Making a hone

**PapaFish** · 10-14-2011, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Krodor

Kremer's Pigments...buy bags of 0.5 micron CrOx.
http://www.kremerpigments.com/shopus...&product=44200

Those are bags of 0.3 micron CrOx. Check out the PDF that is linked, it says it's verified by electron microscope.

**Krodor** · 10-14-2011, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by PapaFish

Those are bags of 0.3 micron CrOx. Check out the PDF that is linked, it says it's verified by electron microscope.

Golly, guess my 10 dollar bag o' green is finer stuff than I remembered. Should last my lifetime, plus several generations on my balsa. Might be fun to speed up the usage and make a hone out of it tho. Im subscribed....

Thanks for the correction!

**Blix** · 10-14-2011, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by thatsilverguy

Man... "it cant be done" ...lol.

Didn't I see that in another thread... ? Seriously, the Belgians and Japanese seem to have a corner on the coticule markets since they supposedly have the best native stones to work with. The best natural stones supposedly come from certain schists - I am not an expert, I just read the Wikipedia article.

So I guess my question to you is - Are you trying to make a synthetic stone like Norton? Or are you thinking of carving a coticule out of your local native rock?

Coticule is a specific Belgian type of stone, you can't find any in Japan.

**PapaFish** · 10-14-2011, 06:06 PM

Originally Posted by Blix

Coticule is a specific Belgian type of stone, you can't find any in Japan.

I thought the literal translation for Coticule was "razor hone". I think of the Belgian hone when it's said, but I understood what he meant just the same.

**Gamma** · 10-14-2011, 07:26 PM

I think -- the word coticule was coined to refer to, in general, 'whetstones' of the spessartine-quartzite type..but I could be mistaken.

**Pkrankow** · 10-14-2011, 10:02 PM

I recall one of the razor hones at my Dad's is "Vulcanized" implying it is an abrasive set in hard rubber. I have an identical "stone" but it does not have the label.

Very interesting using shellac and an abrasive powder, do you set it on a substrate or use it self-supporting?

Phil

**xMackx** · 10-15-2011, 03:12 PM

Actually I did read about Grinding wheels being help together with vulcanized rubber. But only with wheels designed for being spun at high rpm's. And at first I am going to try it using a mold. From what I have read from the problems others have had with there first hone casting was air bubbles. Because you are using 3-9 times more abrasive than adhesive (depending on the properties you want of your hone). Which can be avoided by either pressing the mold or adding a thinner. I already made a hone with different materials yesterday with different ingredients. I'll post some pics when It is done curing.

**PapaFish** · 10-16-2011, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by xMackx

Actually I did read about Grinding wheels being help together with vulcanized rubber. But only with wheels designed for being spun at high rpm's. And at first I am going to try it using a mold. From what I have read from the problems others have had with there first hone casting was air bubbles. Because you are using 3-9 times more abrasive than adhesive (depending on the properties you want of your hone). Which can be avoided by either pressing the mold or adding a thinner. I already made a hone with different materials yesterday with different ingredients. I'll post some pics when It is done curing.

How long do you think that curing time will be on the prototype hone?

**xMackx** · 10-17-2011, 12:04 PM

This is my first hone attempt. It has just gotten done curing and I like the shape.

**Pkrankow** · 10-17-2011, 12:39 PM

Sparkley!

3 days cure, not too bad. Did you start with dry shellac, or did you use something that was already mixed? What is the abrasive in this stone?

Phil

**eastomjac** · 10-17-2011, 12:55 PM

i say go for it!we used to pick up ar stone off the ground and work them into a flat shape.made some good one if i recll correctly.being in sw ar its easy to find good stone laying around everywhere if you know what to look for.ive never tried to cast a hone stone but it cant be that hard if your willing to work for it.

**xMackx** · 10-17-2011, 02:31 PM

I used extremely fine grit foundry sand. Just tested it a little bit, and it works! It feels really smooth, polishes and hones like a finishing stone. And the sparkles you see is the quartz/silica in the foundry grade sand.

**Nobody** · 10-17-2011, 05:16 PM

If you don't mind me asking, what was your mold? The shape is about perfect to me and I'm looking to try something very similar with the Linde-A purchased this past weekend.

**xMackx** · 10-17-2011, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by Nobody

If you don't mind me asking, what was your mold? The shape is about perfect to me and I'm looking to try something very similar with the Linde-A purchased this past weekend.

I actually used a mini bread pan... I really love the shape it made. I'm thinking about looking for different sized/shaped ones since it turned out so well.

**Pkrankow** · 10-17-2011, 06:04 PM

It looks nice and a pleasing shape, but I prefer longish narrow hones. Ever think about a piece of plastic pipe? It can be formed rectangular or left round. Just a thought.

Phil

**Krodor** · 10-17-2011, 09:07 PM

Recipe when you think you've got a winner!!!

**Debrushman** · 10-17-2011, 09:51 PM

Why not try JB-Stick?. Its a two part, steel reinforced epoxy. Its clay like in its unmixed form. While your kneading the two parts together, introduce the abrasive into the mix. Knead it to distribute the abrasive throughout the epoxy.
After the abrasive has been added (and kneaded) shape the clay like epoxy into the shape of your hone.
Its waterproof, and because you mixed the abrasive completely into the mixture, you will always have fresh abrasive, even as the hone wears.
Total time for the JB Stick to harden is 20 minutes.
JB Stick is manufactured by the same company that makes JB Cold Weld.
Good luck and if you try it, let us know how you make out.

**xMackx** · 10-18-2011, 03:55 PM

Thanks for the appreciation and interest guys. This is something I'm serious about. Who knows, maybe someday when I get different recipes for different grits I may just add them to my business.

**Nobody** · 10-18-2011, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by eastomjac

i say go for it!we used to pick up ar stone off the ground and work them into a flat shape.made some good one if i recll correctly.being in sw ar its easy to find good stone laying around everywhere if you know what to look for.ive never tried to cast a hone stone but it cant be that hard if your willing to work for it.

Very fortunate for you! We have lots of rock out here which is at least related to novaculite, cryptocrystaline quartz in many varieties, and I suspect there is some novaculite out there in the mineralized areas bordering some of the intrusive igneous outcrops. But the deposits, if they exist, will be small. Nothing of commercial scope, but interesting for a rockhound, which I was at one time. Now... I wonder where to find better detail on the Belgian coticules? I seem to remember something about deposits of garnet in the 4 corners area. Lots of sedimentary stone up there too. Problem being, mineralogical detail on the coticules has been scarce.

I was in a lapidary shop recently and saw a very interesting piece of petrified wood. Unusually uniform, I spent a little time running my fingers over it and thinking. Might go back and pick that one up. Make a nice paperweight if nothing else.

Of course, that doesn't mean I've lost any interest in the hone making endeavors. Just another interesting avenue of inquiry.