So I got the imanishi - what do you find is the best for soaking? I've left it to soak for 30 minutes+ but I still feel like it's thirsty when I use it. I haven't had time to experiment (admittedly) so hoping to skip it and rely on the professional for advice.
I honestly don't bother too much about soaking... Sometimes the stone is permasoak for ages, sometimes there is no more water so it is dried for ages, I just put it in a bit of water for a minute and just go working.
Thank you sir. I would not have thought to not soak it… definitely thinking inside the box. When I was soaking it you are exactly right. I thought it was grainy and soft at the same time. Very interested to see how it will perform dry with a little water!!I have a Manticore "abrasive file" for machetes but it's too coarse for good cutlery in my opinion. I don't want to work with oil. The Zandstra FOSS stone HeavyHanded recommended does the job and doesn't wear too fast.
Indeed it is. The dual grit is really handy, and the 10" size is nice to work on. Both layers are a bit thin so I don't know how long it would last under intensive use, but for me it's just right.
I did this earlier this week. Yep, can confirm this is the way and I never would have thought don't soak it because the instructions and most common practice is to soak a soaking stone.... But, I soaking it made it so soft, muddy, and gritty but the thirst is never quenched. Not soaking it just makes it perform like a hard, but fast cutting stone.
Glad it helped ! Some soft stone will indeed be better dry because they get just too soft when totally soaked with water and you'll need to wait for it to dry (or take a second one the time the first dry). That behavior was shown to me by Damian Kordic, sword polisher in Croatia
Venev 240 feels pretty good, for it's coarseness. Much nicer than a coarse Crystolon, that's for sure.
Can you be more specific? What is it that you object to? I've tried a few, and haven't really had objections to the feel of any of them, except Crystolon and Manticore. It's been more about tradeoffs between speed and deep scratches, plus dishing.
so diamond stone tend to have glazing problems?
Some do. So far I haven't experienced it with FSK or JKI vitrified diamond stones. More glazing with some of the resin bonded diamond stones imo.
A fifth criterion might be "does not leave really deep scratches for its grit, occasional or otherwise." That lets out diamond plates, and, it appears, some diamond resin-bonded stones, though I don't have that really sorted out yet.
That too. For me, speed isn’t just material abrasion on that stone relative to its peers but how easily its scratches are erased on the next stone. No sense saving 10 minutes at 200 grit to spend an extra hour at 400 grit.
They can, but not always. I find it easier to deal with than coarse sic or aiox stones though
I think so. If its ultra soft, then i believe i had one just like it.
Low grit Shaptons load up super quick for me. Makes them frustrating to use. I have the pro 120, 220, 320 and they all do it.
Thanks. At thirteen bucks a crack, I won’t mind if it wears down quickly.
Certainly such a metric is completely subjective and can vary vastly based on whose arse you felt?
How do you unglaze a diamond stone then?
I use a cheap naniwa stone fixer - the ones everyone tells people not to buy and get a diamond plate instead. Works great for surface conditioning on coarse diamonds.
