Refurbishing a whetstone

[JoeG]

My dad has an old stone that has been worn smooth.  Do any of you have any suggestions for getting it back into working shape?

Woodworkers routinely use a diamond stone to reface and flatten out of shape stones. Use a lube whatever you use on the and keep flushing the debris off the surface as you go.

Joe

[tombogan03884]

Calibration companies use a diamond hone to resurface granite surface plates as well , within .00001

[crusader rabbit]

Slightly off topic, but I bought a Smith's sharpener. Its a cheapo, but when I saw the guys at my fish market using them it was the kicker. Those boys need to keep the fillet knives sharp and they won'r mess around with crap. Its a steel not a stone, but for around $10?

If you actually use your knife, you will develop uneven areas along the blade.  Then, each time you try to sharpen it with the Smith, the uneven area will get deeper. 

Think about the "high-low" on a dirt road. 

The road starts out flat after the initial grading, but then any little rut develops into a vibration-inducing series of peaks and valleys that will shake the fillings out of your teeth. 

Same thing happens with the Smith steel sharpener.  You start with a little uneven stretch on your blade that develops into what looks like mini-serrations all along the cutting edge.

Back in the day, your average fish monger or butcher would keep his knife sharp by using a "steel" after a regular "stone" time. That knife was made of good quality carbon tool steel and would last him for years.

Most of the current crop use cheap stainless knives and discard them with regularity when they become unusable.  The Smith sharpener keeps them sharp for awhile with no sharpening skill required. It then renders them unusable in relatively short time with peaks and valleys on the cutting edge.

A Smith sharpener will do much to wreck your knife if it is regularly used.  Spend a little time with a good Arkansas hard stone--they often come with a course and fine side and they will put a razor edge on most steel. 

Crusader

[crusader rabbit]

My dad has an old stone that has been worn smooth.  Do any of you have any suggestions for getting it back into working shape?

Is it a whet stone or an oil stone.  In other words, was it designed to be used with water or with oil?

If it is an oil stone, give it a good brushing with an old tooth brush and some mineral spirits.  Work it in small circles from one end of the stone to the other.  Then rinse it well in a liberal amount of fresh mineral spirits.  Then set it aside fore a couple of days until the spirits evaporate out of the stone.

You should be back to excellent in no time.

If that doesn't result in a satisfactory surface, you can try a little 400 grit wet/dry and mineral spirits.  Work it in small circles in a similar fashion to the above brush technique.

But, I would suggest that the "smooth" surface may not actually be a problem.  It may be a hone instead of a stone--very fine grain intended to put a finish edge on high quality knives and chisels, or even a "fine" stone.  Oil stones and whet stones are pretty much self-cleaning.

If it is a whet-stone (one that depends on water to lubricate and float particles away) some Dawn and a toothbrush will clean it up nicely.

On a final note, these old stones are wonderful mementos of times gone by when craftsmen took pride in their tools.  Get it back into shape and use it with pride that you are carrying on a mostly forgotten tradition.

Crusader

[PegLeg45]

My friends and family always bring me knives to sharpen....... seems it is a lost art.

[Sponsor]