Thread: Fish Pump Fountain

Hey guys...call me crazy, but I used to build hydroponic systems for plants (only grew tomatoes )...long story short, I used a small water pump to bring water from the bottom of a reservoir to the plant roots and have it trickle down. I think the pumps cost me something like $15-20 so it wasn't a huge investment

I was thinking setting up one for my Norton...Getting a large rubermaid container with a lid...cutting some holes in the lid...using the water pump to bring up the water and trickle it onto the stone allowing the water to fall back into the reservoir after. I think it would keep my stone wet, and my desk free from...flooding. I could build it and post up some pictures if you guys think it's worth while, but I wanted to see what you guys thought first.

Allen

Would the loose grit wear down the pump rather fast?

If you have a spare pump, this would work fine, but you could also consider a gravity feed for cost efficacy (tupperware with a small hole in it mounted above the tub.) Personally, I have a spare small pump and will be giving this a try. However, don't forget that most water stones still need a fair bit of soaking before use. Because of this, I think it will be a great setup for my belgians!

Good call Ken, though you could have a second "clean" reservoir and just change the water periodically.

Originally Posted by shotwell1234

Good call Ken, though you could have a second "clean" reservoir and just change the water periodically.

I think your idea of clean reservoir would help a lot. Maybe even some sort of pre-filter on the pump. It starting to get complicated. I would probably be able to hone two razors before I got the pump set up.

I'll certainly keep that in mind, and will continue to soak my stones...I was just considering this because I had 6 spare pumps...and sharing new ideas is what makes this place great

This isn't right on topic, but it is what I use for my waterstones. I got it at Lee Valley Hardware (no connection). If the link doesn't work, go to Lee Valley Hardware and search for "the stone pond"
Ken.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...=1,43072,43071

Thanks Ken, I have seen these before, but I couldn't find where to purchase them..i will check one out

A pump like that would work fine and have pretty loose tolerances so wear should not be a critical issue as long as the water does not get too "thick". A decanting reservoir inside would help keep the more abrasive materials to one end and the cleaner water to the pump.
To tell the truth if setting up a system like this I would lean towards something that uses clean water only and is easy to clean out after.
The recirculating systems have a tendency to get gungy after awhile because they can be just shut off. It is so easy that one does that over and over and then the whole thing just turns rude and icky to clean.
In the long run they just become a pain in the rear.
While I am new to straight razor honing I have used water stones in the past and in my experience even a small pump would deliver way more water than I need. Setting up the stone so I can work comfortably at it while maintaining a big enough reservoir with it might make the system awkward.
If you have a permanent honing station then you could put the reservoir on the floor with some tubing run to a catch basin just big enough to hold the stone securly and be worked at comfortably.
If I had such a setup I would have a clean water reservoir and a dirty water one so all overflow would go to dirty water reservoir. Easy to clean.
At the end of the day though the level of sophistication needed would be more than needed for most of us.
Unless we hone for a living the hone is a very occassional tool so it spends way more time in storage than out for use.
For me at least I want an easily stashed system that can be put away between uses and keeps the mess while in use to a minimum.
For much of that I end up with the stone on its plastic holder on a towel with a spray bottle and maybe a small cup of water.
If things are gonna get really sloppy I set the stone in its holder in a really low flat rectangular tupperware dish. A piece of towel or some of that no slip rubbery stuff used in cutlery drawers in the bottom.
Not that imagining a sophisticated honing station isn't fun it's just that I know it would be more for the fun of making it than the fun of using it.

i use my hones at the bathroom sink i fill it up 3/4 and dunk them every 15-20 passes it keeps my hones clean oh why didnt i buy the spyderco set when i had them in my hands at woodcrafters i thought the traditional method was better i guess