Thread: "Super" Stone Fail!

Originally Posted by Utopian

I think the issue is two-fold.

First, you may have been soaking it for too long. That one is kind of obvious in hindsight given what happened.

Second, the SuperStones can swell in weird ways even if they are only soaked for brief periods. I started a thread about this a few years ago. If you look at the photos, you will see that the swelling is not uniform along the entire length of the hone. When you have variable swelling in one hone glued to another hone that is also experiencing variable swelling there is going to be some tension between them. I suspect this is what happened.

I think the only prevention for this is to keep soaking times to a minimum. Of course that doesn't help in your case. If they were mine, and I could not get them replaced, I would try to finish the job and get them separated completely with more soaking and dental floss.

Great thread link - thanks! Though I think I am more confused now than ever.

I have to admit that if Glen soaks his for ten minutes... You would think mine would be fine. It must have something to do with the fact that mine is a dual bonded stone. Sigh. I guess it doesn't help that I have been honing like a champ here lately.

Perhaps the separating of the two stones idea is a good one, though I am not too excited to do that, it might just have to be done. But I don't know if I should or shouldn't place em in water for a bit now or not. I just can't get past that soaking works for Glen, a guy who hones like a champ lol, but no one else.

Guess I'll sleep on it but thanks for that link - and thanks to everyone for their input!!

Originally Posted by earcutter

I have to admit that if Glen soaks his for ten minutes... You would think mine would be fine.

I just can't get past that soaking works for Glen, a guy who hones like a champ lol, but no one else.

That's where I got the idea about the stone soak, but I made sure, with the exception of one occasion where I left it in 5 minutes or so on accident, that I kept the soap to a minute or two. Maybe time for a bubble text commentary on that vid explaining YMMV or something like that...

However, now I don't soak them at all.

Originally Posted by earcutter

It must have something to do with the fact that mine is a dual bonded stone.

I really do think that is the issue. What you saw in that other thread was evidence of variable swelling along the length of the hone. Glue together two hones that swell differently and something's got to give. As Mike pointed out, it's lucky they did not crack.

I'm with Ron and Mike Blue. There is deformation due to soaking resulting in internal stresses and you're lucky that the glue is weaker than the hone, otherwise it could crack instead of the two pieces separating.
I don't know if Glen's hones are bonded dual grits, mine aren't, and their holders are soft plastic that is easy to deform if there is deformation from the hone. And they aren't glued to the holder across the whole plane.

So, if you can't get it replaced I'd split it and then if you're a little bit handy put the two pieces on holders you can fashion out - basically make a rectangular frame from cheap wood sticks. Normally you'd want a stone epoxied to a flat surface that doesn't deform, but in this case the hone is resin that deforms under water and if preventing the deformation over a large surface results in mechanical stress.

Gotta be either the two stones together, even though I haven't read about another problem like this, or perhaps just perhaps the Mix of the Epoxy or Glue was wrong on yours could just be a oddball fail I remember a thread about somebody popping them off the bases because they thought it was the bases that were causing the problems I haven't ever thought that, since the hones barely touch the bases on the inside...

but

They do swell, I do soak them, and have soaked them for almost 5 years now, about 10 minutes or so I really don't track it, I have also abused them by forgetting them in the tub for hours.. Mine are the ones on the plastic base just like Utopian shows in that old thread, and they will do just like his show in that thread if you don't let them stabilize...
Once they stabilize they are good to go...


Was just re-reading that old thread and it reminded me that the Henckels hone which Naniwa made came in a 3/8 Superstone combo and had a plexisheet in between the two hones and they were glued to that.. I used that the same way for a couple of years too without an issue... they would also swell unevenly until they stabilized



Just giving you some thoughts here David

I go through a few of these stones every year so they get a pretty good workout here.

The one thing I really continue to try to stress to people is to NOT to soak them. This is a resin based stone and it is soft and soaking them is not recommended even from the manufacturer. I just spray water on them or run the faucet over them for a second or two a few times until they quit drinking and the water starts to pool on the top of the stone. I have never had any trouble with swelling doing this. They clean up with the DMT or Atoma or GDLP without problems and they remain one of the most reliable and consistent hones I use and I use them almost every day.

Have fun.

Sorry to hear about the stone, it would become very clear to you not to soak the stone if you had read the original instruction.

Oh well of course. That clears it right up for me, thanks.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I go through a few of these stones every year so they get a pretty good workout here.

The one thing I really continue to try to stress to people is to NOT to soak them. This is a resin based stone and it is soft and soaking them is not recommended even from the manufacturer. I just spray water on them or run the faucet over them for a second or two a few times until they quit drinking and the water starts to pool on the top of the stone. I have never had any trouble with swelling doing this. They clean up with the DMT or Atoma or GDLP without problems and they remain one of the most reliable and consistent hones I use and I use them almost every day.

Have fun.

I still got the variable swelling that I showed in the photos in the linked thread by only spraying them, which was my method at the time I took the photos. Your hones must like you better because I don't know what I was doing differently from your prep. They eventually stopped doing it but I didn't really change anything.

YMMV

Originally Posted by Utopian

I still got the variable swelling that I showed in the photos in the linked thread by only spraying them, which was my method at the time I took the photos. Your hones must like you better because I don't know what I was doing differently from your prep. They eventually stopped doing it but I didn't really change anything.