About ready to spring for the Spyderco ceramic stones...
#21
My Ultra Fine Spyderco needed a ton of flattening. So much so that I never got it really flat. I used a 180 diamond stone followed by a 320. It’s close but not perfectly flat. And yes, I sent the first one back it was so bad. I didn’t feel like sending another back. I wanted to see how it worked.

Derek seems to have flatter ones than me. I bought mine when they first came out. Maybe they have improved since then in the flatness department.
---------------------------------------------------
When something has to be done, no one knows how to do it.  When they "pay" you to do it, they become "experts".
Reply
#22
I am placing the order tonight. I will post my comments when they arrive. I am hoping for the best!
Steve
Reply
#23
The stones showed up in the mail today.  EZE Lap 121c, which is the 10-inch long coarse diamond stone, plus the Spyderco medium and ultra fine.

I checked all of them for flatness using a Starrett steel rule and feeler gauges.

The EZE Lap seems very flat, but is hard to measure because of the new diamond surface.

The Spyderco medium is very flat.  It seems to be dished 0.0015 in the center.  I could not fit the 0.0015 under the rule anywhere else on the stone.  I don't know if I can make it flatter than this.


The Ultra Fine is not as flat.  It is dished in the center.  I can barely fit a 0.003 guage under the rule, and there is resistance when I try to drag the guage.  That is not bad, but I think it should probably be better.  The other side was much worse - with a dip on one end.  I was able to fit a 0.006 guage under the rule.

So - how flat should I be shooting for when I start lapping?

Also, I saw a video of a guy lapping a Spyderco on a piece of glass, using silicon carbide powder (if I recall correctly).  Any comments on that method?
Steve
Reply
#24
Hi Steve

I have never measured the flatness of a stone's surface. "Flat" for me means that I cannot see light under a Starrett rule resting across a stone.

As I mentioned at an earlier time, I purchased two 10" Eze-lap diamond stones to prepare the Spydercos. The Coarse was a very little bellied (there was a tiny bit of light under the rule), but the Fine was flat. The important part was that the Fine was flat, since this was the last diamond stone to touch the surface of the Spydercos. Achieving flat involved removing a pencil scribble across the surface with the diamond stones.

I did this at the time the Spyderco were purchased. Both the Medium and the Ultra Fine Spydercos needed a total of 15 minutes from a Coarse (275 grit) and Fine (600 grit) Eze-lap.

About a month after purchase, I ran the Fine diamond stone across the Spydercos again. The Medium had not changed at all, but the UF showed a real smidgeon of a hollow. It was lapped again.

I have checked the stones about three-monthly since then, and neither has moved at all. Keep in mind that I freehand blades, and I take care to work the entire surface as evenly as possible.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply
#25
Thanks Derek!  I will follow up with my results and in-use experience.
Steve
Reply
#26
Derek, I'm curious about the effect on the diamond plates of lapping the Spydercos.  How did the diamonds hold up to the lapping process?  

My Spyderco (fine) is out of flat noticeably even to the naked eye.  So badly that I won't lap a wide plane blade on it; just chisels.  Combining that with the tendency of Spyderco stones to quickly load, I question their value.  For these reasons, when I want really well prepared edges on my best tools, I go to the water stones.  The Spyderco is more of a toolbox stone for toolbox tools, in my case; so I not sure I want to jeopardize my diamond plate to correct the out-of-flat Spyderco.
Reply
#27
Mike, the impact on the new Eze-lap stones was to break them in. The stones still function well, but the Spydercos probably took a few years life from them.

Flat stones are important when you lap the backs of blades.

I do not have a problem with the Spydercos loading as I sometimes spritz them with a touch of soapy water, or more usually use a wet blade on them (from rinsing), and that is enough for remove most of the swarf. I have discovered that a scrub with Simple Green will remove any imbedded swarf. I will do this once per month or so.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply
#28
(09-18-2019, 09:40 AM)Mike Brady Wrote: Derek, I'm curious about the effect on the diamond plates of lapping the Spydercos.  How did the diamonds hold up to the lapping process?  

My Spyderco (fine) is out of flat noticeably even to the naked eye.  So badly that I won't lap a wide plane blade on it; just chisels.  Combining that with the tendency of Spyderco stones to quickly load, I question their value.  For these reasons, when I want really well prepared edges on my best tools, I go to the water stones.  The Spyderco is more of a toolbox stone for toolbox tools, in my case; so I not sure I want to jeopardize my diamond plate to correct the out-of-flat Spyderco.

Mike,

I am surprised that your stone is so far from flat that you can see it with the naked eye.  It sounds extreme.  Mine look very flat, although the measurements indicate slight out-of-flat.

In some other discussion I have seen regarding Spyderco flattening on diamond stones, it was suggested that this be done under running water.  I will do that, or maybe do it in a tub of water.  I have also seen suggestions to flatten them on glass with silicon carbide powder - which should be an inexpensive option.

I am hoping that the effect of the coarse diamonds does not alter the grit value of the Spydercos.  I have seen conflicting comments on that.

I have a 8" long fine diamond stone if needed to finish the surface, after the coarse diamond stone (like Derek suggested). 

I am willing to sacrifice the diamond stones if I can get very good low maintenance stones in return.  I could see how some people would not agree with that.  But I am still considering trying the silicon carbide route instead.
Steve
Reply
#29
Please be sure to report back about the Spydercos after using them for awhile.  Too many "purchase" threads die after the goods have been received.  Lumberjocks forum is a perfect example of reviews featuring some new tool or accessory, acquired recently, and how it is clearly the best in the market.  I freely admit that I own quite a few tools that I was dead sure would be game changers, but sit unused in my tool cabinet.  

I didn't see this mentioned in the thread, but, powdered kitchen cleanser will get the black swarf off of Spyderco stones.  In my experience these are the fastest loading of all popular sharpening stones, unless you used soapy water as the honing fluid.
Reply
#30
I didn't see this mentioned in the thread, but, powdered kitchen cleanser will get the black swarf off of Spyderco stones. In my experience these are the fastest loading of all popular sharpening stones, unless you used soapy water as the honing fluid.

I prefer Simple Green and a scrubbing brush. It works very fast, and the surface is left without scratches.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Articles on furniture building, shop made tools and tool reviews at www.inthewoodshop.com
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 3 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.