Thread: Do you soak your Chinese 12K ?

I never soak mine. I just wet it for use. I've tried it dry too & it seemed fine.

Another "nope" here. I wet the top and let 'er rip.
I've been meaning to give a slurry stone a try for it as a kind of intermediate after the 8K, or as a first step in a "touch up." Maybe I'll go order one from ChrisL.

I have the same stone and mine has been living in water for about a month now. It only comes out for honing. It doesn't seem to be withering away from staying in water. I leave it in water because the side of the box said to let it soak for half an hour before use and I have never found myself in the mood to wait half an hour before honing. I can't really compare how it is dry to how it is when it's been soaking. I've only used it after it has soaked.

Originally Posted by smokelaw1

Another "nope" here. I wet the top and let 'er rip.
I've been meaning to give a slurry stone a try for it as a kind of intermediate after the 8K, or as a first step in a "touch up." Maybe I'll go order one from ChrisL.

Unless I'm badly mistaken ChrisL is sold out on them Zib has some for sale here and although it is marked sold he says in the text to PM him as all of them are not yet sold.

I got one when Chris had them and it is worth the $$ to me anyway.

The Global stones are ceramic, but the instructions say to soak for this reason.

They want that black watery crap on the stone. That acts as a slurry and amps the cutting power.

I tried my ceramic wet and dry and the wetter it is the better and faster it cuts. Let that slurry work for you. Of course I also use an Eastern sharpening method. That may have something to do with it as well as this is how Global wants you to use their stone.

I may get one this weekend and I will be soaking it. The only stone I do not is the Col. Conk Arkansas. I works better dry, no water whatsoever. YMMV of course.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Unless I'm badly mistaken ChrisL is sold out on them Zib has some for sale here and although it is marked sold he says in the text to PM him as all of them are not yet sold.

I got one when Chris had them and it is worth the $$ to me anyway.

Ordered one from zib. Look forward to giving it a try!

Correct. I have no more Chinese 12k slurry stones to sell. I like what they do in kicking that stone's performance up a notch though.

Chris L

I tried it when I first acquired it but I don't soak mine anymore. Just splash a little water on and work up a slurry. Then just water, then a few strokes dry. Very nice finisher.

I soaked mine.


I was so fed up with the slow, SLOW honing of the 12K I threw it into Boston Harbor!





(OK, so I put it up in the classified instead....)

Hi Jimmy - I've never soaked mine. I have left a puddle of water on it though to see if it would be absorbed, but a similar sized puddle on a sheet of glass evaporated in about the same time as that on the stone.

Getting a slip stone to make a slurry with is not too problematic - if you order a larger stone than you require, you can quite easily hacksaw a lump of the end. It flattens down with wet and dry - try 100, followed by 320, 600 and 1200.

ChrisLs idea of rounding the corners is great too - especialy on the hone itself - I find it much better than 45 degree chamfers - they give you two sharp edges instead of one!

Regards,
Neil