Here's something I thought might be kind of fun.
When you first get started in this hobby, the kit can seem a little intimidating if you really want to go all out. Stones, strops, funky pastes, and other accessories all seem to be needed and all have their own price tag. While that's not really the case, it does enrich the experience to have, in your hands, all the goofy crap we're talking about.
As I'm entering a strange "minimalist renaissance" with my own relationship to sharpening, I thought I might try to do someone a favor and pass on my own starter kit.
Sold as a bundle, here's what's in the box:
Beston 500: An oft-recommended coarse stone. He's a fast cutter and a great tool for setting bevels and doing repairs. The one I'm selling, as with everything else offered, is used but has a great deal of life left. There's a gouge on one side of the stone from fixing a broken tip; additionally, it has a good deal of overall wear (but nothing that impacts performance). Retails new for $45.
Bester 1200: Another "must have" stone, I'm not sure you can even register on this site without hearing about it. Builds some nice mud, cuts fast, slow to dish, and the edge it leaves is--in my experience--more than adequate for the majority of kitchen tasks. Used often with a few dings and scratches, but still perfectly suited for use and in no danger of running out of surface. New for $50.
Hand American Chromium Oxide and Boron Carbide Pastes: The boron is about half full, the chromium is three quarters full. Useful when you're stropping to leave polished, toothy edges. Combined new for $50.
Hand American Hone Base w/ Magnetic Backed Balsa: This is a neat little stropping tool: it's a heavy glass plate mounted on a sturdy base, with a removable galvanized metal "lid" which can be used to attach various magnetic-backed substrates. Included is a piece of magnetic-backed balsa I sanded down so you can start fresh. New for about $59.
Generic Stone Holder: I picked this up off Amazon, can't remember the brand. It's a no-name but it's perfectly fine for it's purpose. Put your stone on it, tighten it up, and you're good to go. I think it was about $30.
10x Loupe: If you've made a "Help I'm New" thread, someone has probably told you to get a loupe and check your work. If you're like me--hopefully you aren't--you had no idea what the hell a loupe was and had to Google it. Then track one down. Basically, this is a small magnifying glass with a light on it (there's still life in the battery too) so you can inspect your edges. New for $5.
DMT XXC: Can't talk about flattening a stone without talking about the DMT XXC. A rock-hard plate loaded with diamonds, for keeping your waterstones as flat as possible. This guy has been used for quite some time and, if I had to guess, would say it's operating at about 50% speed (which means it still flattens your stones, just not as fast). New for $80.
Anyways, that's the load, sold as a whole -- the cost for all this gear is about $320 brand new give or take. Since this stuff has all been used to learn on--and since I'd like to make someone's day--I'll unload the entire package for $50 shipped CONUS and I'll even throw in a cork and a sharpie.
The one condition to the sale is I would prefer it if the buyer was new to sharpening and interested in learning. Obviously I have no way to verify that, so play nice, damnit!
When you first get started in this hobby, the kit can seem a little intimidating if you really want to go all out. Stones, strops, funky pastes, and other accessories all seem to be needed and all have their own price tag. While that's not really the case, it does enrich the experience to have, in your hands, all the goofy crap we're talking about.
As I'm entering a strange "minimalist renaissance" with my own relationship to sharpening, I thought I might try to do someone a favor and pass on my own starter kit.
Sold as a bundle, here's what's in the box:
Beston 500: An oft-recommended coarse stone. He's a fast cutter and a great tool for setting bevels and doing repairs. The one I'm selling, as with everything else offered, is used but has a great deal of life left. There's a gouge on one side of the stone from fixing a broken tip; additionally, it has a good deal of overall wear (but nothing that impacts performance). Retails new for $45.
Bester 1200: Another "must have" stone, I'm not sure you can even register on this site without hearing about it. Builds some nice mud, cuts fast, slow to dish, and the edge it leaves is--in my experience--more than adequate for the majority of kitchen tasks. Used often with a few dings and scratches, but still perfectly suited for use and in no danger of running out of surface. New for $50.
Hand American Chromium Oxide and Boron Carbide Pastes: The boron is about half full, the chromium is three quarters full. Useful when you're stropping to leave polished, toothy edges. Combined new for $50.
Hand American Hone Base w/ Magnetic Backed Balsa: This is a neat little stropping tool: it's a heavy glass plate mounted on a sturdy base, with a removable galvanized metal "lid" which can be used to attach various magnetic-backed substrates. Included is a piece of magnetic-backed balsa I sanded down so you can start fresh. New for about $59.
Generic Stone Holder: I picked this up off Amazon, can't remember the brand. It's a no-name but it's perfectly fine for it's purpose. Put your stone on it, tighten it up, and you're good to go. I think it was about $30.
10x Loupe: If you've made a "Help I'm New" thread, someone has probably told you to get a loupe and check your work. If you're like me--hopefully you aren't--you had no idea what the hell a loupe was and had to Google it. Then track one down. Basically, this is a small magnifying glass with a light on it (there's still life in the battery too) so you can inspect your edges. New for $5.
DMT XXC: Can't talk about flattening a stone without talking about the DMT XXC. A rock-hard plate loaded with diamonds, for keeping your waterstones as flat as possible. This guy has been used for quite some time and, if I had to guess, would say it's operating at about 50% speed (which means it still flattens your stones, just not as fast). New for $80.
Anyways, that's the load, sold as a whole -- the cost for all this gear is about $320 brand new give or take. Since this stuff has all been used to learn on--and since I'd like to make someone's day--I'll unload the entire package for $50 shipped CONUS and I'll even throw in a cork and a sharpie.
The one condition to the sale is I would prefer it if the buyer was new to sharpening and interested in learning. Obviously I have no way to verify that, so play nice, damnit!