This fundamental waterstone set includes a 200 grit Green Stone, 1000 grit Medium & 6000 grit Fine stones, covering every need from vigorous hand grinding to honing sharper than a razor blade. The large Green Stone measures 3-1/8" wide, 8-1/4" long and 2-1/8" thick. The standard 1000 stone is 2-1/2" x 8" x 1-1/4", and the 6000 finish stone is 2-1/2" x 7-1/4" x 1/2", mounted on a plastic base for durability.

You might use the Green Stone quite a bit at first, as you grind all your tools into good basic condition: straight, square, suitable bevel angle and no remaining flaws or damage. During an ordinary day in the shop you'll use mostly the 1000 and 6000 grit stones. Unless you stop to re-hone very frequently, count on taking a lightly dulled tool to the 1000 grit stone for just a minute or less to re-establish a sharp edge. Then follow up with a minute's work on the 6000 stone to polish to a mirror shine and a level of sharpness that simply will spoil you rotten.

All our waterstones are man-made; their abrasive is sieved for accurate grit size and freedom from impurities, and the bonding process is very carefully controlled to ensure consistently reliable performance. Medium and fine stones are relatively soft, which means that every stroke of a tool exposes fresh, sharp grit and quickly builds an abrasive slurry which is a key ingredient in the stones' excellent performance. Their fast wear rate (don't be overly concerned about "fast", it means most waterstones probably won't last more than five to twenty years depending on use), together with their very hard, sharp aluminum oxide abrasive makes for extremely effective sharpening on even the hardest tool steel.

A Highland Hardware user's guide with complete care and use instructions accompanies every waterstone purchase.

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