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Sandstone Whetstone
Before bonded abrasives, edges were sharpened on natural stone, and fine sandstone was the commonest. A piece is shaped to a block and one face is ground dead flat by rubbing it on a flat slab with sand and water. Used wet, its quartz grains cut steel. Sandstone cuts fast but coarse: finish an edge on a finer stone.
Beginner
Half a day
Instructions
1
1
Choose the stone
Choose the stone
Pick a piece of fine, even-grained sandstone without cracks or soft layers, a little bigger than the block you want.
Materials for this step:
Sandstone (Abrasive)2 kg2
2
Shape a block
Shape a block
Wearing glasses, trim it to a rough block about 200 by 60 by 30 mm with the chisels and hammer.
Tools needed:
Stone Carving Chisels
Stone Carving Hammer
Safety Glasses3
3
Flatten the face
Flatten the face
Sprinkle sand and water on a large flat stone and rub the stone's face on it in figure-eights until the straightedge shows no light under it.
Materials for this step:
Sand0.5 kg
Water2 litersTools needed:
Large Flat Stone
Straightedge4
4
Test it
Test it
Soak it in water and hone a dull knife on it: the edge should come up keen but coarse.
Materials for this step:
Water2 litersTools needed:
BowlTools Required
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