Tom Jones III
09-01-2005, 9:51 AM
While flattening the back of a new plane iron, I first used a DMT diamond stone, 325 grit. I got the back flat and it had a mirror like finish on it, albeit with some scratches from the rough grit. Still, I could easily see my reflection and things on the shelf behind me.
The next stone I had was an 800 grit norton waterstone. I continued the flattening process with this stone and the scratch pattern was finer, but the mirror finish was gone. It appeared smoother, but it was covered by a grey haze.
Next, I moved to the other side of the DMT stone which is about 1200 grit. Again it got that mirror like finish. So I tried it on a 4000 grit norton waterstone and it got a smaller scratch pattern but it also got that grey haze again.
While I'm sure that the mirror finish is not important to getting the blade flat/sharp it makes me wonder what the difference is. I've seen others with that mirror like finish and it makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong with my waterstones.
The next stone I had was an 800 grit norton waterstone. I continued the flattening process with this stone and the scratch pattern was finer, but the mirror finish was gone. It appeared smoother, but it was covered by a grey haze.
Next, I moved to the other side of the DMT stone which is about 1200 grit. Again it got that mirror like finish. So I tried it on a 4000 grit norton waterstone and it got a smaller scratch pattern but it also got that grey haze again.
While I'm sure that the mirror finish is not important to getting the blade flat/sharp it makes me wonder what the difference is. I've seen others with that mirror like finish and it makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong with my waterstones.