Thread: Honing trouble (false positives?)

It's good that you got that one honed. another option that you have before you go dump a bunch of money into stones is getting some wet and dry sandpaper and cutting it into about 3-in wide sheets. You can also get the sander width ones which will be about that size. The easiest way to use it I think is on a granite countertop. Tape it at one end, pull it really tight and tape it at the other end so that it sits nice and flat on the counter top. You can get up to 3k at most auto parts places and you should be able to get up to about 7k on Amazon. The 3K packages are not that expensive. I think around 10 to $15 at the auto parts store and that should fill the need for the mid grade. Of course it's always best to have good reliable stones but that can fill the gap on a budget while you're putting together money for what you need... Or maybe you have unlimited resources in which case knock yourself out but at least this way you could in the same afternoon be able to fill that gap.

Edit: I should add to that that what you don't want is for a ripple to form in the paper between the tape. That could kill all the work that you did. You want it to sit dead flat as you use it. What I have even done is tape it at one end and pull it tight when my fingers at the other and home with one hand instead of both.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

It's good that you got that one honed. another option that you have before you go dump a bunch of money into stones is getting some wet and dry sandpaper and cutting it into about 3-in wide sheets. You can also get the sander width ones which will be about that size. The easiest way to use it I think is on a granite countertop. Tape it at one end, pull it really tight and tape it at the other end so that it sits nice and flat on the counter top. You can get up to 3k at most auto parts places and you should be able to get up to about 7k on Amazon. The 3K packages are not that expensive. I think around 10 to $15 at the auto parts store and that should fill the need for the mid grade. Of course it's always best to have good reliable stones but that can fill the gap on a budget while you're putting together money for what you need... Or maybe you have unlimited resources in which case knock yourself out but at least this way you could in the same afternoon be able to fill that gap.

Edit: I should add to that that what you don't want is for a ripple to form in the paper between the tape. That could kill all the work that you did. You want it to sit dead flat as you use it. What I have even done is tape it at one end and pull it tight when my fingers at the other and home with one hand instead of both.

Yeah sandpaper has GOT to be flat and tight. What I do is give it a very light spray on the back with 3M or Loctite spray adhesive, then place one corner, stretch it tight, and bit by bit roll the sandpaper down with the edge of my hand. When you remove the sandpaper, acetone is great for cleaning up the residue. I like to use a 12" x 3" x 3/4" acrylic block instead of the countertop, so I can hold it in hand. YMMV.