IHD (Improvised Hone Disorder)

After watching the Carter Cutlery guy do an improvised sharpening job on a knife using a concrete block & some cardboard, I started to get curious about the everyday objects around me & their sharpening properties.

I read a tip on a cooking forum about using an ordinary red brick, so I tried it. I flattened one of the narrow sides, and it makes a perfectly good whetstone! It's not fine (I'd guess around 300 grit), but plenty good enough for slicing cuts.

Then I came across a couple scrap water filters at work. These look like hard gray hockey pucks, scooped out on one side to form a shallow cup. "Gee," I said, "that sure looks like sintered silicon carbide." Sure enough, that's exactly what it was. Or maybe it's aluminum oxide, it's hard to tell. Whatever it is, it's hard as hell & removes steel very aggressively. Perfect for pocketknives and such. These come in two flavors, one much coarser than the other. So now I have a coarse hockey puck & a medium hockey puck.

Next I found a piece of slate. Coticules are often backed with slate for strength, and the disclaimer says, "This is not a combination hone, the slate side will not sharpen." Oh really? Tell that to the good people of Ayr. So I flattened one side, and it sharpens incredibly well! Not fine enough for a razor--I'd say 400-600 grit--but a perfectly fine stone for a knife.

So now I can't even look at a stone without going, "Hmmmm, I wonder if it has any abrasive properties." And I've got a brick & a slab of slate in my kitchen.

great! my search for a medium grit stone just became broader, but cheaper!
the real questions first are: the right side? is it flat/can i make it flat? will it remove steel from different steels? how coarse, and coarse how?

Very interesting post Johnny. Now I too will start looking at things differently.

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Originally Posted by JCitron

Very interesting post Johnny. Now I too will start looking at things differently.

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I know I sure have.

PZ: The brick & the slate do a fine job on my kitchen cutlery, which is 440 stainless. If you have anything harder than that, you'll just have to try it. Silicon carbide & aluminum oxide are harder than any steel. As for grits, god only knows. Natural materials like slate & the clay that goes into bricks are notoriously variable. However, unless you're a brain surgeon or a sushi chef, you don't need highly polished kitchen- or work-knives. To sharpen my X-acto knife, however, I do use an Arkansas stone.

Obviously, none of these barnyard hones are anywhere near fine enough for razors.