DC4 stone

[IntrepidStu]

Does anyone know what the black side of the DC4 is and what grade (of whatever it is) is it. The idea is to be able to buy just this as it realy beats the pants off my combination 1000/6000 Japanese Waterstone.

If you have used the DC4 and know of something that does the job just as well, Id be greatful for your advice. I dont, however, want general "I sharpen my stuff like this" responces (not trying to offend, its just that there could be a heck of alot of irrelevent answers otherwise).

Cheers guys.

Stu.

 

[Mastino]

I use the DC4 regularly and next to that stone I'm also fond of the double sided spyderco stone: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=87

 

[IntrepidStu]

I use the DC4 regularly and next to that stone I'm also fond of the double sided spyderco stone: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=87

Looks good but maybe a little small. The Bench Stone is a bit bigger but do you think it is of the same performance??

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=82

 

[Goliath]

Why buy something else if you already like the DC4?

 

[stickbow]

I have a CD4 and the black side I believe is the ceramic side the other is diamond.
I have used mine for at least 3-4 years and it sharpens all my kit to razor sharp, wash it occasionally in warm soapy to clean it and it will last a lifetime.
10/10 IMHO

 

[IntrepidStu]

Why buy something else if you already like the DC4?

I want something slightly bigger for using at home, as well as using the Little DC4 whilst out. I see why you asked though, I should have made it clearer.

Stu

 

[stevec]

closest i could find is the C12 http://www.fallkniven.com/misc/eng-sharp.htm

i seem to recall that the glue that holds the diamond bit to the synth sapphire bit softens in hot water, perhaps try that?

steve

 

[leon-1]

I want something slightly bigger for using at home, as well as using the Little DC4 whilst out. I see why you asked though, I should have made it clearer.

Stu

Stu, what are you going to be sharpening??

I have a number of knives and most are sharpened on variations of the the hoodoo hone or Mors's sharpening kit.

They are cheap and easy to make, they can be made in larger sizes than you can buy stones at a reasonable cost and they are cheaper to replace.

I do have stones, I just very rarely use them now.

 

[IntrepidStu]

Stu, what are you going to be sharpening??

I have a number of knives and most are sharpened on variations of the the hoodoo hone or Mors's sharpening kit.

They are cheap and easy to make, they can be made in larger sizes than you can buy stones at a reasonable cost and they are cheaper to replace.

I do have stones, I just very rarely use them now.

Do you use a DC4?? Do you Know of anything made from the same stuff or similar??

Please read the original post Leon. Thanks for the response but I'm not actually trying to find what people use (like it says in the original post). I was using the board and wet/dry paper idea before I even knew who Mors was (I thought I invented it). The boards tend not to last. As I said in post 1, I am only interested in something similar to the DC4.

What works for you, works for you. It doesn't necessarily mean it works for everyone.
Cheers anyhow Leon, Hope Ive not offended you mate.

Stu

 

[spoony]

get a dc4 you wont be disappointed

 

[IntrepidStu]

get a dc4 you wont be disappointed

My thoughts entirely (since ive actualy only got a DC3).

It would be nice to find something identicle and alot bigger though.

Stu.

 

[Toddy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, (I'm sure you will ) but you just want a bigger version of the ceramic stuff on the DC4 ? carrying it around is not an issue, yes ?

This is going to sound totally off the wall but it really, really works.
Buy a pizza bakestone. One of the ceramic ones that you never, ever use detergent on. I realised just how good it was for sharpening knives when my son burnt a pizza on mine and I scraped it off with a rather blunt table knife.............it's not blunt now and neither are the big cooking knives, and there's no wear to be seen on the bakestone
I bought mine in Lakeland but it just looks like the one on this link
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KitchenCraft-...14&_trkparms=72:1301|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

cheaper than the DC4 cost originally.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[C_Claycomb]

Odd question.

From the Fallkniven website...

http://www.fallkniven.com/misc/eng-sharp.htm

The diamond/ceramic whetstones DC3 and DC4.
We're happy to present something everyone has been waiting for - a combination diamond/ceramic whetstone that will handle all your sharpening needs. The newly-developed DC3 and DC4 whetstones consist of a fine diamond stone (25 micron) and a very special ceramic stone, made of synthetic sapphires. The advantage of these materials, although they get worn, will still keep their flat shape this is important when you sharpen your knife. And, since these materials are the hardest we know of, they will sharpen any steel, even these extremely hard powder steels. You don't need any lubrication for these stone but now and then you should consider cleaning them with warm water and liquid soap. The stones might feel coarse from the start but will become smoother/better after some use. A leather pouch is included.

Anyway...

I am sure you have noticed that the diamond grit is coarser than the ceramic. 25 micron is a little finer than P600 grit and is equivalent to the US grit 600. This is the same as the red DMT hones. Ceramic stones are harder to judge, but common wisdom suggests that the DC4 is around 1000grit equivalent. Call it 1000-1200. This is similar to most of the "Fine" ceramics out there.

If you want a bench stone in ceramic, even a cursory search of google shows you have a number to choose from. The main ones being Spyderco, who do two grades, and Shapton do a whole range of their glass backed sharpeners. See:
http://www.dick.biz/dick/product/711602/detail.jsf;jsessionid=4F5DC44D971D27AAFAA74EB570DF2AFC


I am surprised though that you are limiting yourself to ceramic, and that you find that your waterstones do not perform. I use waterstones even on S30V and though diamond does work faster, the synthetic water stones still put a sharp edge on it, and they work fantastically well on O-1 and similar steels. Hardness of the steel isn't a problem.

The only reason that I don't like wet and dry paper for bench work is that it wears down and is a pain to keep flatish. Ceramic DOES stay flat and makes little mess, but otherwise waterstones, ceramics or diamond are all about the same for most tools. I have found that when sufficiently practiced, most things will work equally well for putting an edge on a given blade, assuming equivalent grit size. The difference is in speed, mess and how fast they wear down in the process, all of which are objective characteristics and independent of who is using them. The only time its worth being picky is when you need to sharpen a lot of high alloy steels.

My 2p.

 

[IntrepidStu]

Cheers guys. BTW I didnt say that my waterstones dont perform, I simply said that the DC3 gets them sharper. The pizza base sounds like a good idea, and YES, you have understood what I want EXACTLY ;-)

I dont think its a "strange" though, It seems fairly straight forward to me

Once again, thanx guys.

Stu.