How to use Norton's Crystolon?

[Bobby2shots]

I think you're right about the 320, but seems to me the coarse Crystolon goes well below 120. I thought I read that somewhere recently. Maybe one of Joe Caltons' Youtube video's. He uses the Crystolon extensively.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I think you're right about the 320, but seems to me the coarse Crystolon goes well below 120. I thought I read that somewhere recently. Maybe one of Joe Caltons' Youtube video's. He uses the Crystolon extensively.

Well, who am I to argue with ole Joe Calton?

 

[Bobby2shots]

Maybe I'm thinking about the grit of loose SiC powder he uses to clean some of his stones, I'm pretty sure he uses 36 grit on some of them.

 

[Jovidah]

As far as I know, it's plant-based oils; coconut oil for example. One of my buddies actually manufactures plant-based oil for cutting boards, BBQ grills etc.,,, basically the same stuff. Here's a few of his products;

From what I've seen so far, unless specifically mentioned otherwise I'd lean towards assuming that most oils marketed as 'mineral oil' are still petroleum based.
Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that; it's sold as a medically approved laxative in some places, and as long as you get something that's food-safe I personally see no reason to worry about it.

 

[cotedupy]

From what I've seen so far, unless specifically mentioned otherwise I'd lean towards assuming that most oils marketed as 'mineral oil' are still petroleum based.
Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that; it's sold as a medically approved laxative in some places, and as long as you get something that's food-safe I personally see no reason to worry about it.

Like you I was under the impression that all ‘Mineral Oil’ was petroleum based.

Maybe they can sell other stuff as MO too. I don’t think the term gets used much in English speaking countries apart from the US though. Certainly not in UK or Aus.

 

[cotedupy]

It'll be around 120/320.

I’ve seen this kind of level talked about before for Coarse and Fines. And I suspect that might be ANSI - my stone would run a bit finer than that in comparison to Japanese stones I think. (200 / 600 ish.)

Just a hunch, may be wrong... I’m no expert!

 

[Ben.G.]

I just bought a Crystolon coarse stone a couple of weeks ago after seeing it recommended on here. I am comfortable using oil since using a Norton India combo at work for 6-7 years. The old chef bought it to use as a house stone. I reconditioned it with 60 grit sic powder once because idiot cooks would use canola or olive oil and it was clogged up. We replaced it earlier this year, but those Norton stones last a very long time if used correctly.

I don’t find cleanup to be a problem at all. You only need a small amount of oil. You don’t need to keep splashing it on like a water stone. A little goes a long way. My Crystolon is only for serious reprofiling and tip repair, not really for thinning. I have a Debado MD20 for thinning and a Shapton 120 to use as a regular coarse stone. The Crystolon came with a plastic box like the Shaptons that you can use as a holder to work on so you don’t have to worry about getting oil on your regular stone holder.

 

[Bobby2shots]

My Crystolon has arrived. This stone appears to be more,,,,,shall we say "refined" than my old Carborundum stones. 1st impressions; heavy,,,, and I wish it was a little wider, but that's ok. There are no instructions, period. No recommendations for cleaning or flattening, etc. No description of manufacturing contents. That said, I LOVE it. This should be the perfect protector for my Shapton Glass coarse stones, especially when folks bring me knives with badly mushroomed apexes from hammering into frozen foods and bones. I should be able to bring those bevels back to reasonably flat before final re-shaping on the coarse Shaptons (120,220,320)

I'll add also, that there is no trace whatsoever, of oil smell, nor oil residue on the surface of the stone.

The package has an interesting history of Pike Abrasives, dating back to the arrival of the Pilgrims, up to the formation of Pike Abrasives, and eventually becoming Norton Abrasives. The box shows Coarse/Fine, and model JB8. "Pre-oiled and Precision surfaced", Made in Mexico. "Use Norton Oil for best result".

My price here in Canada, was $53.00 CDN. (roughly $41. U.S.)

FWIW, much larger versions of these stones are available (11.5"x 2.5x 1/2"). Those are stones for the Norton Tri-Stone IM313 sharpening system. You can find those on Norton's website, under Specialty System stones. Those are single-grit stones, and are available in Aluminum Oxide, as well as coarse and medium Crystolon stones. Also Fine India, and various Arkansas stones are available for this system.

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-India-Replacement-Stone-for-IM313-P85.aspx

 

[Bobby2shots]

It'll be around 120/320.

Confirmed,,,the "coarse" is indeed 120, the medium Crystolons are 180, and the fine is 320.

 

[Blank Blades.]

It’s a silicone carbide stone whereas the Norton India is aluminium oxide. They’re fairly common in UK and are the de facto stones for woodworking.
Silicone carbide is a hard and sharp abrasive so they can cut for a long time without dulling. I believe Crystolon are a sintered stone so no/minimal binder, and you won’t get as much slurry as you will with a similarly coarse water stone. The Norton are much better than cheaper SiC stones I’ve tried with the Norton less friable and quicker cutting.

You can try and get the oil out, but easier to just use with mineral oil. Handy to have a bottle for wood chopping boards and it’s pretty cheap.
I tried one with water and prefer it with oil too.

They can leave gnarly scratches in soft cladding but have a good material removal rate. Also the SiC is a hard abrasive so is happy with high HRC steels.

The India stones are also really good. I use mine with water and it works well. Cleans up the scratches from the crystolon well, better than coarse j stones I’ve tried (king 240/glass 500/chosera 400)

You can use heavy pressure and it’s pretty dish resistant.

Just wanted to add a correction. Silicon carbide is harder like you said. However it actually tends to be more friable than aluminum oxide. So it breaks up and because dull faster than the aluminum oxide would.

On the other hand silicon carbide can cut harder materials, and also cut steel faster, as long as new abrasive keeps getting released.