Stone cracks?

[NO ChoP!]

I have an Arashiyama 1000 grit stone that I'm honestly not that happy with... hence why I have donated it as a work stone.

We usually soak it every couple weeks as everyone takes turns putting edges back on there knives.

After soaking for the night, I will leave it out of the box overnight to dry...

Well.....It started to crack, and now has many small crack throughout the stone. Whats up with this?

Also, this stone doesn't build up a mud well at all (my 4000 grit seems to cut better), and isn't very smooth feeling.

Is this a stone that can stay in water always?

Any thoughts?

 

[ecchef]

Are they 'structural' cracks, or just surface crazing?

 

[NO ChoP!]

They go pretty deep. I think I could snap it in half pretty easy at this point....

My co-worker thinks its because its left to dry in the kitchen overnight, where with the exhaust fans off and all the pilots lit, can exceed one hundred degrees...says its too hot??

The don't really hinder its performance as of yet, but it can only be so long before hunks start to break off.

I guess what I'm really wondering is, A) What did we do wrong, or is this normal? B) Should I have just left this as a permasoaker, or would that have ruined it? (Not really sure which stones can be left to soak indefinitely)

 

[tk59]

I've been told by some pretty experience folk that stones may crack if dried too quickly.

 

[Hattorichop]

I've had a my chosera 1000 and 5000 both crack on me. The cracking on the 5000 was the worst.
After the 5000 cracked I spoke to the vendor and he told me he spoke with Naiwana about the issue and they said it could be a magnesia bonding issue and he sent me a replacement.
Not even 2 weeks later my 1000 cracked. Again I contacted the vendor and told him of the problem. The vendor then went back and checked the records on the shipping dates the stones were sent, also the weather conditions during the shipping. Apparently the weather was extremely cold during the shipping period so he then assumed the stones must have frozen resulting in the damaging of the stones. Again he sent me a replacement.

[/IMG]

 

[JBroida]

with magnesia stones, part of the binder tends to leach when they stay in water for extended periods, so that is generally one culprit

the other culprit i see more often than not is improper drying. When stones dry out in hot areas, the water expands and causes the stones to crack. I always tell people to dry the stones in a cool, dry, and well ventilated area.

However, sometimes the cracks are just superficial (even if they look deep).

At the end of the day, stones like this should always be mounted whenever possible. Try not to mount to wood, which can change overtime and cause even worse cracks or breakage. Granite is really nice (but expensive). Also, dont try to force the stone flat... i've seen people break them this way too.

 

[Hattorichop]

with magnesia stones, part of the binder tends to leach when they stay in water for extended periods, so that is generally one culprit

the other culprit i see more often than not is improper drying. When stones dry out in hot areas, the water expands and causes the stones to crack. I always tell people to dry the stones in a cool, dry, and well ventilated area.

However, sometimes the cracks are just superficial (even if they look deep).

At the end of the day, stones like this should always be mounted whenever possible. Try not to mount to wood, which can change overtime and cause even worse cracks or breakage. Granite is really nice (but expensive). Also, dont try to force the stone flat... i've seen people break them this way too.

Wow, thats a lot of great advice.

I never soak my stones for longer then 30min at most and I always allow them to dry for 2 to 4 days in the darkest dampest place I can, my washroom. It`s kinda hard to control the temp, in Canada it`s hot in the summer and F-in cold in the winter.

I'll be lookin for some granite, sometime you can get sink cutout's for free at the supplier if you pretend your renovating your kitchen and your lookin for some samples.

What do you use to bond the stone to the granite?

 

[JBroida]

some kind of marine epoxy

 

[NO ChoP!]

Yeah, it must be the excessive heat in the kitchen then, as I had no problems with it for the first year I kept it at home.....