# First test of a cheap, Chinese sourced natural stone- guardedly optimistic...



## Bert2368 (Mar 17, 2019)

I ordered this stone from seller "realskuller" through Etsy on February 12th, it was delivered on March 15th.

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1582190265

I checked it for flatness, ground out some marks left on it by whoever flattened it (only one side came looking more or less ready to go, see pictures). Then I used it to sharpen my 35 year old Henckels 4 star chef knife, the only kitchen knife on hand which really could have used a touch up.

Initial impression: Much more satisfactory than the Mexican sandstone I recently tried. Especially for the price. I'm going to be using this one on annything that comes up for a while, hoping to confirm this.

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It was very well packed, multiple layers of bubble wrap, styrofoam, packing tape, yet more cosed cell foam and tape. No cardboard. If the slow boat from China had sunk, this package would have floated.








The "good side". I drew some pencel lines on it, ran it over a sheet of 80 grit wet sandpaper and the lines all disappeared within seconds. Pretty flat as it came, but some scratches were present. Ran it over a sheet of 220 grit wet sandpaper for about a minute, scratches were erased. A yellowish mud was generated in large quantities-













The mud quickly turned a dark grey/green when I started to sharpen the Henckel. This stone cuts a little slower than my 500 Shapton glass, leaves finer scratches.




I apexed the blade, then did a slight secondary bevel. Followed that with 5 passes per side on denim impregnated with Turtle wax scratch & swirl remover using only the weight of the knife. Then another 5 passes per side stropping on bare leather...

Knife sliced copier paper with aplomb. Shaved my arm. I spent VERY little time to achieve this, blade was not "dull as a hoe" before, but was not slicing tomatoes with zero pressure, occasionally glanced off the dry outer skin of big sweet yellow onions, it was far from perfect if you're a knife nerd.

I'm going to go out and buy some tomatoes, also thawing out a big chunk of venison for some real world testing.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 17, 2019)

(Addendum)

Got out the carbon steel nakiri, did a little work on the factory ground portion above the bevel where the core white paper steel becomes exposed (please pardon my lack of correct Japanese terminology for describing this).

Before:






After:






Close up of surface left "after", scratches left by factory have been pretty much erased in the shiny portion at center of this pic. Strokes were back and forth at 90 degrees to edge, holding the fsctory ground area above bevel flat to the stone with fairly light pressure.

This was accomplished quite quickly, less than 2 minutes work. This stone cuts steel acceptably fast for my needs.







I would describe the appearance of effect as slightly "frosty", rather finer than stone washed but definitely not a mirror, nor even a satin. Hazy?


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## Dhoff (Mar 18, 2019)

Very interesting. Too bad the original link is dead now 

How much did you pay?


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## Bert2368 (Mar 18, 2019)

The item is still listed, I probably screwed up the link. Try this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/638152...a_search_query=Stone&ref=shop_items_search_26

(Edit)
Etsy listing shows he has 29 of them available.

I paid US $22.5, of which $9.00 was shipping.

I see other sizes of stones now offered as well, here is a 15cm long version:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/671870254/6-or-15cm-razor-hone-sharpening-stones?ref=related-1

This same seller has a number of fossils offered. I notice a resemblance between the fossil bearing rock and the sharpening stones-











Conjecture: Are the fossils perhaps "by catch", found during operation of a a stone quarry? Or are the sharpening stones the off cuts and waste from a fossil quarry...

This is what the stone looks like dry after being smoothed on 1500 grit Silicon carbide paper and washed/dried.






I have now tried sharpening a 150mm VG-10 core stainless clad pettit knife and the 150mm white paper carbon steel, carbon clad nakiri. Worked OK on both, smoothing the stone surface completely of the manufacturing scratches & radiusing the edges has made it apparent the stone DOES give a nice tactile and auditory feedback of how it is grinding. Wish I had a standard, well known J nat to compare that feedback with.

After sharpening, I only did a few strokes on bare leather. They shave, slice loosely held paper and one of them cut ME quite effectively when I brushed a finger against the edge while cleaning...


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## XooMG (Mar 19, 2019)

Looks like a nice stone.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 20, 2019)

I like it more the more I use it.

Just sharpened three Globals with the new Chinese stone, followed by stropping on a tri folded piece of copier paper. Sharp, grabby edge, about as good as I've ever got these knives to cut food. Don't shave my arm hair well but they just whizz through a loosely held sheet of paper at any angle you choose to slice it at.

I sliced some fennel bulbs into 1/3 inch thick pieces for roasting, the knives sailed through these.

Im'a gonna cook more just so I can sharpen more. Probably going to get really fat...


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## Dhoff (Mar 20, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> I like it more the more I use it.
> 
> Just sharpened three Globals with the new Chinese stone, followed by stropping on a tri folded piece of copier paper. Sharp, grabby edge, about as good as I've ever got these knives to cut food. Don't shave my arm hair well but they just whizz through a loosely held sheet of paper at any angle you choose to slice it at.
> 
> ...



What angle did you sharpen those bsstards on?


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## Bert2368 (Mar 20, 2019)

Dhoff said:


> What angle did you sharpen those bsstards on?



Did it by hand (actually, by how it felt & sounded), somewheres around 15 degrees per side, if I had to guess.


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## Ivan Hersh (Mar 20, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> (Addendum)
> 
> Got out the carbon steel nakiri, did a little work on the factory ground portion above the bevel where the core white paper steel becomes exposed (please pardon my lack of correct Japanese terminology for describing this).
> 
> ...



Is this the stone you bought? using your link is your to your buying and i can't use it.
========
https://www.etsy.com/listing/638152...nes&ref=sr_gallery-1-3&organic_search_click=1


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## Bert2368 (Mar 21, 2019)

It is same seller, pictures look similar but are NOT the same pictures I recall from original listing, most of the written description is the same.

It's not the exact same listing but appears to be for the same item.


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## Ivan Hersh (Mar 21, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> It is same seller, pictures look similar but are NOT the same pictures I recall from original listing, most of the written description is the same.
> 
> It's not the exact same listing but appears to be for the same item.


Seller has a group of different stones for sale, is Pay Pal the only payment choice?


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## Bensbites (Mar 21, 2019)

This looks interesting. Is it a splash and go or a soaker?


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## Bert2368 (Mar 21, 2019)

I have only used it as splash and go. NO idea if it should be varnished on the bottom & sides, I've just dried washed it and wiped the water off.

As far as payment, ask the seller via Etsy. His English is pretty good.

Also, there is now the possibility of a larger (33cm x 7cm x 4cm) stone, this was quoted at US $30 including shipping.


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## Uncle Mike (Mar 21, 2019)

What grit would you say it is?


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## Bert2368 (Mar 21, 2019)

I think that like most naturals, this isn't really possible to answer. Comparative effect to other stones is all I can tell.

Even if I had a microscope and a comparator scale to check grit sizes, the next chunk of rock from the quarry will be what it will be, no guarantees that the river or ocean which had the sediment settle out tk form the rock strata had a uniform current to sort particle sizes.

I sharpened kitchen knives which were somewhat dull but not really chipped or dammaged, they cut well after. I believe the edge left could be called "toothy", it wants to grab and slice, not just skate over a tomato skin.

I wouldn't sharpen a shaving razor with this, although the Japanese carbon steel and VG 10 edges this stone left would shave my arm after a little bit of stropping, it was NOT a comfy close shave, I was kind of worried about slicing skin off instead of shaveing.

Have not tried it on woodworking tools yet, I have a rotten cold the last couple of days, don't want to go outdoors to reach the woodworking shop. Maybe later.

Be aware: this stone is quite soft. Slurry is produced fast, in large quantities. You probably CAN wear this stone out in your lifetime, especially if you flatten frequently, which it will need.

You can easily skim material off the face if you raise a blade too high. Run sharp steel against a corner, it WILL cut the corner down.

I would guess that the "feel" is related to that softness, it is very noticable if I raise a blade to too high an angle while stroking edge forward. Riding the feel of being just below that angle gave me the best and quickest results on knives.

-------

(Edit)

In case density is of interest?

Stone is 20.3 x 5.7 x 2.8 cm for a total volume of about 324cc.

Weight is 856g.

Density is about 2.64 g/cc.

I wish I had one of the student type mineral test kits our school gave us in 8th grade with the samples of minerals for Mohs scale scratch relative hardnes testing, a porcelain streak plate & etc.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 23, 2019)

Which members in the USA have experience of a wide variety of natural stones and so would be qualified to compare a new, unknown natural stone with other, well categorized traditional stones?

And possibly the time and interest to do so?

Send me a PM if that's you.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 25, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> Which members in the USA have experience of a wide variety of natural stones and so would be qualified to compare a new, unknown natural stone with other, well categorized traditional stones?
> 
> And possibly the time and interest to do so?
> 
> Send me a PM if that's you.



To make my preceeding post more clear: 

I found that this bargain basement natural stone works to sharpen several types of knives. 

I have no background to judge how WELL it works in comparison to, say, a J nat, plus no budget to get a multi hundred dollars "stone of renown" for comparison. 

I am interested in some informed hands on opinions comparing this stone to other naturals from people who HAVE that experience. 

So I'm going to start a thread on the "Pass Arounds and Loaners" section for this stone.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 26, 2019)

Stone is going to Georgia next.

Dan, please post any thoughts you may have about the rock here- 

Thanks all!


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## Ivan Hersh (Mar 27, 2019)

As the supplier of these stones gets them from many different place's i am thinking, and even though i am sure stones can vary in their grit size and quality.
So even if i ordered the same stone you now are working with, my stone might be a lot different in how soft or hard it is and how it sharpens a blade.
If it's not a big investment it surly would be worth giving these stones a testing.


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## Bensbites (Mar 28, 2019)

Well, your enthusiasm for this stone andvthe passaround has pushed my curiosity. I thought about joining the passaround, but for $20 USD shipped, I splerged and bought the stone.


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## Ivan Hersh (Mar 28, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> Well, your enthusiasm for this stone andvthe passaround has pushed my curiosity. I thought about joining the passaround, but for $20 USD shipped, I splerged and bought the stone.


Is the stone you are buying the one only being sold with PayPal?


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## Bensbites (Mar 28, 2019)

Ivan Hersh said:


> Is the stone you are buying the one only being sold with PayPal?


According to the Etsy link there are 25 available


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## Bert2368 (Mar 29, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> Well, your enthusiasm for this stone andvthe passaround has pushed my curiosity. I thought about joining the passaround, but for $20 USD shipped, I splerged and bought the stone.



Pretty much what led me to try this variety of stone out, at under $25.00 shipped, I could afford to roll the dice.

Buying $100 to $X,000 famous mine/strata name natural stones really isn't in my "mad money" budget, even if it were, those stones would STILL be a gamble for me due to my ignorance and inexperience- but also somewhat due to the inate variability of natural materials.

If you look at my postings related to stones/knives/kitchen equipment I'm buying and trying out? I am the knifey equivalent of the old ladies playing nickel slot machines at the casino. 

But hey, I'm having fun. And I can honestly say that I'm learning and trying new things, plus "she who must be obeyed" thinks the quality of my cooking has been going up since I started following this forum.

Thanks again to all of you.


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## Bensbites (Mar 29, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> Pretty much what led me to try this variety of stone out, at under $25.00 shipped, I could afford to roll the dice.
> 
> I am the knifey equivalent of the old ladies playing nickel slot machines at the casino.
> 
> Thanks again to all of you.



Clearly like dogs, we can smell our own kind.


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## Bert2368 (Mar 29, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> Clearly like dogs, we can smell our own kind.



Old Chinese proverb:

"A dog never smells his own"


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## Bert2368 (Mar 30, 2019)

Before sending the stone off, I DID find one piece of steel which would not sharpen on this stone.

When sharpening some woodworking tools, for some reason the tool steel blade on a (probably around 100 YO) Stanley #18 block plane absolutely REFUSED to take a good edge.

In fact, the longer I tried, the more irregular, jagged and chippy the edge got. I have no clue WHAT was going on here.

This was a new to me tool, an antique #18 block plane I got cheap through ebay. After a while, I told myself that Stanley must have screwed up that blade somehow and that's why a collectible tool this ol d seemed barely to have barely been used, had a blade 99% of original length, yet someone sold it to me for way cheap.

My assumption was wrong.

I did manage to get that plane blade sharp today with a set of new Chinese "diamond water stones" followed by stropping with diamond paste on copier paper, it WAS capable of taking an edge. It certainly did not agree with this natural, though.


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## Bert2368 (Apr 3, 2019)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/693408749/9-nature-17kg-razor-hone-sharpening

The seller has added some larger pieces, the biggest is 23 x 7 x.4.3cm, 1,700 g weight. Cost is $34 shipped. 

I have ordered one, I am interested to see if these behave consistently.


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## dwalker (Apr 18, 2019)

Bert was kind enough to send this stone to me to try out. As soon as it arrived, I used it to touch up a Munetoshi petty right before a meal prep. Without spending much time, it put a pretty nice working edge on it. This stone is very easy to use. 

In the following week, I spent some more time working with the stone on a variety of kitchen knives. I touched up white 2, blue 1, 2, and W2. I spent some time working the mud down and was able to achieve a relatively refined edge with a bit of bite on all of them that was shaving sharp off the stone. I consider it to produce a terrific working edge for kitchen knives. 

I can best describe the stone as a very soft, less fine, Tsushima Nagura that produces mud like a red aoto. It is very consistent and easy to use - a good investment for someone wanting to try a natural without breaking the bank. A perfect beginner stone.

I did put a white steel yanigiba on it to see what kind of polish it gives. Again, it was very easy to use in this task. It left an attractive kasumi with what I would call a medium contrast. I'm sure I could get a more consistent finish if I spent a little more time. I spent probably less than 3 minutes just to see what it would do. 

All said, this stone is a steal for the price. I liked it enough that I offered to buy it from Bert if he is pleased with the larger size he ordered and is willing to let it go. 

Pardon the poor light I had for pictures.


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## Bensbites (Apr 18, 2019)

I am very happy to hear this. Mine arrived Monday as we left for a family vacation. I have not had time to touch it or the $8 10k natural stone that arrived from amazon. 

I may try and sell my Aizu now for a much lower price.


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## Walla (Apr 18, 2019)

So...I looked around the seller's Etsy shop...seems to have some...how shall I put it...items that cater to particular adult tastes... LoL...

They really are selling all kinds of things there....


Take care


Jeff


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## Knife2meatu (Apr 18, 2019)

I assume they can combine shipping fees, if that's what you're getting at.


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## Bert2368 (Apr 18, 2019)

(Double post)


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## Bert2368 (Apr 18, 2019)

Walla said:


> They really are selling all kinds of things there....



Those fish skulls are really gnarly looking-


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## stringer (Apr 18, 2019)

I have one of these stones coming. I'm excited.


dwalker said:


> Bert was kind enough to send this stone to me to try out. As soon as it arrived, I used it to touch up a Munetoshi petty right before a meal prep. Without spending much time, it put a pretty nice working edge on it. This stone is very easy to use.
> 
> In the following week, I spent some more time working with the stone on a variety of kitchen knives. I touched up white 2, blue 1, 2, and W2. I spent some time working the mud down and was able to achieve a relatively refined edge with a bit of bite on all of them that was shaving sharp off the stone. I consider it to produce a terrific working edge for kitchen knives.
> 
> ...




Thanks for the review!

Bert, thanks for the recommendation. 

I have one en route. My first natural. I ordered it two weeks ago so it should be here soon. I'll post my thoughts.


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## mikaelsan (Apr 22, 2019)

If they are generally anything like described I'll have to see if there's still any left after the hype train stops. Sounds perfect for my usage.


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## Bensbites (Apr 22, 2019)

My Etsy stone arrived. I used it twice, I can confirm it works as advertised. 

I also picked up this stone on impulse... •Natural Stone Knife Sharpening Sharpener Stone Whetstone Waterstone Single Fine 10000 Grit, Silicon Non-slip Base for Kitchen knives, Tactical knives, Scissors, Razors, Swords, and More… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H1D8CK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SIzVCb1EX9TF0


I am sure, but they could be the same stone.


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## ACHiPo (Apr 22, 2019)

Just ordered one of the bigguns.


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## Bert2368 (Apr 22, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> My Etsy stone arrived. I used it twice, I can confirm it works as advertised.
> 
> I also picked up this stone on impulse... •Natural Stone Knife Sharpening Sharpener Stone Whetstone Waterstone Single Fine 10000 Grit, Silicon Non-slip Base for Kitchen knives, Tactical knives, Scissors, Razors, Swords, and More… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H1D8CK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SIzVCb1EX9TF0
> 
> ...



That Amazon fine natural 8"x2" stone is $7.99? And eligible for Prime?? AND fulfilled by Amazon, which means shipped from inside USA- delivered TOMMOROW???

If this is comparable/same product, OUTSTANDING find there.

Quote from Amazon listing:

"The DeBell Sharpening Stone Device is made of natural stone from Chongqing mountain."

The other (coarse) natural stone offered by this seller also says it's made out of a mountain in Chongquing, the picture of it looks much grainier, like a sandstone.

At $8 delivered, I am going to roll the dice on one of each of these naturals.

His other (man made?) stones all have pretty much the same product description, not too sure about this sintered "natural carborundum"...

Quote:

"The DeBell Sharpening Stone Device is made of natural carborundum being fried with special formula by temperature of 1000+ Celsius inside industrial oven, and then cooled down by air dry."

https://www.amazon.com/s?srs=15060901011


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## Ivan Hersh (Apr 22, 2019)

If i am reading correct Amazon has two $7.99 stones were reading about one is a 200/500 Grit the other is a 10,000 Grit.
So just what stone has been ordered?


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## Bensbites (Apr 22, 2019)

Ivan Hersh said:


> If i am reading correct Amazon has two $7.99 stones were reading about one is a 200/500 Grit the other is a 10,000 Grit.
> So just what stone has been ordered?


I have the 10k grit stone from the amazon link and the stone from the Etsy seller linked in this article. I am not saying it’s the same, but it is at least very similar, could be the same source.


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## slickmamba (Apr 22, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> My Etsy stone arrived. I used it twice, I can confirm it works as advertised.
> 
> I also picked up this stone on impulse... •Natural Stone Knife Sharpening Sharpener Stone Whetstone Waterstone Single Fine 10000 Grit, Silicon Non-slip Base for Kitchen knives, Tactical knives, Scissors, Razors, Swords, and More… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H1D8CK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SIzVCb1EX9TF0
> 
> ...



How would you say this stone cuts like? Is it 3-4k like advertised?


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## Ivan Hersh (Apr 22, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> I have the 10k grit stone from the amazon link and the stone from the Etsy seller linked in this article. I am not saying it’s the same, but it is at least very similar, could be the same source.


What is the size LxWxH of your 10K stone you bought from Amazon?


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## Bensbites (Apr 22, 2019)

slickmamba said:


> How would you say this stone cuts like? Is it 3-4k like advertised?



It is definitely finer and slower than my Shapton 2 K. 3-6 k sounds about right from the little time I have spent with the stone. I have not spent much time with the stone and consider myself a beginner to intermediate skill as a sharpener.


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## Bensbites (Apr 22, 2019)

Ivan Hersh said:


> What is the size LxWxH of your 10K stone you bought from Amazon?


Not sure exactly, without checking but i would say approximately 8x2x1 inches


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## Ivan Hersh (Apr 22, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> Not sure exactly, without checking but i would say approximately 8x2x1 inches


About the standard size of the stones being sold.


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## Bert2368 (Apr 22, 2019)

This showed up in the mailbox today, forgot that I had bid on this stone. 





I did order one each of the fine and coarse Amazon stones referred to above. They are probably arriving TOMORROW, but I won't be here to receive them.

The madness, it is contagious, I will soon have more stones than knives to test sharpen them on- Guess that means I need to start MAKING knives? Yeah, honey, uh huh, it's an economy thing, I can't afford to BUY enough knives to test all these stones so I've gotta start forging!

I can already hear herself saying "Riiiiiiiight."


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## Michi (Apr 22, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> Yeah, honey, uh huh, it's an economy thing, I can't afford to BUY enough knives to test all these stones so I've gotta start forging!
> 
> I can already hear herself saying "Riiiiiiiight."


Why? Makes perfect sense to me


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## Bert2368 (Apr 23, 2019)

Michi said:


> Why? Makes perfect sense to me


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## Dhoff (Apr 23, 2019)

muhahaha, Bert, I'll screenshot that one and blackmail you with it to obtain all your shiny knives...


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## Bert2368 (Apr 23, 2019)

The Amazon stones arrived.

The finer natural stone seems to be a bit finer and slower cutting than the my stone from Etsy, the mud from new stone was more whitish-greyish and less yellowish looking than the first stone when I flattened it on a diamond plate (which it really didn't need, quite flat out of the box). 




I would say it is slightly HARDER than the stone I started this thread about as well. The makers took more care to make it flat on both top and bottom, even the saw marks on the sides were less noticable. Plus, they stenciled their brand name on the side...

I took a break from my long term project of flattening and removing grind marks from the damned bannana shaped, bacon rippled 150mm #2 blue steel kamagata usuba and SHARPENED IT.

After about 5 minutes on the new stone, I stropped the usuba on some denim loaded with cheap auto trim polish and then shaved away part of my arm hair very cleanly. A tomato was cut by the weight of the knife and a drawing motion. Haven't tried to do the fancy vegetable shaving trick yet, but I am satisfied this stone works well on #2 blue steel.


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## Bensbites (Apr 23, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> The Amazon stones arrived.
> 
> The finer natural stone seems to be a bit finer and slower cutting than the my stone from Etsy, the mud from new stone was more whitish-greyish and less yellowish looking than the first stone when I flattened it on a diamond plate (which it really didn't need, quite flat out of the box).
> 
> ...


Thanks for your thoughts.


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## Bert2368 (May 1, 2019)

The new XXL size stone from Etsy seller "Realskuller" has arrived.

Measured dimensions: 235 x 68 x 27mm, weight 1,792g.

Density of about 4.15 g/cc.




After sharpening 7 knives of various types plus a couple of forged wood working hatchets, encompassing several different alloys?

I believe the new stone produces similar results as the first, smaller stone this thread was started about.

Mud looks the same, smells the same. Perhaps this stone is just a touch harder, it took longer to flatten the working faces with 80-220-400 grit sandpaper than first stone.

Most notably, the sedimentary strata of this stone are at 90 degrees to the working faces, rather than parallel- See included pictures. This does not seem to affect performance.




I sharpened my two oldest German knives (1980s Henckels 4 star chef and parer), a tojiro white steel core nakiri, Tojiro/Fujitora VG-10 core petty, a cheap "Haiku" "Chroma damascus" parer and two pocket knives, one with D2 steel and the other 440C.

None of them were really bad to start, all got positively razor like. Some did prefered to finish honing edge trailing, the cheap chroma parer only liked to be stroked edge forward.

Experiments with diluting the mud and using less pressure near the end of honing paid off with a better edge on several knives, especially the carbon steel nakiri.

After the stone, all were deburred one or two passes on a natural wine cork then stropped VERY briefly (2 to 4 passes per side) on denim coated with a bit of Turtle Wax brand metal polish & scratch remover. Not surprisingly, the white steel and VG-10 blades had the very best outcomes but none were in any way unacceptably sharp.













My back is currently all $%#@ed up, I can prep stones and sharpen sitting down without hurting (much), I hope to get back at the handle building project soon.

Probably going to cut the $%#& out of myself on the blades I'm trying to re handle now...


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## stringer (May 5, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> https://www.etsy.com/listing/693408749/9-nature-17kg-razor-hone-sharpening
> 
> The seller has added some larger pieces, the biggest is 23 x 7 x.4.3cm, 1,700 g weight. Cost is $34 shipped.
> 
> I have ordered one, I am interested to see if these behave consistently.



I ordered one of these on April 3. It arrived on May 4th. The cardboard box it was shipped in just about didn't make it. But, like Bert's, the stone was wrapped in enough bubble wrap to choke a flock of seagulls.

Dimensions: 234x68x43
1780 g

The stone is very flat on all sides. There are saw marks, but only traces. They have been mostly ground or sanded down. No brand markings. Gray in color. It's plenty flat for my tastes. Water sits on top of it like it's glass. So far, I sharpened vg-10 gyuto, a Chinese carbon cleaver, a Forgecraft paring knife and a stainless Sabatier chef knife.

VG-10 - The wife's daily driver at home. Haven't done anything to it in months besides hit the ceramic hone every couple weeks. As a result, it has a fatigued edge that has a lot of pretty much invisible microchips and isn't getting great retention, but is super thin behind the edge and generally excellently maintained.

The stone cleaned the edge quickly. Normally, for touching up this blade I just go to the shapton glass 2k. Compared to that the Chinese stone cuts slower, but not unacceptably slower. It polishes somewhere in the 6000-8000 range on the shapton glass scale.
I did one minute of scrubbing on each side. Then I deburred on soft wood and then did 50 alternating edge leading strokes to re-establish the apex. A couple of strops on leather with green stuff. And it was back to shaving sharp.

The surface is pretty hard but it does release some abrasive. More than a shapton in a similar range but less than my naniwa superstones. Sorry I don't have experience with other naturals. I don't have anything iron clad at home to see how it polishes that kind of stuff. I will update.

Carbon veg cleaver - this cleaver had been sitting in a drawer awhile but was put away in decent shape. The stone touched it up quite well.

Forgecraft paring knife - in horrible shape. 1mm at the edge. I just wanted to see how it would do. It did horrible. Way too slow.

Sabatier stainless - project knife. And
a gift for a friend, not a work knife, so I actually need to make it pretty.
I'm almost finished with reprofiling and regrinding the primary bevels. It needed reverse belly work and then tons of thinning. That's all done and now it just needs cleaned up. I'll finish with sand paper. The stone erased thinning scratches surprisingly quickly. So even though it's slow on edge work, pretty quick on polishing. Not as quick as Glass 8k, but very similar scratch pattern. Nice, bright finish, would be a nice setup for a mirror finisher.

I can see a lot of uses for this stone. It will also last many decades. I'm anxious to see how it does with my work kit. A great value.


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## Ivan Hersh (May 6, 2019)

If i could get around their PayPal demands i would buy one.


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## mikaelsan (May 6, 2019)

What's with their PayPal demands? Looking forward to seeing how fast mine gets here


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## Bensbites (May 6, 2019)

Ivan Hersh said:


> If i could get around their PayPal demands i would buy one.


Pm me. I am willing to help if I can.


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## Ivan Hersh (May 6, 2019)

Bensbites said:


> Pm me. I am willing to help if I can.


I just do not trust PayPal I know many have not had problems, when you hand over your bank information with no guarantee that they or anyone working for them will protect you.
If I can use a major credit card I will buy from an unknown seller.


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## Bert2368 (May 6, 2019)

Hey, Ivan Hersh-

I do understand why some would have reluctance to put money down on an order with delivery a month or more down the line. It's entirely possible a scammer could put such a delivery schedule on their offer and trust that by the time PayPal or ebay/Etsy/Amazon or whatever got interested, they were cashed out and moving on to the next scam.

Last order from "realskuller" I placed was sent in 4/3, delivered 5/1.

I have several times placed orders with ebay and/or amazon with 30 day + delivery dates. Have been burned TWICE in 22 years by con artists placing offers on ebay- It is not really that common.

All I can say? 

1: Never, EVER! put more money "in the wind" than you can afford to lose.

2: Check out feedback on any new to you seller.

3: Don't believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny or sellers offering new goods under 1/2 price of anyone else.


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## ACHiPo (May 6, 2019)

I ordered my stone on 4/22 and received it today (5/6). Pretty quick! Looks as described and discussed. Feels kinda like soapstone. It will be a while before I get a chance to try it.


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## Bert2368 (May 6, 2019)

ACHiPo said:


> Feels kinda like soapstone.



THANK YOU!

I put that observation together with my personal experience- and DAMN, I feel it is pertinent to the selection of mineral samples for assessment as sharpening stones.

More later, as I organize my experiences of sharpening stone performance vs. standard mineralogical descriptions/accepted nomenclature.


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## Michi (May 10, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> The new XXL size stone from Etsy seller "Realskuller" has arrived.


I picked up one of those XXL stones, too. Out of the box, the stone was smooth and flat on one side, and it had a few minor surface undulations and cutting marks on the other side. A few minutes with an Atoma 120 and 400 got both sides very smooth.

The edges of the stone were very sharp, so I chamfered them a bit. The two sides of the stone are almost, but not quite, parallel, maybe 1º off. (Not that this would matter.) The strata runs parallel to the cutting surface on mine. It looks and feels a lot like fine slate. I don't think it is slate though—the texture of the grain is finer than any slate I've seen.

Not surprisingly, the stone doesn't absorb any water. It's splash and go all the way.

So far, with that stone, I've sharpened only two Opinel Carbone knives that were quite blunt and needed a touch-up. Normally, I'd just use a 3000 stone for that, but decided to try them on this one instead.

In short, my stone is hard, slow, and fine. I'd say it's in the 6000–8000 grit range. Definitely finer than my Rika 5000. Slow to raise a slurry. I helped it along a little with the Atoma 400. I got a good edge on those Opinels, but it took a fair bit longer than touching up on a Cerax 3000 or Rika 5000. The finish on the edge is not quite a mirror; it leaves a slight haze.

This is a hard stone. I think it'll take me years (probably more than my remaining life span) before it will need flattening.

Overall, I think this is a good finishing stone, especially at the price. It'll also work for touching up (soft-ish) steels if you are in a hurry and don't want to wait ten minutes for a soaking stone to be ready. (You'll spend a bit more time sharpening, but you'll gain more than that by not having to wait for the soaking stone to be ready.)

And this stone will probably outlast three generations of sharpeners. Good value for money!


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## stringer (May 10, 2019)

Here's a pic of the scratch pattern. Fine feather scratches. I would call it bright but hazy. 





Here is the pattern for shapton glass 8k for comparison


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## Bert2368 (May 14, 2019)

I have re sharpened the new CarboNext sujihiki, finishing it on the big brick from Etsy. Just for fun, I sharpened a couple of the (real-ish) D2 Chinese pocket knives first on an (allegedly) 3,000 grit Chinese diamond waterstone then de burred with a natural cork before finishing on the big brick, all were very briefly stropped on denim with a bit of "Flitz" metal polish.






Outstanding results, among the best outcomes I have had with semi stainless or stainless steels.

I have started using the denim stropping material over a thin layer of a quite firm closed cell foam plastic which is normally used to make the cores of broadhead archery targets, the two layers supported by a piece of heavy "float plate" glass.

This layering with this foam gives more compressability and "spring" to the denim surface, stropping can then be done with a flat ground/scandi ground blade with the barest of secondary bevels laid flat on the denim, it becomes easy to keep the optimum angle. All I do to tune effect is vary pressure, very light pressure with minimal number of passes seem to work best for me, given a well de burred and freshly sharpened edge from "the big brick".

The science of sharp site owner makes the point on one of his pages that much of the effect of strops is dictated by firmness/springyness of the surface bouncing back from compressed state as the edge is drawn over it. I'm trying to "tune" this, inital results suggest it works.

If anyone wants some of this foam to experiment with, I have several bales of it. Makes a good packing material for stones sent in the mail too. I needed to blow up targets for a TV commercial and they were too tough to blow up with their guts still inside-

My day job is rather odd sometimes... Spend a day disemboweling archery targets and re-filling them with pre fragmented theatrical debris (coarse bark mulch + peat moss) and explosives? Check...


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## Bolek (May 15, 2019)

Bert2368 said:


> I have re sharpened the new CarboNext sujihiki, finishing it on the big brick from Etsy. Just for fun, I sharpened a couple of the (real-ish) D2 Chinese pocket knives first on an (allegedly) 3,000 grit Chinese diamond waterstone then de burred with a natural cork before finishing on the big brick, all were very briefly stropped on denim with a bit of "Flitz" metal polish.


 What do yo think about the "(allegedly) 3,000 grit Chinese diamond waterstone".
BTW the big brick from Etsy is on the way.


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## Bert2368 (May 15, 2019)

I think the scratch pattern left by the Chinese "3,000" is rather coarser than from my Shapton 2,000 and finer than left by my Shapton glass 500.

It certainly cuts steel effectively & fairly quickly. Found it here:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32716...d=9843amp-T8h8FZsOlEu4QNaDd8vyuw1557901026264


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## Bolek (May 15, 2019)

Thanks.
Is it wear resistant , as it looks beeng 1 to 2mm thick only ?
It certainly cuts steel effectively & fairly quickly comparing it to Shapton 2,000 to Shapton glass 500 or to an actuel 3000 stone ?
Have you tried the finer ones (#6000 or #12 000) ?


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## Bert2368 (May 15, 2019)

Comes with a small stone for flattening or removing glaze/stuck on steel. Does NOT wear fast. Have needed to remove steel buildup 2X so far.

Cuts faster than my green Shapton 2,000. I don't have the Shapton 3,000 water stone or any 1,000 Japanese (non diamond) water stones at all to compare.

I do have the 1,000 diamond water stone as well, would like to go back and get the 6,000.

Found them through a reference on a Euro knife site.


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