How to make your own sharpening stones

[@afkbrb123]

Too cool, man. I wasn't even expecting the sandstone to remove the steel but the swarf was plain to see. I would love to make this a project in the near future, and I love the natural look of the granite too. Well done.

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@afkbrb123 the sandstone actually removes steel a lot faster than the granite. You really have to get it sharp on the sandstone first and then use the granite stone to polish the edge. Thanks for watching!

[@amellish]

props for calling out your own mistakes and educating people on why not to do those things, cool project overall

[@divyabirsingh2905]

All of your videos are gems

[@kvernesdotten]

This makes me appreciate how far modern abrasives have come. Imagine trying to do this 2000 years ago with no angle grinder, no diamond wheel, no cubitron belts, no perfectly flat lapping plates etc.

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@kvernesdotten modern abrasives definitely make life a lot easier!

[@kvernesdotten]

@@NickVanLeuven Yeah I just imagine cavemen who made the first strides in shaping hard materials just... rubbing 2 pieces of sandstone together and praying at least one of them does not crumble into dust 😂

[@RamonMarais-k2k]

I think the tools then did not need a precise stone. I carry a small piece of slate tile in my back pocket to touch up my knives when I am working around the farm. Works just fine.

[@kvernesdotten]

@@RamonMarais-k2k Thats fine, precision wasnt really on my mind. More thinking that to make any given "product" you kinda have to use the previous "generation" of it. So the poor guys who started out with absolutely nothing to help them out probably had one hell of a job both in doing things without proper tools and trying to figure out what/how to do it. Its probably just me being weird, but this video just made me appreciate how easy, fast and efficient these kinds of projects have become in the modern day

[@TheRealWeirdoC]

​@@kvernesdotten Somewhat crazy to think about, but if you're trying to bootstrap a modern level of tool making, the first thing you need is a perfectly flat reference surface, and all that takes is three decent rocks and a couple hours of rubbing them together.

[@pallyally2200]

I love doing projects for the sake of doing it. I once flattened a very cheap, probably 60 grit stone on a paving slab.

[@gator8918]

I’ve used natural stone as sharpening stones in the past when I was dirt poor but had a nice knife and couldn’t afford more than one cheap bench stone that was very coarse. I walked the creek beds until I found stones that were naturally flat enough to use. They did a decent enough job until I could get some quality Arkansas stones. I still use stone that I find to put an edge back on my machete and hatchet when I don’t pack my field maintenance kit or get a nick or chip in the blade. I don’t see where going to all the effort you did is beneficial or practical with the price of stones today, unless you just want to.

[@AlexanderMLarsen]

Nice video. I do cringe every time a see a angle grinder without a protector. Good job keep it up, will definitely try it in the future

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@AlexanderMLarsen if you have access to a tile cutting saw, that would be the safest. Tile cutting saws use flowing water to eliminate harmful dust as well as using a sliding table to move your stone, reducing the risks involved with an angle grinder.

[@TheAnshukalra]

great video, some of the good stones i happen to have found are near the river beds. the sizes are not very favourable but they do a good job

[@NickVanLeuven]

Even small stones can work really well, it all depends on how you use them. I thought about shaping a stone into a smallish pendant to put on a necklace that could double as an emergency sharpening stone. Thanks for watching!

[@johnmosier6899]

You should look into the whitworth three plate method, it’s a way to get 3 truly flat surfaces to cancel out any concavity

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@johnmosier6899 I will look into that!

[@DreadX10]

@@NickVanLeuven You made a video claiming to make flat surfaces without knowing about the Whitworth method? Really? At 8:08 you showed how the stone is not flat by showing some shadow underneath your ruler but you proclaimed it to be "dead flat". It would be better if you stopped lying to yourself and your viewers.

[@NickVanLeuven]

​@DreadX10 I made a video showing how I made sharpening stones using my own method, and the sharpening stones actually work. Don't take things too seriously. It's just meant to be a fun project that anyone can do.

[@wenwren]

​@DreadX10 why be such an a$$ about it? I'm a$$uming, you've created a video where you show us all exactly how it's done, right??

[@DreadX10]

@@wenwren Because details matter. Why do you use a fallacy?

[@rogerhodges7656]

A concrete block is a great flattening abrasive and surface for soft stones like sandstone, A strategically placed shop vacuum will catch almost all of the dust thrown off by an angle grinder.

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@rogerhodges7656 I'll definitely try the shop vac next time. There was a lot of clean up after grinding these stones.

[@RamonMarais-k2k]

I make stones from pure cement. Make a form from wood that can be taken appart. Spray it with non stick spray or oil it well. Make a thickish sludge with the cement and water. Fill the former. Lightly tap it on a work surface untill no bubbles coms to the surface. This takes a while. Cover with a folded pretty damp cloth, and keep damp for a couple to three days. Carefully take out of former. Leave it for a day or two more untill it is dry. Flatten. I use sifted river sand and water on a flat granite block. This makes a hard stone. If you want it softer add about a third of fine marble dust to the cement. My pocket hone is a piece of slate and the pug a piece of Namid sandstone. They all do what I need them to do, and cost next to nothing. I find it very satisfying to make my own tools. Thanks for a great video.

[@kvernesdotten]

How does that work compared to a regular stone from the hardware store?

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@RamonMarais-k2k it is very satisfying to make your own tools! Thanks for watching!

[@GerstBladeworks]

Hi sir. O would like to have one of those you make ! Could I purchase one from you ?

[@AbbyTaylor-yj9wn]

Great job! Thanks

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@AbbyTaylor-yj9wn Thanks for watching!

[@richardnicklin5849]

Cool thing to have. I think I'll be content sorting out a sandstone though.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Sandstone was definitely the easier option! Thanks for watching.

[@ChrisSmith-vc7xs]

If you'd like to step up into mineral slabbing, beyond the angle grinder: a wet tile saw off of your local market or big box store will get you going. That's how we started. It'll give you a pretty flat grind right off the rip once you get your hands steady enough, and you can shape the edges to contour the stone - its a safer blade than the angle grinder blade as well.

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@ChrisSmith-vc7xs Yes! Tile saws are good too because they eliminate most of the harmful dust. Thanks for watching!

[@ChrisSmith-vc7xs]

@@NickVanLeuven YW. Thanks for presenting. Wait till you step up into the trim saws, slab cutters, and flat laps. You'll be popping out whetstones faster than you'd expect.

[@UberCookieMonster]

Glad you kept that fingertip bro...

[@NightsideOfParadise]

Its a cool project. I made one from wild slate. The grit is about 700-800.

[@NickVanLeuven]

I need to try some slate. Thanks for watching!

[@chrislee261]

I imagine people who dress up in buck skin outfits and do black powder shoots would be into having some of these in their kit

[@lacloche649]

Thank you😊

[@kringsja922]

great video, have a great day :)

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@kringsja922 Thank you!

[@ibrhemahmed170]

What about kind this stone ?

[@NickVanLeuven]

The larger stone is sandstone and the smaller stone is granite. Thanks for watching!

[@Broken_robot1986]

To get perfect flat i was told you need three pieces. Two will make a curve.

[@NickVanLeuven]

I am more concerned with making something that can sharpen a knife, and you don't need an infinitely flat stone to do that. Historical sharpening stones were usually hollow anyway and would put a convex edge on a knife, which provides a stronger, more stable edge. Thanks for watching!

[@QLAUZSIBEL]

Why? on the shoes?

[@NickVanLeuven]

I'm not sure what you're talking about?

[@QLAUZSIBEL]

@NickVanLeuven My mistake,that comment was ment for another video. That guy shows his small(neck)knives ,he carries them on his shoes(!?).I mean I know boot-knives,but on top (instep) of his regular shoes..why?

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@QLAUZSIBEL I see, thanks for the clarification. Thanks for watching!

[@DobleWhiteAndStanley]

Well when tarriffs get rid of cheap chinese whet stones, might need to learn.

[@NickVanLeuven]

Very true

[@АлексейКудрявцев-х8в]

Сам процесс изготовления точильного камня доставляет удовольствие! Попробовав один раз, потом сложно остановиться :-)

[@apocosy]

If you have access to a shop and modern tools, why would you bother making stones?

[@NickVanLeuven]

You can take the stones with you when you go camping to keep your knives sharp, you won't always have access to a shop. In the video I explained that this project is just for fun and there are many inexpensive, good sharpening stones that you can buy. This is a project that is meant to be fun and is also a good learning experience. Thanks for watching!

[@АлексейКудрявцев-х8в]

У нас говорят: "Для души" :-)

[@wenwren]

Why do anything at all when you can just sit in the dark watching videos about what real life used to be like.

[@apocosy]

@@wenwren yes, hundreds of years ago people would make sharpening stones with electric shop tools. I was hoping to see them made using old technology, not modern. When diamond stones and synthetic stones are only a few dollars why not just buy one, obviously he can afford it if he has a shop. If the point was to make them in an old fashioned way, then using shop tools isn't the way to do it.

[@NickVanLeuven]

@@apocosy It's just for fun. Some people like to tinker in their shop. I'm one of those people. I had an idea, and i executed it. There are lots of videos on KZbin showing how to make flat sharpening stones with nothing but other stones.