Sealing a really thirsty stone?

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Thpp9

Thpp9

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Hello,

I have an Imanishi 220 that I use for thinning but it's really thirsty to the point of being off putting. I usually soak it for at least 30 minutes but it still needs adding water regularly.

I would just grab another S&G stone, but currently I have some other stone priorities.

Do you think if I seal the sides and bottom of the stone, is it gonna be any improvement? Also would I need to use a specific lacquer, like shellac or cashew which are often mentioned here, or any kind would do the job?

Thanks in advance!
 
What you can try first is soaking it for a longer period.
Think about overnight. Might make the stone more saturated and therefor less thirsty. It worked with my bester (Imanishi) 1200. It remains quite thirsty, but less.

Practical that way? Maybe not. I don't mind since sharpening is a hobby, so I can prepare the day before. I can imagine it's a bugger to prepare in advance
 
Kawa said:
What you can try first is soaking it for a longer period.
Think about overnight. Might make the stone more saturated and therefor less thirsty. It worked with my bester (Imanishi) 1200. It remains quite thirsty, but less.

Practical that way? Maybe not. I don't mind since sharpening is a hobby, so I can prepare the day before. I can imagine it's a bugger to prepare in advance
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Well, sometimes I am reading posts here and on Reddit and I am starting to have the compulsive need to sharpen, thin or polish my knives lol.

Jokes aside, preparing in advance is not wrong or bad by any means, but if something could be done to make things get ready faster, it would be nice. I think I've read or heard about improving thirsty stones by sealing them, but my brain sometimes doesn't keep all the information I find online unfortunately lol.
 
cotedupy said:
Most of my synths I have permasoaked. And apparently, if you don't have space for a bucket, a toilet cistern is a very good alternative. Maybe even better as it constantly refreshes the water...
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To be totally honest, I didn't expect that lol.
I could give perma soak a try. In a bucket or even in the toilet 😂
 
I liked the toilet tank idea so much that it persuaded me to get some soakers. Turns out that the stones wouldn't fit into my Toto tank without interfering with flush mechanism. I thought that keeping algae at bay in a tupperware type container would be a hassle, but it's proved to be not a problem.
 
Like some said, probably put it in permasoak, unless you don't p[an on using the stone much/often
 
No amount of soaking will quench the Pink Brick 220's thirst. Live with it or seal it.

I've had good results with brush-on spar urethane; don't let that dissuade you from using spray-on lacquer if you prefer. I wouldn't use epoxy for sealing, personally.
 
Knife2meatu said:
No amount of soaking will quench the Pink Brick 220's thirst. Live with it or seal it.

I've had good results with brush-on spar urethane; don't let that dissuade you from using spray-on lacquer if you prefer. I wouldn't use epoxy for sealing, personally.
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It feels like the water just falls right through. Aside from being a mess why not use epoxy?
 
Wagnum said:
It feels like the water just falls right through. Aside from being a mess why not use epoxy?
Click to expand...

Mainly because epoxy forms more of a crust: On a coarse and porous stone which will lose thickness quickly and take on more sealant on application, I could see it being annoying.

I've sealed a few Choseras with epoxy, and am satisfied with the result. However I would just as soon avoid it for things like Pink Brick 220.
 
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