Waterstone testing; intermission. Some special steel as a snack.

Hi again all,

I’ve gotten bogged down a little with a lot of other work (than many of you will eventually like I’m sure) so the next planned instalment will be slightly delayed.

However, I thought I’d throw in a few (dozen) pictures. Please excuse the mess, it’s all done on the kitchen sink and there may be some slightly objectionable scenery in some of the pictures.

What these pictures show is a very short test of each stone (except the Norton!) when a chisel made from *CPM-3V steel at 3/4″ wide was applied to them, 20 passes per end. Not a full test per se, because this stuff is frighteningly tough, but as an example of how well each given stone works with this very tough steel.

(*Crucible Powder Metal.)

What I’d like to have you keep in mind is that for a stone at this level to be working properly, there should be NO polishing occurring. Any polishing that is present is due to the abrasive breaking down into a finer grade. This is wonderful at the top end of the scale, but here at #1000 grit, polishing is not getting the important ‘bevel formation’ work done. Kind of like digging a hole with a shovel that slowly cakes with mud. The more you dig, the less dirt you can fit on the shovel. Sure, you can clean the shovel (restore the stone’s surface) but it’s easier if the mud never sticks in the first place.

Again, they are in alphabetical order.

Arashiyama;

Pretty good, all things considered. I know it’s difficult to see what’s on the stone, but there is a hint of metal there, and the finished bevel is quite clean with little polish. 7/10

Bester;

Here you can see the polishing I alluded to before. The Bester here actually did a pretty good job as evidenced by what’s left on the stone. But the abrasive is at it’s very limit. Even the slightest bit harder steel, and the Bester would be out of luck. Not bad, but not quite good enough and the bevel is unevenly finished, spelling trouble down the line. 5/10

King Deluxe;

A lesson in futility. The abrasive in the stone is absolutely inadequate for this very hard, tough steel. Hard steel might be ok, tough steel might also be ok, but together, not a chance. Note there is little metal on the stone, little slurry to speak of on this notoriously muddy stone, and the bevel is only ‘marked up’. In fact, the steel was sliding over the stone like it was greased. I’m not surprised, but still, it needs to be seen. 0/10

King Hyper Hard;

Now this is more like it. Note the significant amount of steel left on the stone, which indicates that it is indeed cutting well, but also note that there is a measure of polishing going on, indicating that the abrasive is indeed breaking down, but it’s keeping the entire bevel all at the same level of polish. A little better than the Bester I think. 6/10

King Neo #800;

This is the kinda stuff the King Neo was made for, tenacious steels, and it shows. Very little polish, lots of steel on the stone. But lots of mud too, which plagues this particular stone. It’s very quick, but it’s about as durable as chalk. Still, effective enough. 7/10

Naniwa Chosera;

Lots of steel there, and a nice brushed bevel, there’s no way to be unhappy with the performance here. Maybe a little muddy, but every stone that deals with these tough steel properly is allowed to be a little messy. Nice, evenly brushed finish. 8/10

Naniwa Superstone;

What a fantastic picture of the camera lens reflected in the bevel. Lots of black stuff, but the abrasive obviously isn’t doing squat. Just a few Rockwell C points less, and we might have had a winner. Fail, but it looks great… 1/10

Norton;

No picture. Moderately effective with maybe a little too much polish in it. Because it’s a little soft, it got away with it but only just. 3/10

Shapton Glass Stone;

Again, lots of colour there on the stone and looks like the Chosera except for the screaming “polished” on the bevel. It’s so close to ‘good’ that it stings. No clogging though, so that’s a plus. It’s ok, but those deep creases at the very edge spell trouble. 4/10

Shapton Professional, Japanese.

Borderline ineffective. Note the significant polish and many lines at the edge. It’s working, but running out of steam a little too early on in the game. Expect to see more of this later, but for now, not recommended. 3/10

Shapton Professional, US.

Borderline ineffective. Note the significant polish and many lines at the edge. It’s working, but running out of steam a little too early on in the game. Expect to see more of this later, but for now, not recommended. 3/10

(Is there an echo in here? Note; slightly different colour between these last two. Either light, lens or something else.)

Sigma Power Hard;

The polish is just starting, only just. Still quite evenly finished over the entire bevel, and plenty of crud on the stone as well, both steel and mud. Much harder, and this one’s going to be struggling, but for this steel at this hardness, just nice. 6/10

Sigma Power Oribest;

This stone is in it’s element. Designed for HSS from the outset, and it shows. Brushed finish, lots of steel on the stone. Only regret is that the way it achieves this performance is to be marshmallow soft. Not bad, but not exceptional. 7/10

Sigma Power Select II;

The best for last. When a #1000 grit stone is fully and completely adequate to abrade the steel that is rubbed against it, it looks like this. Some steel on the stone, a very dull finish on the steel. Not too much mud, and I hope this gives some insight as to why I call this stone “The Animal”. 10/10

So there you have it, a little taste in pictures of what’s coming up.

Thanks for reading,

Stu.