opinion. I don't want someone else dictating what kind of lubricant I should use.
Its a good point, however you are comparing two different Stones HF will restore a dull Knfe to sharp conditions ,now if you looking for Razor sharp edge any 3K grit or more will do the trick, so its not only the tool its also what you need it for and how do you use it
The Norton stone looks like it's been used a few dozen times and is probably saturated which is why the oil isn't absorbed and it also looks like a much finer grit and the Harbor Freight is brand new and that side looks much coarser which is why the oil soaked into the stone. That was no real comparison. Cheap stones work very well if you know hat you're doing, Like Murray Carter from Carter cutlery said it's 90% technique
@@talonjuel4021 actuly I find that it's best to soak your stones in diesel works nicely for stones that cant use oil the diesel is cheaper then the oil and does same thing just spot test it tho first make sure your stone not held together with superglue that may desolve works good on a 1$ dallor tree stone no problems and been almost a year you should go try one they actuly are not bad
The way those stones come in so cheap is they have a much softer matrix than the other stone shown (Norton) and these are NOT oil filled. That is partly why the difference in color, other than different materials and it saves the company time not filling them with oil. The cheap ones will work but are very soft and the extra time and expense filling them with oil does not make them a bargain. Those can be used with water since they come dry but load quickly with steel particles and stop cutting pretty quickly. These work good for garden tools and hatchets, etc ... that are of utility grade otherwise just buy a real india stone.
it's a water stone (they're soft so the slurry can even polish the edge with the slurry it self). I can get 18 of these for ~$20 (you need 3 to get a true flat surface and i have found sharpening stones in the river with extra-fine {2000 to 3000 grit sandpaper equivalent value)
I have a couple of one of these. If you have two to more, or something else flat to rub them on, you can get them fairly flat by soaking them for awhile and then rubbing them together. I think of them as "beater" stones. Soak one in water and then it will develop a slurry. I use them for my shovels and other gardening equipment and my cheap Tramontina machetes. They also aren't bad for using as a glorified sanding block or fine cutting file for something you want to grind/file down by hand quickly.They are easy to gouge a mark into, so be careful. Yes they are soft and cheap, but I don't mind leaving them around where they are handy to touch up tools with because I don't feel too obligated to baby them. If you need to remove a lot of metal off of something, use one of these and save your good stones for the final touches.
I like your line of thinking. As a chunk of abrasive they're a pretty good deal. For getting something razor sharp, which I'm looking for in a chisel or plane blade, it's just going to be a frustrating experience. Thanks for the perspective, and take care!
I have had tremendous results with the HF Stone. I soak it in water for several hours. Once I am finished on the stone I polish the edge on a vehicle window. I can shave very easily once I am done.
@@tychus8219 the sand blasted beveled edge of a piece of glass is harder than blade steel and will hone it but a 5000 grit stone or buffing wheel works far better
Try buying two of these. You can flatten them by rubbing the faces together. It works very quickly. Also work with a bucket of water. Dip the stone in the bucket of water frequently to rinse the slurry off.
This is really a very strange test. If the stone absorbs oil like that, it probably is not an oil stone. I use those coarse stones with water, soaking until they saturate. And then the honing liquid just does what it has to do. Taking away the sludge. But you have to keep the stone wet enough. Then, complaining that the stone takes off TOO MUCH material? Really? What is a sharpening stone for? I would like to see you take off 1/16 of material when you have a dented edge on a stone which does not take off material. This is a coarse stone, intended for taking off material fast. Before you use a 1000 or higher grit. Then, strange way of holding a chisel while sharpening. Best guarantee for a round bevel. Which shows. No, you can't shave your hairs off, because you ground your chisel but did not hone it. That stone is maybe 120/240. It is for forming the bevel, not for getting something razor sharp. That is why you have that other stone. The only real complaint which I would have for this stone is that it is too small so you can't make long enough strokes. But you did not even mention that. I hate to make an impression as to defend Harbor Freight. But this test is downright nonsense. Someone who doesn't understand the purpose of this particular stone.
🤔 so you use one stone for getting your bevel right. *THEN* use a different stone to actually get them razor sharp? 🪒 That's annoying because afaik none of the Harbor Freight stuff is pre sharpened. Does harbor freight sell both types of stones?
Harbor freight is the answer to America's eroding wages .... Nothing else. This is not a touch up stone. It's perfect for a knife which wasn't sharpened in a while. Followed with finer stone. Right tool for a right job. .....
I have the same question. I think its the lighter colored side but I'm not 100% sure. It also needs to be flattened which can be done with a n undamaged brick. I think I am going to use it was a course stone and just buy something like a king 1000.
I appreciate the video! After months of thinking about it, I have finally turned to RUclips to learn how to sharpen a knife. I have had this Harbor Freight stone in my kitchen for years, just don’t know how to use it. The edge is raised on mine as well, that can’t be good! I see in the comments ppl say they have 2 and rub them against each other -kind of makes sense i guess... either way, perhaps I’m better off spending a few bucks and getting something halfway decent. Nothing is really worth it from HF, all their tools are mediocre.
This is not for kitchen knives, do not use this on kitchen knife. Maybe for garden tools . Get a decent whetstone or japanese ceramic stone for kitchen knives.
"Slurry" is the word u were looking for..thanks for the review id save my 3$ for the good beer..lol maybe use it to sand off wood filler or dry wall putty??;) water stones will last for years and years
I am a neanderthal who mostly uses hand tools. If you think of a stone like any other tool that can be modified and which has many variations (in grit, "friability" etc.) then there is often a place for nearly any kid of stone. As my spiritual uncle Roy Underhill has written about, you can flatten a river stone and get an incredibly fine finish--but you have to do something to the stone to prepare it for this task. I did this by hand a couple times and it certainly works (I don't recommend it though!) As a neanderthal, it's easy for me to conjure up images of our ancestors sharpening with what we would call awful stones. Have a look at videos of chefs in street markets and you will see them sharpening long, flat knives on tremendously cupped stones. You do not need a flat stone for it to be useful. However, I personally do not use cupped stones :) I am a neanderthal but not a particularly skilled one. This stone can absolutely be flattened. You can buy 3 and rub them together regularly for a very, very flat result. You must buy 3 for this and prepare for a bit of labor though. Much like how a hand saw will be more labor than a powered saw. You can also rub against sandpaper, diamond stone, or silicon carbide loose grit on glass. All stones balance friability (the tendency to break apart into dust) with the tendency to get clogged up with waste material. My guess is that it is cheaper to make a stone that wears away easily, but I don't view this as automatically a "bad" thing. This also means that it should be easy to keep it flat. I would imagine it would be easy to keep it clean/unclogged, as well. My last observation from working with this stone myself: Understand that these are simply labelled in an unhelpful way. They are simply a rough grit stone and ought to be sold as such. They are not really a "fine" grit. If we simply accept this in the way we accept that 50 grit sandpaper is not 400 grit sandpaper, this tool can be deemed worthy. Why buy a rough grit stone? Use it to flatten other stones, use it for first shaping/re-shaping of tools, use it for rubbing clean the deck on your boat, haha. If a stone ever breaks, keep the bits and use them to de-rust or seriously de-grime metal. Here's another great use: it's basically a pumice stone, so when my hands are covered with grease, superglue, gorilla glue, stain, etc., rubbing your hands is the only way to get them clean. I also love to recover rusty old knives and tools, so what I do is bring a few of them along with a stone like this when I go hiking or visit family, etc. I am not afraid of traveling with a better stone, and I get to take a break for a bit. This should be the 3rd or 4th stone someone owns, not the only stone. The Norton stone in your video is the stone I would recommend every time as someone's first/only stone, and it is reasonably priced too.
It's obviously not an oil stone it's definitely a water stone, well i believe its a water stone after witnessing the oil soak through it,,, so this stone needs soaked in water 👍
Mick Emery. Sure it is. He put oil on it. If he had used water, it would have been a waterstone. I use the fine side as a lapping stone for my Arkansas.
i have one. got it for 3 dollars at harbor freight they also sell a bunch of quality cheap stuff. i cant seem to get my knife to razor sharp but it gets sharp. i may have to buy a 20dollar 600grit stone
I think sharpening stones are one of those things where it makes sense to spend at least a little money on it. Those Norton oil stones are pretty darn cheap, and even decent diamond plates aren't very expensive.
Brian Hilson I have this stone itd 120/240 grit i belive and it makes the knife sharp but not as sharp as i would like it. I want my pocket knifes to be razor sharp always. But if you just want a sharp knife not crazy sharp this is the stone for u. I saw a stone thats 600 to 800grit which should do the trick. I think anything over 600 will do a good job.
You should not do magic you do not understand! (Norton India Stones are PRE_OILED eventually that cheap stone will soak all the oil until it floats on top. That stone is fine for a cheap stone. You could use any old flat rock and it would work....your milage will vary, if you are master knife shaprener this is not for you. If your cheap knife/tool needs and edge....this is fine). Oh and you just soak it in water and never use oil...once you use OIL then the stone is an OIL STONE FOREVER)
Norton India is an excellent stone. Fast cutting on coarse side and has a good finish for general purpose knives on the fine side. While I don't have Harbor Freight it doesn't look like a bad stone, it just serves a different purpose. Judging by how coarse it is it would be great to deal with very blunt knives, chips, fractures, and flatenning other stones. You need to soak it in oil or water before use. Since you didn't soak I don't know If it would retain water or not. If it doesn't retain any water it needs a repair before being used. I have a few cheap porous stones the work extremely well like that for fast metal removal. Being porous is bad for water retention but it helps to avoid load up because there is more space for swarf to drop before it starts affecting abrasive contact with steel. You need to knock out the corners before use on most cheap stones.
A good sharpening stone is not cheap, and a cheap sharpening stone is not good. I'm all for saving money, but some things you just can't skimp on, a sharpening stone is one.
Yea it a piece of junk I soaked mine in oil for more than a weeks & it just keeps soaking up oil to no return so I invested in a great 1x 30 with a bevel guide & a better sharpening stone .
Stone is not intended for use with a lubricant (water/oil). Same principle as a diamond stone or file. It is for tools that dont need a very sharp edge. Like mower blade or a hoe. Really going to use 1000 grit stones for gardening tools come on...
I guess I didn't think about the stone that way, coming from a woodworking perspective. The packaging does give directions for sharpening a kitchen knife, so I think they do intend it to be used for getting tools relatively sharp. My criticism of the stone stems from my perspective that I want to enjoy my time in the shop, and work efficiently, and this tool doesn't help me do that. It works, just doesn't work that well. Take care!
You perhaps prefer a very sharp kitchen knife, however that type of knife should only have an edge to "get the job done". You can get a bare minimum sharp edge (most store bought knives come this way) with this stone. This stone is definitely utilitarian, no enjoyment to be had. Thanks.
Man I got more educated by reading the comments than I did watching the video I got this Harbor Freight Stone working perfect now
Me too!!!
Maybe you should summarize for the rest of us
I sanded mine flat and it works as good as any other whetstone. The burr on the edge of the stone seemed to ruin the blade as i was using it.
I also noticed that you can actually feel the difference in grit once you take the top layer off. The lighter half is substantially finer than the course side and is a nice, smoother solid finish to it like a quality whetstone. So it costs $3 and 2-3 hours of your time to get an awesome stone.
Stones pre-soaked in oil by manufactures can only be used with oil .. i.e. oil and water don't mix. Apparently the HF stones are NOT pre-soaked so you can choose to use water or oil .. but should stick with whichever you choose after that. I'd choose to soak in water for ten minutes before using each time ... but this is personal preference.
I have never sharpened a knife before i just buy and throw away when dull
@@chrismleczek4164 me to but now i have cool knife
just spend your time watching the things on "The View" show and not great tutorials like this one lol!@@chrismleczek4164
So i can use it just like a regular whetstone? I don’t need to buy oil?
knuckledraggery like this is why the quality of manufactured goods has been steadily declining. it's much more profitable to make garbage and make you buy another one, and it works because there's enough crayon eaters out there that would rather wrap their dickbeaters around their wallet than around a can of elbow grease.
I saw this item for the first time at Harbor Freight the other day. Meaning, I probably hadn't noticed it before. I grabbed it, because it looked perfect for my camp axe.
Mine also was not all that flat when I first got it, so I just flattened it on a brick, then some 220 wet/dry. Then I snapped it in half, so that I could use it half sized and more like a sharpening puck. Does exactly what I was hoping for on my axe.
Worthy of my $2.
This stone is perfect for grinding the cheap hatchet they sell to a finer edge. $2 stone, $14 hatchet great value!
Hey, that's a good idea... Bust it in half..." 2 pucks for 2 bucks!"
At a "buck a puck" ... That's like a $20 savings if it works well!
Awesome tip
Your supposed to soak the HF stone in water for 10 mins before use...
@Emerald Lx I own it. You need soak it. It works great for me.
@Rueben Z. Clitz chinese stone not meant for oil.
@Dylan Gaynor 🤔 how is that common sense .... really ?
@Trump Won common sense also says Trump Lost though
lol, I soaked mine in water as a lubricant to begin with, and was just about ready to reveal the unintended discovery to the video maker.
Hey there, i got two stones from hf and theyre both different actually, they said the packaging needs to be updated. The slightly greenish colored one is a tad finer and is sandstone. I have both of them, just bought a dollar store stone, and an actual norton crystalone. Im going to do a comparison video soon
Which side is the fine side ? Both sides feel the same to me 🤷🏾♂️
The Norton stone is pre-soaked, but it's not with oil. It's a grease or jelly. If you were to soak a stone with the same porosity as a Norton with regular oil, it wouldn't stay in there. Some of it would seep out onto w/e surface you stored and used it on, and the stone would be a bit thirstier vs the Vaseline packed stone. This is one reason why some machinists store these type of stones in an oil bath, for instance. Some of the cheap stones are more porous and aggressive than Norton india. Some are denser and slower. Most all will do the job, if you tweak your process around them. But you can tell Norton spent a lot of time on their fine india to really optimize it between all the different compromises. Norton "fine" india is a very nice product. I put that "fine" in quotes, because when you buy the combo stone, it's called fine. But if you buy it as a single grit stone, they sometimes call it "medium," even though it's the same stone.
🎶 The more your know... 🎶
Aren't the Norton stones pre-soaked with oil so they don't absorb it so readily?
That's entirely possible, good point. Take care!
No
@@broken1965 yes not the chrystolone but the indias are
Hmm, I could have sworn that I left a comment on this video a while back... Anyway, the reason why the harbor freight stone is drinking so much oil compared to your Norton India stone is because all Norton oil stones come pre-soaked in oil from the factory. Now, this can be considered a good thing to some, and a bad thing to others depending on how you like to use your stones. I just so happen to not like using oil on any of my sharpening stones including my Arkansas stones and synthetic stones like the norton. I prefer to either use water or simply use dry and clean the stone with a rubber eraser.
I digress, the reason why the harbor freight stone was drinking so much oil was because most cheap stones do not come pre-soaked with oil. They leave that to the user which is preferable in my opinion. I don't want someone else dictating what kind of lubricant I should use.
Good info....ever think of starting your own channel? I'd definitely be interested in learning from the videos.
Its a good point, however you are comparing two different Stones HF will restore a dull Knfe to sharp conditions ,now if you looking for Razor sharp edge any 3K grit or more will do the trick, so its not only the tool its also what you need it for and how do you use it
I have a Norton stone just like that, it does a very well job!
swarf is the word youre looking for with the shavings
The Norton stone looks like it's been used a few dozen times and is probably saturated which is why the oil isn't absorbed and it also looks like a much finer grit and the Harbor Freight is brand new and that side looks much coarser which is why the oil soaked into the stone. That was no real comparison. Cheap stones work very well if you know hat you're doing, Like Murray Carter from Carter cutlery said it's 90% technique
I use water in it. I soke it first for 5 minutes in soapy water then nock the edges off with a a file then sharpen my knifes.
It just needs a good soak in water. I will try the Norton next tho. Just learning how to sharpen myself.
if you actually read the instructions, it is a whet stone that needs to be soaked. Not used with oil...
I have the product in front of me right now and it says to use oil. Maybe a different model required soaking
@@dcoy8666 no no you're right, I got the same one and it also said oil
@@talonjuel4021 actuly I find that it's best to soak your stones in diesel works nicely for stones that cant use oil the diesel is cheaper then the oil and does same thing just spot test it tho first make sure your stone not held together with superglue that may desolve works good on a 1$ dallor tree stone no problems and been almost a year you should go try one they actuly are not bad
The way those stones come in so cheap is they have a much softer matrix than the other stone shown (Norton) and these are NOT oil filled. That is partly why the difference in color, other than different materials and it saves the company time not filling them with oil. The cheap ones will work but are very soft and the extra time and expense filling them with oil does not make them a bargain. Those can be used with water since they come dry but load quickly with steel particles and stop cutting pretty quickly. These work good for garden tools and hatchets, etc ... that are of utility grade otherwise just buy a real india stone.
I realize it is quite randomly asking but does anybody know a good site to stream new series online?
@Rohan Kylan flixportal :D
@Bryson Miller thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) Appreciate it !
@Rohan Kylan no problem :D
I have one and it works great. Use water not oil.
it's a water stone (they're soft so the slurry can even polish the edge with the slurry it self). I can get 18 of these for ~$20 (you need 3 to get a true flat surface and i have found sharpening stones in the river with extra-fine {2000 to 3000 grit sandpaper equivalent value)
That's pretty cheap. Finding sharpening stones is the river is cool! Take care.
The harbor freight stone is dry so either you you use it as a water stone or soak it in food grade mineral oil. I love it as a water stone.
I have a couple of one of these. If you have two to more, or something else flat to rub them on, you can get them fairly flat by soaking them for awhile and then rubbing them together. I think of them as "beater" stones. Soak one in water and then it will develop a slurry. I use them for my shovels and other gardening equipment and my cheap Tramontina machetes. They also aren't bad for using as a glorified sanding block or fine cutting file for something you want to grind/file down by hand quickly.They are easy to gouge a mark into, so be careful. Yes they are soft and cheap, but I don't mind leaving them around where they are handy to touch up tools with because I don't feel too obligated to baby them. If you need to remove a lot of metal off of something, use one of these and save your good stones for the final touches.
I like your line of thinking. As a chunk of abrasive they're a pretty good deal. For getting something razor sharp, which I'm looking for in a chisel or plane blade, it's just going to be a frustrating experience. Thanks for the perspective, and take care!
I have had tremendous results with the HF Stone. I soak it in water for several hours. Once I am finished on the stone I polish the edge on a vehicle window. I can shave very easily once I am done.
Glad it worked well for you. As with many things, your mileage may vary. Take care!
I think you are lying... make a video proof or stop lying :)
I just came across this video again and forgot I left a comment. I will pull out the same stone and make a video.
It will work in a pinch but there are far better alternatives 👌
@@tychus8219 the sand blasted beveled edge of a piece of glass is harder than blade steel and will hone it but a 5000 grit stone or buffing wheel works far better
Why do u use oil and not water.want to get a stone .just doing some research. What brand of strop are u using.
I found some great tips... Thank you so much!
I use one of these on my kitchen knives and it works fine.
Usually we use water instead of oil
Try buying two of these. You can flatten them by rubbing the faces together. It works very quickly.
Also work with a bucket of water. Dip the stone in the bucket of water frequently to rinse the slurry off.
This is really a very strange test. If the stone absorbs oil like that, it probably is not an oil stone. I use those coarse stones with water, soaking until they saturate. And then the honing liquid just does what it has to do. Taking away the sludge. But you have to keep the stone wet enough. Then, complaining that the stone takes off TOO MUCH material? Really? What is a sharpening stone for? I would like to see you take off 1/16 of material when you have a dented edge on a stone which does not take off material. This is a coarse stone, intended for taking off material fast. Before you use a 1000 or higher grit. Then, strange way of holding a chisel while sharpening. Best guarantee for a round bevel. Which shows. No, you can't shave your hairs off, because you ground your chisel but did not hone it. That stone is maybe 120/240. It is for forming the bevel, not for getting something razor sharp. That is why you have that other stone. The only real complaint which I would have for this stone is that it is too small so you can't make long enough strokes. But you did not even mention that. I hate to make an impression as to defend Harbor Freight. But this test is downright nonsense. Someone who doesn't understand the purpose of this particular stone.
🤔 so you use one stone for getting your bevel right. *THEN* use a different stone to actually get them razor sharp? 🪒 That's annoying because afaik none of the Harbor Freight stuff is pre sharpened. Does harbor freight sell both types of stones?
Harbor freight is the answer to America's eroding wages .... Nothing else.
This is not a touch up stone. It's perfect for a knife which wasn't sharpened in a while. Followed with finer stone.
Right tool for a right job. .....
it means the norton's stone is treated with oil at the factory...the HF is a whetstone....
probably be alright for lawnmower blades or something
So which side is which. I have 2 of the HF ones, but I don't know which side is which
I have the same question. I think its the lighter colored side but I'm not 100% sure. It also needs to be flattened which can be done with a n undamaged brick.
I think I am going to use it was a course stone and just buy something like a king 1000.
Surprised me that when I finally got around to using it I got a shaving edge with mine the other day.
I appreciate the video! After months of thinking about it, I have finally turned to RUclips to learn how to sharpen a knife. I have had this Harbor Freight stone in my kitchen for years, just don’t know how to use it. The edge is raised on mine as well, that can’t be good! I see in the comments ppl say they have 2 and rub them against each other -kind of makes sense i guess... either way, perhaps I’m better off spending a few bucks and getting something halfway decent. Nothing is really worth it from HF, all their tools are mediocre.
This is not for kitchen knives, do not use this on kitchen knife. Maybe for garden tools . Get a decent whetstone or japanese ceramic stone for kitchen knives.
You gotta soak a stone in a puddle both sides before you use it, like in a pie pan. Use cheap engine oil.
"Slurry" is the word u were looking for..thanks for the review id save my 3$ for the good beer..lol maybe use it to sand off wood filler or dry wall putty??;) water stones will last for years and years
Yes, I think "slurry" was what I was thinking of, thanks! I'm sure it'll come in handy for something. Do prefer waterstones, and if so, which ones?
I am a neanderthal who mostly uses hand tools. If you think of a stone like any other tool that can be modified and which has many variations (in grit, "friability" etc.) then there is often a place for nearly any kid of stone.
As my spiritual uncle Roy Underhill has written about, you can flatten a river stone and get an incredibly fine finish--but you have to do something to the stone to prepare it for this task. I did this by hand a couple times and it certainly works (I don't recommend it though!) As a neanderthal, it's easy for me to conjure up images of our ancestors sharpening with what we would call awful stones.
Have a look at videos of chefs in street markets and you will see them sharpening long, flat knives on tremendously cupped stones. You do not need a flat stone for it to be useful. However, I personally do not use cupped stones :) I am a neanderthal but not a particularly skilled one.
This stone can absolutely be flattened. You can buy 3 and rub them together regularly for a very, very flat result. You must buy 3 for this and prepare for a bit of labor though. Much like how a hand saw will be more labor than a powered saw. You can also rub against sandpaper, diamond stone, or silicon carbide loose grit on glass.
All stones balance friability (the tendency to break apart into dust) with the tendency to get clogged up with waste material. My guess is that it is cheaper to make a stone that wears away easily, but I don't view this as automatically a "bad" thing. This also means that it should be easy to keep it flat. I would imagine it would be easy to keep it clean/unclogged, as well.
My last observation from working with this stone myself: Understand that these are simply labelled in an unhelpful way. They are simply a rough grit stone and ought to be sold as such. They are not really a "fine" grit. If we simply accept this in the way we accept that 50 grit sandpaper is not 400 grit sandpaper, this tool can be deemed worthy. Why buy a rough grit stone? Use it to flatten other stones, use it for first shaping/re-shaping of tools, use it for rubbing clean the deck on your boat, haha. If a stone ever breaks, keep the bits and use them to de-rust or seriously de-grime metal. Here's another great use: it's basically a pumice stone, so when my hands are covered with grease, superglue, gorilla glue, stain, etc., rubbing your hands is the only way to get them clean. I also love to recover rusty old knives and tools, so what I do is bring a few of them along with a stone like this when I go hiking or visit family, etc. I am not afraid of traveling with a better stone, and I get to take a break for a bit.
This should be the 3rd or 4th stone someone owns, not the only stone. The Norton stone in your video is the stone I would recommend every time as someone's first/only stone, and it is reasonably priced too.
Well said.
swarf fine chips or filings of stone, metal, or other material produced by a machining operation.
"a curl of metal swarf"
its $1.00 at Dollar tree stores. Soon to be $1.25.
I disagree you can tell the difference in grit by feeling it. At least for me I feel the difference between medium
They never have it in stock when I go to Harbor Freight.
Uhhh, water maybe?
Norton stones are pre-oil soaked. That Gordon stone is dry as a bone.
You have to soak the stone first.
It's obviously not an oil stone it's definitely a water stone, well i believe its a water stone after witnessing the oil soak through it,,, so this stone needs soaked in water 👍
kud that be a water stone not oil stone
Thanks for the tip.
You should try put it in water
Buy two, rub them together to make them smooth and soak in water.
What is the grit?
what grit size?? 500? 1500?
Swarf, maybe?
Is that a denim strop?!
Darn I just bought this 😢. Thanks for your advice. I bought a piece of junk 😂
On a Norton stone?
Swarf maybe?
Turnings
Good for hatcjes and machetes
Good video
Bad stone
NOT AN OIL STONE.
Mick Emery. Sure it is. He put oil on it. If he had used water, it would have been a waterstone. I use the fine side as a lapping stone for my Arkansas.
I use this to scrub calcium deposits off of swimming pool tile
I think the word you were looking for is "glazing".
i have one. got it for 3 dollars at harbor freight they also sell a bunch of quality cheap stuff. i cant seem to get my knife to razor sharp but it gets sharp. i may have to buy a 20dollar 600grit stone
I think sharpening stones are one of those things where it makes sense to spend at least a little money on it. Those Norton oil stones are pretty darn cheap, and even decent diamond plates aren't very expensive.
Brian Hilson I have this stone itd 120/240 grit i belive and it makes the knife sharp but not as sharp as i would like it. I want my pocket knifes to be razor sharp always. But if you just want a sharp knife not crazy sharp this is the stone for u. I saw a stone thats 600 to 800grit which should do the trick. I think anything over 600 will do a good job.
Bought the same exact stone for 1 dollar
drop in a bucket of used motor oil for a few minutes
that's because it's a water stone, that's why the oil get's soaked in.
What did u put on the strop
Green buffing compound, although basically any kind will work.
Brian Hilson what was your strop made of
Brian Hilson it looked like u put norton oil on the strop
Oh boy
You should not do magic you do not understand! (Norton India Stones are PRE_OILED eventually that cheap stone will soak all the oil until it floats on top. That stone is fine for a cheap stone. You could use any old flat rock and it would work....your milage will vary, if you are master knife shaprener this is not for you. If your cheap knife/tool needs and edge....this is fine). Oh and you just soak it in water and never use oil...once you use OIL then the stone is an OIL STONE FOREVER)
The name is slurry
The stone in this review
Is a wetstone ie water 💧
But hey 3 bucks it is just that a rough garden tool
Man made water stone
You do know that's a water stone. Don't you?
Norton India is an excellent stone. Fast cutting on coarse side and has a good finish for general purpose knives on the fine side.
While I don't have Harbor Freight it doesn't look like a bad stone, it just serves a different purpose. Judging by how coarse it is it would be great to deal with very blunt knives, chips, fractures, and flatenning other stones.
You need to soak it in oil or water before use. Since you didn't soak I don't know If it would retain water or not. If it doesn't retain any water it needs a repair before being used. I have a few cheap porous stones the work extremely well like that for fast metal removal.
Being porous is bad for water retention but it helps to avoid load up because there is more space for swarf to drop before it starts affecting abrasive contact with steel.
You need to knock out the corners before use on most cheap stones.
Shavings
A good sharpening stone is not cheap, and a cheap sharpening stone is not good. I'm all for saving money, but some things you just can't skimp on, a sharpening stone is one.
Totally agree. Take care!
Yea it a piece of junk I soaked mine in oil for more than a weeks & it just keeps soaking up oil to no return so I invested in a great 1x 30 with a bevel guide & a better sharpening stone .
The harbor freight stones suck up to much oil
I can't sharpen for shit with this stone
Yup, it's junk.
Brian Hilson the diamond honing blocks are good
From Harbor Freight. Hmm, worth a try. Maybe...
Brian Hilson yeah, their honing blocks are pretty decent.
Stone is not intended for use with a lubricant (water/oil). Same principle as a diamond stone or file. It is for tools that dont need a very sharp edge. Like mower blade or a hoe. Really going to use 1000 grit stones for gardening tools come on...
I guess I didn't think about the stone that way, coming from a woodworking perspective. The packaging does give directions for sharpening a kitchen knife, so I think they do intend it to be used for getting tools relatively sharp.
My criticism of the stone stems from my perspective that I want to enjoy my time in the shop, and work efficiently, and this tool doesn't help me do that. It works, just doesn't work that well. Take care!
You perhaps prefer a very sharp kitchen knife, however that type of knife should only have an edge to "get the job done". You can get a bare minimum sharp edge (most store bought knives come this way) with this stone. This stone is definitely utilitarian, no enjoyment to be had. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your perspective, and take care!
We all here cause we dont know wich is wich🙋
Talk to much