My Dad gave me a youth ax and told me to clear 1 acre of land beside our house. I still have the ax. I told him the ax was dull after a day of cutting small sapling trees. He said, follow me then we walked into the woods and he tipped over several stones near the creek bank. He had only 1 arm from WWII so I got the stones he suggested, one was a sandstone flat for the most part and one dark gray stone. He told me how to sharpen the ax and I used the creek water to create the slurry.
To ensure flatness, it takes 3 different surfaces. Each surface must be rubbed smooth against each of the other two surfaces. When done properly, you will have 3 different surfaces that are truly flat.
I love the natural stones thin.When I was A kid in Rhode Island my parents had a Slate stepping stone front walk and we used to sharpen our Jack knives on the stone and Mom would scream your ruining my front walk.But the slate worked beautifully.
Oh this is awesome! I have read Roy's section on natural stones, and watched an old episode of The Woodwrite's Shop (several times) where he was out collecting a bag of stones, and made one usable, this is just so natural as a human being who works wood! 🥰
Near my home is one of those locations. It apparently was an actual quarry and you can tell of the industry that went on there as there are still several blanks laying around. These stones where sandstone and the business was taking large cuts and turning them round for sharpening wheels. Neat thing is the stones where not cut to thickness (maybe easier to ship that way) so what you find are sandstone columns, 12, 15, 20" in diameter and about 30" long. Last time I was up there I could still see a dozen or so laying on the ground.
You telling me all this time and money (like $20) I spent agonising over finding a decent set of cheap diamond stones, trying to find a good honing oil, not being able to find one readily available, being told that I should never change lubricants on the same stone, deciding to just use water to be safe and getting fairly decent results- and I could have just been spitting on some rocks *for free?!* I need to go to the woods and find some quartzite!
I found a stone on top of the waterfall on grotto falls, it was in the stream that turns into a waterfall. Turns out it’s very great for sharpening knives it has some kind of silver lines running down the rock too. I’m going to sand it down and turn it into a whetstone thanks for the vid!
I make mine with a stone saw which I rent for homedepot. I always put stone in a box which I enjoy chiselling out. The box keeps the stone saturated with oil. my teacher many years ago had us soak stone in light motor oil before using them. making the box was part of the course and the stone was a gift from the school. use stone in a figure 8 pattern to wear surface evenly. interesting video. I don't know my sedimentology but I find an even textured green stone locally and it works well. might be greywak [sic]
OK now I want to both: - try this as Roy describes, but also - crib from the metalworker community and flatten these stones using the 'three plate method' for originating dead flat surfaces. While I imagine this will be lots of work, it may wind up being very rewarding.
Ceaser stone off cuts are great as it is vitually synthetic chert, it is quartz in a resin calcite or kaolin matrix baked at high temp, ergo chert which is what Arkansas stones are, also ceramic that gets covered in marks from cutlery, is perfect...it is unsightly and hard to clean, but by it's very nature, perfect for removing fine amounts of metal
Can you please tell me the name of the book you read? (Does he explain ehat type of rock can be used? Im not from the US and i was wondering if my country has those rocks)
Serpentinite is a rock which may contain chrysotile, a mineral which may occur in an asbestiform habit. This does not mean that serpentinite itself is hazardous. Long-term exposure to fine particulates of chrysotile may result in deleterious health effects, but this is not a concern for someone visiting a quarry and working a few stones. You would likely need to spend years breaking, crushing, and inhaling particles in an industrial environment to have even a small chance of experiencing negative effects.
Do you sell them in big sizes? Wide and large and heavy. I sharpen greatswords, claymores, spadones, and montantes. Probably 6 to 9 inch wide, and 16 to 20 inch long, and perhaps 3 to 4 inch thick. Maybe 20 to 30 pound heavy sharpening stone. Yeah...
Don't you need multiple grits of stones in order to get a really good sharp edge? What figurative grit do you think you ended up with after sanding them? I'm new to all of this and I'm very interested in trying this.
Most stones are going to work and also by simply grinding two stones together with some water in one little spot you're going to see how finely grained the stone is going to be. Just go in front of your house and do some tests with what you have in front of your house or in your neighbourhood. Ceramics are also nice. Bricks, flower pots, tiles etc.
I think the 800 dollars sharpening stone is special one for Japanese sushi knifes. You can hardly compare the sharpness needed to carve wood, and the one required to cut perfectly, artistically, a piece of mushy, wet fish. Off course if you carve wood, you must be crazy to buy such an expensive whetstone. In my city, there's a company, Carbochim, they make all kind of chemical products, among them is sandpaper and whetstones. You can buy relatively inexpensive whetstones, of different grit, general purpose, for something like 7 euros. They're not natural stones, is bounded sand in an oven I think, with chemicals, but it would do the job nicely. Anyway, thank you for the video, I should definitely keep an eye out for such rocks in my walks, unfortunately I don't think its a good area for blue sandstone - Transylvania.
I have a single nortan water stone that is 4k/8k 3" wide, 8" long and it was over $100. Nice to work with. Wish I had more of them. I bought years ago when I though a straight razor was how I would shave. I've had some wonderful shaves by people who know what they are doing. It always felt like I was Yarding them out with a planer when trying myself. The stone still gets used though. For my carbon steel kitchen knives. A joy to work with, but I don't have anyothers
would you consider shipping me a decent size rock from this location for testing on a straight razor? I'll pay for the shipping, just let me know what's your price. Thanks
My Dad gave me a youth ax and told me to clear 1 acre of land beside our house. I still have the ax. I told him the ax was dull after a day of cutting small sapling trees. He said, follow me then we walked into the woods and he tipped over several stones near the creek bank. He had only 1 arm from WWII so I got the stones he suggested, one was a sandstone flat for the most part and one dark gray stone. He told me how to sharpen the ax and I used the creek water to create the slurry.
Were you able to get the edge to shave?
To ensure flatness, it takes 3 different surfaces. Each surface must be rubbed smooth against each of the other two surfaces. When done properly, you will have 3 different surfaces that are truly flat.
I love the natural stones thin.When I was A kid in Rhode Island my parents had a Slate stepping stone front walk and we used to sharpen our Jack knives on the stone and Mom would scream your ruining my front walk.But the slate worked beautifully.
Oh this is awesome!
I have read Roy's section on natural stones, and watched an old episode of The Woodwrite's Shop (several times) where he was out collecting a bag of stones, and made one usable, this is just so natural as a human being who works wood! 🥰
I am now buying the Woodwright's Companion. Great presentation and discussion.
Near my home is one of those locations. It apparently was an actual quarry and you can tell of the industry that went on there as there are still several blanks laying around. These stones where sandstone and the business was taking large cuts and turning them round for sharpening wheels. Neat thing is the stones where not cut to thickness (maybe easier to ship that way) so what you find are sandstone columns, 12, 15, 20" in diameter and about 30" long. Last time I was up there I could still see a dozen or so laying on the ground.
You telling me all this time and money (like $20) I spent agonising over finding a decent set of cheap diamond stones, trying to find a good honing oil, not being able to find one readily available, being told that I should never change lubricants on the same stone, deciding to just use water to be safe and getting fairly decent results- and I could have just been spitting on some rocks *for free?!* I need to go to the woods and find some quartzite!
I have about 9 stones from seven diferent locations here in Mexico all diferent grits and they work amazing. Uncut and very asimetrical, but flat.
Pkdarkan Where in Mexico?
I found a stone on top of the waterfall on grotto falls, it was in the stream that turns into a waterfall. Turns out it’s very great for sharpening knives it has some kind of silver lines running down the rock too. I’m going to sand it down and turn it into a whetstone thanks for the vid!
that's really cool! Nice seeing Mike at Handworks :D
I make mine with a stone saw which I rent for homedepot. I always put stone in a box which I enjoy chiselling out. The box keeps the stone saturated with oil. my teacher many years ago had us soak stone in light motor oil before using them. making the box was part of the course and the stone was a gift from the school. use stone in a figure 8 pattern to wear surface evenly. interesting video. I don't know my sedimentology but I find an even textured green stone locally and it works well. might be greywak [sic]
OK now I want to both:
- try this as Roy describes, but also
- crib from the metalworker community and flatten these stones using the 'three plate method' for originating dead flat surfaces.
While I imagine this will be lots of work, it may wind up being very rewarding.
I love the whole back to basics thing but I don't think I can give up my diamond plates 😆 How long did it take to flatten the stone? Really cool
I'll have to ask Mike when he gets back from Handworks but I recall it was 10 minutes or so. Not bad. Thanks, Stan!
Can you please leave descriptions of your sources please.
Are you still using those 5 years later ?
Can you publish a list of the localities?
thank you
Really nice
Wow
Ceaser stone off cuts are great as it is vitually synthetic chert, it is quartz in a resin calcite or kaolin matrix baked at high temp, ergo chert which is what Arkansas stones are, also ceramic that gets covered in marks from cutlery, is perfect...it is unsightly and hard to clean, but by it's very nature, perfect for removing fine amounts of metal
You guys are nuts. Nuts like a fox.
HA! That's good nuts then!
Can you please tell me the name of the book you read? (Does he explain ehat type of rock can be used? Im not from the US and i was wondering if my country has those rocks)
I would have used silica powder and water and rub them together LOL
For a first time flattening like that the 3 stone method works great.
What's the estimate grit rating?
You know that serpentinite is an asbestiform mineral
Serpentinite is a rock which may contain chrysotile, a mineral which may occur in an asbestiform habit. This does not mean that serpentinite itself is hazardous. Long-term exposure to fine particulates of chrysotile may result in deleterious health effects, but this is not a concern for someone visiting a quarry and working a few stones. You would likely need to spend years breaking, crushing, and inhaling particles in an industrial environment to have even a small chance of experiencing negative effects.
Slate is a good stone for sharpening
Make a small box and fill it with clay. Push the stone in theclay and it will be rock solid (pun intented).
very cool
Would love to find a suitable location in NSW Australia!
Even bluestone works. If you want to try, head to a landscape supplier. They may have broken flag stones or natural stone tiles for free.
@@keithboyle3905 Good idea, thanks. 😀👍
Stopping to collect rocks? How nerdy can you be?
very interesting
Sir can you send me a stone I can make into a honing stone ? I of course pay for it ??
Do you have a link to the list of the locations? Curious if there are any in Washington State
#Me too. Western Washington State for me please. If you have the time. Thank You
How could I get one of those stones
you obviously never used a 1000 or 2000 dollar stone. they are worth every penny and you need em to produce highend japanese blades.
Where did you find the stone?
Do you sell them in big sizes? Wide and large and heavy. I sharpen greatswords, claymores, spadones, and montantes. Probably 6 to 9 inch wide, and 16 to 20 inch long, and perhaps 3 to 4 inch thick. Maybe 20 to 30 pound heavy sharpening stone. Yeah...
location? theres enough stone for all there
Don't you need multiple grits of stones in order to get a really good sharp edge? What figurative grit do you think you ended up with after sanding them? I'm new to all of this and I'm very interested in trying this.
do we have to get the book to know location of that specific site? (probably still going to get it)
Most stones are going to work and also by simply grinding two stones together with some water in one little spot you're going to see how finely grained the stone is going to be.
Just go in front of your house and do some tests with what you have in front of your house or in your neighbourhood.
Ceramics are also nice. Bricks, flower pots, tiles etc.
Any basalt will do, coastal is easy to find...but look for ex volcano areas....quartz works, it's just hard work getting it flat.
I think the 800 dollars sharpening stone is special one for Japanese sushi knifes. You can hardly compare the sharpness needed to carve wood, and the one required to cut perfectly, artistically, a piece of mushy, wet fish.
Off course if you carve wood, you must be crazy to buy such an expensive whetstone.
In my city, there's a company, Carbochim, they make all kind of chemical products, among them is sandpaper and whetstones. You can buy relatively inexpensive whetstones, of different grit, general purpose, for something like 7 euros. They're not natural stones, is bounded sand in an oven I think, with chemicals, but it would do the job nicely.
Anyway, thank you for the video, I should definitely keep an eye out for such rocks in my walks, unfortunately I don't think its a good area for blue sandstone - Transylvania.
I just spend RM16 on my sharpening stone, 800 dollars for sharpening stone is too much.
Is any or just some types of flint, good for this, maybe harder to flatten
Why dont you make buissness making sharpening stones of that material? Enthusiasts would flock to it.
Is that cool or what? 👍
Jade
800$ for sharpening stones? I don’t think they cost that much, do they?
a lot do. look into j nats
Some jnats go for thousands of dollars
I have a single nortan water stone that is 4k/8k 3" wide, 8" long and it was over $100. Nice to work with. Wish I had more of them.
I bought years ago when I though a straight razor was how I would shave. I've had some wonderful shaves by people who know what they are doing. It always felt like I was Yarding them out with a planer when trying myself. The stone still gets used though. For my carbon steel kitchen knives. A joy to work with, but I don't have anyothers
would you consider shipping me a decent size rock from this location for testing on a straight razor? I'll pay for the shipping, just let me know what's your price. Thanks