180mm Japanese Sharpening Stone System 1000/2000/3000
This sharpening stone system is all that is needed to sharpen and hone chisels, plane blades, knives and more. A triangular prism houses 1000, 2000 and 3000 grit 180mm water stones, this prism can be rotated in its holder depending on your choice of water stone. The holder also acts as a trough to catch excess water and sharpening residue. A 60mm x 20mm wide mini-flattening stone is included for reshaping the surface of the stone, as well as a knife sharpening guide.
The premium Japanese water stones are man-made from Corundum, a synthetic aluminium oxide abrasive, set in a resin bond. The finish that you achieve with a water stone is a combination of the particle size, durability of the abrasive and the resin bond strength. These water stones have a medium strength bond and wear relatively slowly, releasing fresh, sharp abrasive at a reduced rate in comparison to stones with weaker bonds that release abrasive at higher rates and wear down more quickly. The water stone formulation is excellent for sharpening O1 general tool steel, the steel commonly used to make knives and are fast cutting when sharpening tough alloys such as A2 and M2 high speed steels which are used to manufacture chisels, plane irons, turning and carving tools. You simply immerse the stones in water and allow to soak for 3 to 5 minutes, at which point they are ready for use. It is important to ensure the waterstone retains moisture during the sharpening process.
The fresh abrasive particles break down and dull during the sharpening process, creating progressively finer grits, allowing you to move seamlessly from a coarse 1000 grit stone, to a medium 2000 grit stone to the fine mirror-finish 3000 grit stone. After use leave the water stone to dry out naturally, before using a diamond flattening stone to re-level the face of the waterstone. The stone is mounted in a rubber polymer base to stop the stone from wandering during the sharpening process whilst protecting the work surface from scratching.
The system consists of 1000, 2000 and 3000 grit water stones. The 1000 grit water stone is the fastest cutting stone and is used to remove nicks before sharpening and to shape and establish a basic edge. The 2000 grit water stone is used after the 1000 grit stone to refine the edge of knives and tools and the 3000 grit water stone is used to quickly add a mirror finish and final polish. The water stones measure 180mm in length with a width of 60mm and a depth of 14mm. ©
