Slip stone question

[efgee88]

Hi All,

I have a 4,000 grit deluxe slipstone from Matsunaga Stone Co. (Osaka) and I've never really known whether to soak the stone just prior to use, to not soak it at all, or to leave it permanently in water or oil - would that damage it?

Can anyone enlighten me please?

It is a small handheld stone, wedge shaped with one edge rounded for gouges and the other edge cut on an angle (don't know what that is for either).

Cheers,

FrankG.

[rsser]

Frank, acc to Leonard Lee waterstones are best stored in water and oilstones in a closed container.

Yours sounds like a waterstone.

[efgee88]

Hi Ern,
I was worried that storing it in water permanently would make it disintegrate somehow. The stone seems pretty soft and looks manufactured like in the link you provided.

I've had it for years and have always used it dry, basically because I don't have the patience to soak it for 3mins every time I want to hone something.

But if it could live in water . . . .

Cheers,

FrankG

[rsser]

Yeah, that's one reason to keep it wet, but the other acc to Lee is that where the water is hard repeated wetting and drying leads to accumulation of salts.

With stones 6000 and up surface water is fine apparently.

How fine is the narrow edge of yours Frank?

I've got a Norton sil/carbide and it's not fine enough for bowl gouges under 3/8, and my two diamond rods are pretty coarse.

[efgee88]

Hi Ern,

The thin end of the round side of the wedge is 2.5mm, the thick end is 12mm.
LOA is 115mm.

Cheers,

FrankG

[rsser]

Looks good. Thanks Frank.