flattening and conditioning oil stones with loose silicon carbide

i finally got some loose silicon carbide grit and plate glass to start flattening and conditioning my oil stones.
Caltoncutlery.com

[@scottc3165]

The thing about your videos is that as a beginner, I like the way you explain your thought processes. It helps me to picture what really needs to be done and allows me to improvise if I don't have everything I need - because now I get the concept. And the detail you go into is important to me. So thank you!

[@joecalton1449]

thank you for the kind words, and I am glad that you enjoy the videos :}

[@CamberLucyBella]

I've got a big old 16" square tile a friend gave me, and some loose grit from a store on Ebay (I think it's 36), and like you, I've been super impressed with how well it flattens or resurfaces stones.

[@joecalton1449]

I think you were one of the guys telling me to get some sic powder and give it a try, now im wondering why I took so long to get around to it :} thanks :}

[@CamberLucyBella]

@@joecalton1449 Ha, maybe I did! I'd have to go back and look at the comments on the file video. I learned it from Cliff, so I can't take credit for it. As for why it took so long...lots of things to enjoy and work on in this world! Sometimes it just takes time or the right need to get to some of them :)

[@mattwebster7266]

I was just about to buy a sharpening stone for my cut throat razor and saw this vid, then remembered that my late dad's oil stone was in my hut. " after watching this vid, iam now going to have a go at flattening the stone as their is some wear on it. So thanks for posting this vid as its been very helpful. 👍

[@dennisumeno3180]

Hi Joe, I’m just a hobby guy and found a quick way to clean up my dished combo oil stone..after watching your video and you mentioned a ceramic belt sandpaper..I found my old combo (probably 40+ yrs old) and it was glazed and dished. I found a piece of ceramic tile left over from my bathroom remodel and thought I’d give it a try..anyway, I gave it a good rub for about 15-20 minutes and was impressed at how it flattened my stone. The stone was caked with residue..I just happened to have a can of WD40 close by with a straw..first blast and I noticed a clean spot..end result was a cleaner stone than I started with and flat enough to use again. Ok, It might just be a quick and dirty way to make a quick fix..also it wasn’t as loud as silicone carbide on glass. The stone feels like new and works a lot better at cutting my edge..Thank you for your video. I really enjoyed it got a lot of tips.

[@bobdodge1996]

Great video Joe. I like the tone and pace of your videos', and feel like I'm watching a real human being,,, not some over-rehearsed robot. Keep up the good work.

[@joecalton1449]

thank you for the kind words!

[@DaryooshF.Sh.P-vq6mu]

Boiling them in a big pot full of water and soap works on some of them. Also Nailing a big piece of coarse sandpaper over dog’s wooden home 🏠 roof and rubbing hard on that 45 degree sandpaper works. It should be wet to avoid inhaling those particles. Cheers 🍻

[@joecalton1449]

i have not had very good luck with sandpaper for flattening stones. but that loose sic powder cuts them very well.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

I have my different grades of silicone grits decanted into glass jars with a few holes punched in the lid appropriately sized for that grit. Like little salt shakers , these give a handy way of spreading the grits

[@joecalton1449]

that is a very cool idea!

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

That brown stone you are questioning is a fine India they were dark and light orange and tan some even a bit red

[@jaycruzin1]

If you use oil when sharpening with an oil stone like you are supposed to it wont load up with metal at least not for a while. When your stone does get loaded with metal use bar keepers friend and a scotch bright pad and a little water to make a slurry then scrub with the pad then rinse it will clean all that crud out of your stone it works well for ceramic stones as well

[@CandidZulu]

I put some on a machine made garden slab, add water or oil.

[@michaelshults7675]

Fine India, needs 150-180 SIC powder.. Anything finer it will glaze round the abrasive grains in the 320-340 grit fine India stone..

[@brunogalati8408]

i have the Smith's TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-Hone Sharpening Stones System ive tried miil baster file on the course the curse is 300 grit meduim is 800 grit fine 1000 grint

[@johnjude2685]

Probably more than a good tip.on.cleaning.my stone, I'll try to do as.shown. I wish you could cut some noise and not need to watch the grinding. I.bet I learned something helpful Thank you Sir Heat contact I believe

[@stefanwolf88]

This is how it is done. Good video for the oil stone aficionado.

[@joebrewer5885]

Joe, if you have a brand new coarse stone and you dress it with 220 grit silicon carbide does it get less coarse? Are you grinding down the stone to a medium coarse, if so how do you get it coarse again? I guess my real question is why go thru all the different size grits on a coarse stone? If you have a fine stone that is dished out go ahead and go thru the different grits to get it flat but how do you know when to stop when it has gotten back to its original grade?

[@joecalton1449]

it does seem to get less coarse if you were to use a finer grade of sic on a coarse stone, it doesn't match up to the grit ratings as the coarser stone doesn't have the density of stone particles {if that makes any sense}. you can let the steel that you are sharpening tell you when the stone is done. so on a worn and dished stone, lap it with the coarse to get it flat, then condition it with fresh sic of whatever grit you want to finish it with, then sharpen a knife on it. once you hit the right conditioning at the right grit, that stone will be very efficient.

[@GarandChan]

I got 36 and 60/90 grit for my IB8 India stones, and while they did remove material and expose fresh stone, the finish seems way too course, at least on the fine side. It leaves a jagged, serrated edge on my chisels, and I can’t get my pocket knife or axes shaving sharp like I used to be able to. Do I just need to go finer with the silicon carbide?

[@joecalton1449]

you will have to play around a bit with the grit to get the surface finish you like on your stone. fresh grit leaves a sharper finish on the stone, but you can use the grits breaking down to get a finer finish if you use it longer. so a 60/90 will cut sharp 60/90, but will cut perhaps a 150ish when it is broken down, but that 150 wont be as sharp as a new 150 grade. or you could get finer fresh grit. also, your tools will wear down that surface on your stone also. so you could go to 60/90 if that was all you had, then sharpen a couple rough chisels until the stone settled down again.

[@GarandChan]

@@joecalton1449 wow thanks a bunch. I’ll keep trying. Not many creators still respond to comments on two year old videos. Kudos.

[@vdog570]

Could I use the glass and a course sand? I've only been able to find as low as 80 grit silicone carbide.

[@joecalton1449]

sure you could. it might not cut as quick or as consitently as a graded powder, but it should get you close

[@carlosmatos9848]

Loose grit SiC works great. Although my glass plate is starting to dish out. How easy is it to flatten the glass out again?

[@joecalton1449]

I don't flatten the glass, I just turn it over, and when both sides are dished too much to do good work, get another piece of glass. most of the wear happens when you are refurbishing old stones that are worn badly. so once you get your stones in shape, your glass should last quite awhile.

[@orlandolasamjr6616]

I didn't expected that someone also loves some toothyness in a 300+ grit, I'm not really a fan of razor finish or mirror edges because I already saw the geometry of the knives or blades that has been sharpened in some of the videos that I've had watched. Maybe I'll go for some 400 or something 600 grit if available in a hardware or knife store but I'm not going to 1k grit stones. I just loved to hear the crispyness when a 320 grit edge is slightly slicing to a paper, anyway I love this video and sorry for my bad English 😅 I will also appreciated if you recommended me some 300-600 grit sharpening stones Sir.

[@joecalton1449]

my all time favorite all around stone is the norton crystolon coarse and fine combination, which is a 120 and 320 grit in silicon carbide and will cut just about anything. the norton fine india is a classy 320 aluminum oxide stone. and the dmt or smiths 325 grit diamond stones are great finishers if you have the extra money for them

[@joebrewer5885]

Joe, is there any difference between the silicon grit you used here and the tumbler grit you showed in the video 4 months ago, titled Oil vs water sharpening stones comparison?

[@kaizoebara]

The idea of producing different finishes with the same stone is not so new, just look at the Japanese water stones that produce a slurry which helps to achieve a finer, more uniform surface. Tormek has a two sided dressing stone for their water cooled grinding wheels. One side is for agressive dressing and it leaves a rough surface whereas the other side leaves a more refined surface that results in a smoother finish. Or so they claim. I think the rougher finish - especially on water stones - will last for a bit of sharpening and then it will have smoothed over; the effect might last longer on oil stones which are generally harder.

[@joecalton1449]

it is a pretty new idea to me, and im pretty excited to try it out with a couple new Arkansas stones that came in the mail a couple days ago :}

[@michaeldodd8967]

@@joecalton1449 how did the Arkansas stones turn out? And if I may ask which Arkansas did you flaten?? Soft, hard, black or the hardest of them all translucent black. Just curious and you say you used silica carbide powder?

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

kaizoebara slurry does not produce a finer edge

[@carlosmatos9848]

@@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531 Doesn't the slurry help cut faster though?

[@peteswright]

Really enjoyed learning from this vid Joe. With my Norton JB8 on the way, Im keen to know what to buy for lapping/conditioning the thing when out of flat or glazed. Before I go spending Joe, do I want 36-6090 & 220 or just 36 sic powder to flatten? Whats your advice please. ATB. Pete.

[@joecalton1449]

in one way id say all you would really need would be a 60-90 and a 220ish. but on the other hand that stuff is not very expensive, and since you are paying for shipping anyways, why not get a 36, 60-90, 220, and a 600ish and have all of them on hand to play with. or if you run across a stone that needs a lot of work, then the 36 is really handy

[@peteswright]

@@joecalton1449 Hi Joe. I found a place here in England that does 20 80 and 220, so for now I've ordered 20 and 80 grit, 100 grams to try it out as they dont do 36 grit, plus I don't know what I'm doing yet lol. I've actually bought a CHEAP med/fine silicon carb stone to practice conditioning/flattening on before using the 20 grit on my Norton JB8.

[@joecalton1449]

​@@peteswright 20 and 80 grits would work great. it doesn't really matter exactly what grits they are, like 20 would do just as well as 36, just so long as you have a range. so 20-36ish for serious flattening and stone repair, 60-100ish for getting the surface prepped or conditioning, and perhaps something finer for getting a stone really smooth if you want a smoother finish on a blade like a straight razor, finish chisel, or fine scissors or something

[@peteswright]

@@joecalton1449 Big help that info Joe. I feel reassured. Thanks.

[@zenrazor659]

😂 You breath particles invisible of silicon carbide . The cost of a mask will be higher of a simple diamond stone that is faster and can flat perfectely . Glass is a mistake! No holes and too big!😊

[@abdullahmenevse5023]

Offff offff muhtesem görünüyor çok güzel olmuş eline sağlık üstadım tebrikler 🤌🤌🤌👏👏👏

[@bigwoody4704]

Did you use the coursest grit 1st?

[@joecalton1449]

yes, unless you are just dressing or conditioning

[@CC-tq3kw]

I was wondering how's the effect to use a 400 grit whetstone to flatten an exactly same 400 grit whetstone, and also how about 1000 grit to flatten 1000 grit.

[@joecalton1449]

from what I have seen, its not so much the grit of the stones, but the loose particles between them that do the work. so if you rub 2 400 grit say norton crystolon stones together, not much happens, but put some loose grit between them and then you can get some work done.

[@8329kelso]

Usually glazing is what happens.

[@johnhollingsworth4727]

The yellow stone looks like a norton 1000 grit stone. Watch their Video “Sharping Woodworking Tools Using Norton Oil Stones”. There is a stone that looks like yours.

[@bobdodge1996]

The Norton 1000 grit is white, and their yellow stone is 8,000 grit. Some consider the 8,000 Norton to be the best 8k in the business.

[@bobdodge1996]

Correction on the white,,, it's 4k,,, the 1k is actually a pale beige color. Joe's yellow stone may not actually be yellow,,,, depending on how dirty it is.

[@brunogalati8408]

the stone is smooth what grit sandpapper should i use

[@joecalton1449]

i havent had very good luck with sandpaper, but the loose silicon carbide grit on plate glass works really well

[@johnjude2685]

Thanks Joe looks like a great video

[@rockets4kids]

I've always wondered why it has taken you so long to discover flattening and dressing with loose grit abrasive!

[@naturalwhetstone8100]

Maybe interested in Indonesian natural Whetstone?

[@siamakaghazeinali]

Thanks joe! is it posible to fix foggy fireplace glass by carburandum?

[@joecalton1449]

I don't know. we have a wood pellet stove and when the glass gets dirty I think we just use one of those mr clean erasers. I think if that didn't work, id go to something like toothpaste as it is very mildly abrasive.

[@JDStone20]

Nice score off E-Bay! I think you got an older Norton India stone, either the color was a little lighter in the older ones or the color faded. Also, the black and red combo stone I think is an American Emery Double Grit Stone: www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-american-oilstone-double-grit-411574193

[@joecalton1449]

after doing some googling, it seems like folks are saying that the newer fine indias are not the same as the older ones. if this is indeed an older fine india, then they either changed the manufacturing process, or the stones "season" as they get older, as these were much harder to lap than my more current production one, and the older ones give a different feedback and edge than the newer one. with the ones I have they are almost completely different stones. the older ones feel more crisp like a soft arkansas, and the newer one feels more muddy like a Waterstone.

[@MotherAlgorithm]

Good video 13:30 it starts

[@allansmith6140]

Aren't you concerned that you are going to quickly dish out the piece of plate glass with the silicon carbide? You will end up convexing your stones in no time. On another topic, to get old oil out of stones sock them in kerosene for a few days.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

60 or so years ago I watched my grandfather clean his stones - scrubbed the worst of the crud off first with gas, then soaked them in gas for a week, then he lit them up. All the oil dissolved in the gas burned off and he finished them off with grit sand on some old mirror glass.He was a cabinet maker and his tools were like razors. I don't recommend that way - there are better and safer ways of doing it today

[@DavidHerscher]

1. Glass isn’t perfectly flat. 2. You can’t flatten objects by rubbing 2 together, even IF one of them is “perfectly” flat. You can however use the “3 plate method” with your stones. Which would give you real flatness.

[@deej9367]

Good video man but your a bit long winded

[@RafaelHe]

I don't know if you ever identified the stone, but to me it looks like a Washita stone, not an India stone. See this for a picture of one of these stones www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-lily-white-washita-arkansas-431574108. Washita stones are coarse Novaculite natural stones, technically they are Arkansas stones. They are no longer mined and are useful for sharpening tools and knives. They're very desirable stones because they are hard and cut relatively fast, good traits for a woodworker who wants to get back to work as soon as possible and not fiddle with multiple stones.

[@joecalton1449]

you might be right. every time I work on that stone I wonder if it is a Washita. sooner or later I will run across a Washita and then compare them :}

[@RafaelHe]

@@joecalton1449 Check out this pamphlet put out by the Pike company around 1905 (babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31175035165789&view=2up&seq=2). It describes their whole line of oilstones, including the Washita stones. It describes their appearance and uses. Even how to check their hardness by the sound they make when struck with a metal hammer. From what I learned there I realized that my stones are very likely all Rosy Reds (comparable to Lily Whites, which were the top of the line in the Washita category.) Yours looks very much like an Arkansa or Washita stone.

[@abdullahmenevse5023]

As a 100% disabled person, I request these stones as a gift from you, I would be very grateful if you send them as a gift. Please, I would appreciate it if you could give a positive answer, thank you in advance. Best Regards, Abdullah Menevse ❤❤🙏🙏🙏❤❤

[@abdullahmenevse5023]

Üstadım sizden bir istekte bulunmuştum bileme taşlarını sizden hediye olarak istemiştim gönderirseniz çok sevinirim minnettar olurum lütfen ne olursunuz olumlu cevap verirseniz çok minnettar olurum şimdiden teşekkür ederim

[@bigwoody4704]

Kerosene/WD40 and steel wool cleans metal from stone surface

[@roughroosterknifesharpenin5531]

Big Woody lol

[@BennyCFD]

What is this KZbin phenomenon of almost pathologic compulsion of flattening stones. Your fathers, grandfathers, older barbers, knife makers, and everyday people worldwide everyday who use sharpening stones to sharpen whatever they need to be sharp never flattened their stones and they were or are able to get a great sharp blade. What do they know about sharpening that us modern pseudo intellectual KZbin experts don't know. Personally, I believe if there was no KZbin videos on flattening stone 99.9999999% of people would ever consider or think about flattening.

[@tburriss]

You. Talk. Too. Much. Learned a lot, and thanks, but this could've been done in 5 minutes.