Scorpion Forge Natural Waterstone

Alright my friends, I have four total of the large stones flattened and conditioned out, but only two of those are available. I also have two of the standard size, one of which is available. Pricing again is $120 for the extra large stones (8" x 3" x 1.75"), and $60 for the standard size (8" x 2.25" x 1"). That includes shipping inside the US. Shipping outside of the US is available at your cost.

Thanks again everyone!!

 

Half inch thick cut stones on the right, granite on the left.


The surfaces to be epoxied together.


In epoxy. I have to keep them clamped for at least 15 minutes each, then they have to sit for about a half hour before I can work with them.


Two of the pairs epoxied. You can see that the tiles and the stone don't align perfectly. I have to cut the tile a bit oversize to make sure it clamps properly. I've tried it a couple of other ways but I don't have the ability to cut the tile to the slightly oblong shapes of the stones with any precision. Better to make a larger 'bed', and trim it after.


Once the epoxy cures up I have to cut the tiles down, then work them as much as possible on the grinder using old belts. They DESTROY new belts in seconds. The idea is of course an acceptably smooth joint. This does NOT go quickly. I thought these stones were hard...but I'd never worked with granite.


Finished product, dry...sitting on the extra large stones for scale.


And wet.

I have two of these remaining for sale at $40, and two more cut after that that can be finished at the same price. I don't think I'll be making more after, as the 2hrs plus total in labor for cutting, fitting, squaring, flattening, and conditioning the stones...plus epoxy and tile costs make them not really worth making.

 

Oh also, if anyone has concerns with the quartz veins...I have used both of these stones to sharpen the passaround, and they work beautifully. I think the stones are quartz based anyway. Some weird admixture of silt/slate and quartz on a microscopic level. I think that could be considered a 'chert' of sorts, but this is different than any chert stone I've used. Hard Arkansas/novaculite is close, but still not the same. This cuts more quickly and polishes in an entirely different manner, with different results. In my experience this one stone almost completely replaces three separate Arkansas stones.

 

I'll take one of the two if it's possible one is still available.

 

Thanks for the PM as well my friend! You're all set up!

 

I gave mine a whirl today on a couple of my home knives (read don't get sharpened too often) a 210mm Itinomonn V2/Stainless job and a 7ish inch Sabatier and I was really happy with the results. It was faster than what I expected, only taking a few minutes from pretty dull with no medium or coarse stone and produced a more agressive edge than I expected. I'll tote it to work tomorrow and try it on my KS and Heiji and see how it works with those. The scratch pattern is pretty bright so it'll look a little strange on the Heiji, but once the core steel darkens it shouldn't look too weird. After Mardi Gras I'll give it a try with different nagura type stones and see how that works out with making the finish a little nicer. I also plan on trying a few chisels on it after the holiday. All together I am pretty pleased.

 

By more aggressive do you mean sharper (ultra fine and still sticky if you slide your fingers)? Or more toothy? I'm super happy that you're having good results though, for sure!

 

A little of both. Once I use it on a knife I use more I'll have a better idea of how it really works.

 

Good deal! I've found that there isn't a limit to sharpness (for want of a better way to put it), just a limit to how lightly I can pull the knife across the stone lol.

 

I touched up my KS gyuto, my Heiji semi stainless gyuto, and my Shig yangagiba and was very please with how it worked. The stone didn't really cut fast enough for my taste on the semi stainless (SKD is what the rumor is), but worked wonders on the less wear resistant steels of the KS and Shigefusa.

 

I'll need to pick up something in the super stainless arena to see if my results mirror all of yours. I've sharpened some of my friends high end stainless EDC's without issue, and those have pretty fat bevels compared to a good kitchen knife. Perhaps the HRC of them is lower. It will be interesting to see.

 

I'm actually kind of surprised about the semi stainless, it usually reacts more like a harder carbon. I'm taking today off from Carnival so in depth, various nagura added experiments begin today. I'll try most of the steels above again, some more white #2 and a ZDP pocket knife.

 

I have a bunch of super steel knives. CPM 20CV, Elmax, and M390. I'll give them a go straight on the stone. Maybe we should chat before so I have a better idea what technique you use.

 

We'll have to try it out. I think the 'feel' will be more telling for me than anything else, but we'll see how it works and go from there.

 

Ok ladies and gentleman, I have one of these standard stones left, and one of the XL. $60 shipped in the US for the standard, and $100 shipped for the XL due to the clipped corner.



Message here or shoot me a PM if you're interested!

 

Ok well, wow...standard stone is sold, lol. One XL remaining.

Also, I have plenty of rocks left (dozens of standard size, and 2-3 of the larger I believe), they just aren't cut and finished. This one is ready to go out tomorrow.

 

I was able to get some time in on the one I recently picked up over the weekend and it was a joy to use on everything from my AUS-8 EDC, to my crappy German chef's, to my crappy IKEA filet, to my Wok Shop Chinese Cleaver. I can't see picking up another stone for a while when I can get my technique down on this one and then try to get something near as sharp as Cris can after I'm more confident in my abilities. Great price, and having the weight of the granite really helps keep it in place in my setup; could not be any happier that I picked one up.

 

Thanks man . I really love hearing back from you guys about how they're working out for you. I mean, I sharpen a LOT of knives, but 99% of them are the same steel, with the same edge geometry, and I thought maybe that they worked so well because my methods and the knives suited them. It's awesome to see you guys using them on all sorts of stuff with mostly extremely positive results.

I still have a couple large slabs left, and bought a much larger tile saw (NOT CHEAP!!) so I can break down the thicker rocks without having to make them extra tall stones. One of the slabs I have is just about 3" thick which will make for some nice wide stones. I get about 12 stones out of a slab...so I'm thinking that next time my supplier has them in, I'll go ahead and buy another three or four slabs so as make sure I have a stock for the future.

 

Alright guys, I just cut the remaining slabs, and have 14 of the standard sized stones, 4 of the extra large, and 12 of an in between size that's about 2 7/8" wide by 7 7/8" long by just under 1" thick (145mm x 195mm x 20mm or so). Price on the standard size is $60 for Fora members, the medium large are going to be going for $90, and the super large for $120. That includes shipping in the US. They're all just rough cut, so if you order it'll probably be a few days before I ship them out...particularly as I'd like to get enough of them together to make one trip for a few stones, rather than a trip for every stone ordered lol.

Once I get this batch halfway gone, I'll order a few more slabs. This will keep me far enough ahead that if I start getting junk I'll be able to let you all know ahead of time, and we'll still have a few good ones left.

 

Oops lol, forgot some pictures:


Right after cutting them. I took these so you could see the size difference from the top and sides. In the top picture the mid sized (almost 3" wide) are the closest, standard in the middle, and the XL farthest. In the bottom picture the ones on the bottom right are the standard, bottom left are the next size up, and top are the big, thick stones.


It might not look like it, but that's an easy 60lbs plus of rocks lol.



On the right is how they come off the saw. The left is what they look like after I take a dull belt to all the corners.



And this is after 1-1.5hrs of flattening on 120 grit paper and loose silicon carbide lol.

Anyhow, shoot me a PM or message here if you're interested and we'll get one out to you asap .