Some more comments on the 3000 vitrified stone. I’ll address different topics from other posters. I'm not sure exactly what grit it is, I thought it felt coarser than 3000 but I don't know. It can make an excellent finished edge which is all that matters. I sharpened a variety of steels: Carbon steels Blue #1 and Blue #2, and several PM steels: SRS15, Hap40 (66 hrc), K390 (64 hrc), Rex-121 (67 hrc). Plus a few other basic stainless and carbon steels. I had no issue getting any steel paper towel slicing sharp. However this wasn't a magic stone that would get Rex-121 steel as screaming sharp as I can get Blue #1 steel. It works well as a 1 stone solution which is very convenient.
I observed the 3000 having a trait of getting a blade mostly sharp quickly, particularly with heavier pressure, but final edge refinement takes time. I noticed this being quite different from other stones I use where final refinement is faster. I have no idea why this differs, but I noticed on all steels including carbon steels. Maybe its just coarser than other stones I compared it to. My impression is that this stone can make excellent results but will take technique development and much time to master.
An annoying trait of the 3000 is the swarf on the stone is very abrasive and will abrade the finish in areas away from the edge. This is an issue with etched blades or anything with patina. I have etched blades that stayed perfect for years and then when I put them on this stone, it abraded the etching in spots. Some new shiny spots appeared that were as much as 1cm behind the edge despite these areas never touching the stone. Extra care on damascus blades is needed. Perhaps rinsing the stone and knife more frequently. I can post pictures if anyone is interested.
Something else I noticed is debris forms on the 3000 stone surface at times. Its like the little rubber bits that come off a pencil eraser. I think I noticed this on only one of the 400 grit stones, i’m not positive but I think it was the one with modified binder and I did not observe this on the hard or soft 400.
More comments to come…
I observed the 3000 having a trait of getting a blade mostly sharp quickly, particularly with heavier pressure, but final edge refinement takes time. I noticed this being quite different from other stones I use where final refinement is faster. I have no idea why this differs, but I noticed on all steels including carbon steels. Maybe its just coarser than other stones I compared it to. My impression is that this stone can make excellent results but will take technique development and much time to master.
An annoying trait of the 3000 is the swarf on the stone is very abrasive and will abrade the finish in areas away from the edge. This is an issue with etched blades or anything with patina. I have etched blades that stayed perfect for years and then when I put them on this stone, it abraded the etching in spots. Some new shiny spots appeared that were as much as 1cm behind the edge despite these areas never touching the stone. Extra care on damascus blades is needed. Perhaps rinsing the stone and knife more frequently. I can post pictures if anyone is interested.
Something else I noticed is debris forms on the 3000 stone surface at times. Its like the little rubber bits that come off a pencil eraser. I think I noticed this on only one of the 400 grit stones, i’m not positive but I think it was the one with modified binder and I did not observe this on the hard or soft 400.
More comments to come…
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