Standard Waterstone - 1200 Grit

Standard Waterstone - 1200 Grit

8 in. x 2-1/2 in. x 1-1/4 in. (207mm x 66mm x 34mm)

Waterstones cut very quickly, offer a large range of grit sizes, and are pleasantly affordable. Our bench stones offer unusually large surfaces, wider than most plane irons and long enough for very efficient sharpening with or without a honing guide.

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.

1200 grit is consider a medium grit for waterstones. For faster stock removal, consider an 800, 400 or 200 grit stone. The finer grits beyond 1200 are 4000, 6000 (which is as fine as a hard black Arkansas stone, but faster cutting), 8000 and even 10,000 grit.

A Highland Hardware user's guide is available for viewing and downloading here.