180mm Japanese Water Stone - 1000

These Japanese water stones are man-made from Corundum, a synthetic aluminium oxide abrasive, set in a resin bond. The finish that you achieve with a water stone is a combination of the particle size, durability of the abrasive and the resin bond strength. These water stones have a medium strength bond and wear relatively slowly, releasing fresh, sharp abrasive at a reduced rate in comparison to stones with weaker bonds that release abrasive at higher rates and wear down more quickly. The water stone formulation is excellent for sharpening O1 general tool steel, a steel commonly used to make knives, and are fast cutting when sharpening tough alloys such as A2 and M2 high speed steels which are used to manufacture chisels, plane irons, turning and carving tools. You simply immerse the stones in water and allow to soak for 3 to 5 minutes, at which point they are ready for use. It is important to ensure the water stone retains moisture during the sharpening process.

The fresh abrasive particles break down and dull during the sharpening process, creating progressively finer grits, allowing you to move seamlessly from a coarse 1000 grit stone, to a medium 2000 grit stone to the fine mirror-finish 3000 grit stone. After use leave the water stone to dry out naturally, before using a diamond flattening stone to re-level the face of the water stone. The stone is mounted in a rubber polymer base to stop the stone from wandering during the sharpening process whilst protecting the work surface from scratching.

This 1000 grit water stone is the fastest cutting stone and is used to remove nicks before sharpening and to shape and establish a basic edge. The stone measures 180mm in length with a width of 60mm and a depth of 14mm. ©