Soaking 1000/8000 Stone

[Dan Stuewe]

For my birthday my wife bought me Norton water stones. The local Woodcraft was somewhat depleted due to their big July sale so I got a 1000/8000 stone and a 4000 stone. In the directions it says to soak the stones for 10 min, except the 8000 stone only needs a splash of water - do not soak. How should this be handled with the combo stone?

Thanks,

[Roy Wall]

Dan -

My guess is to just lay the 1000 grit flat in just enough water to touch the 8000 line.....

YOu'll see bubbles for quite a while on the 1000 stone.

I use separate NOrtons - 1000 and the 8000......and just soak the 8000 for a minute while the others stay fully immersed for 10+....

Keep the spray bottle handy for the 1000 grit as it reallly soaks up the water.....

The stones are very good......you can hear the 1000 stone really cut!

[Pete Bradley]

I use Norton waterstones. I get better results with the 8000 if the surface has no standing water on it, but there's no need to keep it truly dry. It lives in the bucket of water with the rest of the stones.

Pete

[Bernhard Kühnen]

I do the same. All stones in the bucket covered by water. Just take care that there is enough space between the stones and the bottom because after a while the bottom of the bucket becomes quite muddy:eek:

[Ken Werner]

Happy Birthday Dan. I think you're going to love those stones. I just spray water on my 8000.

Ken

[Terry Beadle]

the combination stone can soak totally emersed in water for as long as you want. It won't hurt the stone nor affect it's performance. The 8000 grit will work fine and just won't require as much water to keep in good working conditions. Don't worry about it. Just keep it a bit wet while you use it and a light spray once in a while will do the trick.

[John Kain]

All my stones sit in water as well............even a couple combination stones.

[Tim Leo]

I bought a set of three, the 1000, 4000 and 8000 stones. I soak all three for ten to twenty minutes before use. I have decided that I like the way the 8000 works after I soak it.

I used to just squirt a little water on the dry 8000 but I had a lot of trouble getting the stone to work properly. Once I started soaking it, the stone worked better, in my opinion.

I also bought the flattening stone at a later date. It was well worth the money. Flat stones make sharp edges.

[Ian Smith]

I've got the set of 4 Norton stones (220, 1000, 4000 and 8000) as well as a 1000/8000 Norton combo. I keep all of them in water all the time. Except when I'm using them of course. Its a bit hard to sharpen under water.;)

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I don't have Nortons, I have Japanese water stones, and they all live in a large Tupperware like container, just add a drop or two of bleach to keep anything from growing in your water and you are done.

Mine work great!

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/treasure/second_stage_sharpening.jpg
The big ones on the bottom are the low number stones.

Cheers!

[Frank Desaulniers]

I use mostly Norton stones and keep my 8000 soaking in a tupperware container with my others (1000, 4000). I actually like the 8000 when it's nice and wet. 5 years so far and no problems.
Might as well introduce myself here so you know where i'm coming from... Hi everyone, I'm a hobbyist woodworker, been doing it since I was about 5 or 6 years old (I'm 40 now; my dad built his house and all the furniture in it, even the furniture in his dowtown office, and I helped him quite often) but have had a real passion for it for the last 6 years or so. I'm cetainly no expert, just an enthusiast with a certain sense of observation. I know that doesn't replace experience though, and there's tons of it on this forum. I've been reading you for the last few months; I see some familiar names, and have learned a lot. Looking forward to continuing.

[Maurice Metzger]

Frank, welcome to Sawmill Creek!

Maurice

[Nick Clayton]

I keep my stones in water all the time with a touch of bleach to keep things from growing. I've also had luck going over my 8000 with a Nagura stone prior to use.

[Peter Mc Mahon]

Hi Dan. I keep mine in water year round, no problems. Do the instructions say the 8000 does not need to be soaked, or do not soak?