Author: jendereedknife
Date: 2008-04-29 07:49
Dear J,
I have posted my reply below, but I am afraid that it will be considered an adverisement by the powers that be. Please email me at jendereedknife@yahoo.com in case it does not make it through.
-Tom Blodgett
Jende Industries, LLC
The diamond glass stone is a lapping plate, and is not used to sharpen the knife itself, but used to keep the stones flat. It works extremely well, and can easily spoil the user!
Shaptons are initally expensive, but they are stones that you only buy once in your carreer. Lapping is the most important thing when investing in Shapton stones. You may want to consider that when purchasing shapton stones, or any stones. The second your stones are not flat, the defference begins to transfer onto the knife, ultimately rendering it useless, or extremely difficult to sharpen!
If you only have a budget for 2 stones, I suggest a #1,500 and a #5,000 stone. The #1,500 is finer than the India stone, but us still coarse enough to renew and reshape a well kept edge while setting up the knife for the #5,000 stone very nicely. It can also be used by itself, as it will put a better burr on the knife than the India stone.
The #5,000 stone is the first step toward heaven. At this stage, the scratches are so densly packed and so consistant that they form a mirror finish. It is the first finishing stone, and is "good enough" for most people. Once you use this stone, your reed knife takes on a whole new life.
The stones are portable, but a little bigger than the one you have now - about 4x8". They come in their own storage case which doubles as a base for holding the stone. (It's a little bulky, and usually where I recommend using a different product to maintain your edge without sharpening instead of lugging your stones everywhere with you. That will require a separate email, for sure!)
I hope this has helped.
Sincerely,
Tom Blodgett
President,
Jende Industries, LLC
www.jendeindustries.com
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