Hey Bob & Clay,

Just got off the phone with Kyle (see him for details) and they will be headed your way. How I found the problem was I had the powder/pitted issue with them. I had used them on a few knives and not really seen very good results with or without water so I decided to flatten both grits (1200/1600). After the flattening I cleaned them with DI and a drop of dawn, rinsed them with distilled, then air dryed them. When I picked them back up to inspect before putting them in my plano box I noticed the crack ... the other three sides look ok but the one 1600 grit side did not (QED).

Oddly if you look at the picture you will see the crack migrates down the outer wall of the pitted material but does not migrate to the end of the brick (as far as I can see without destructive testing).

I sent an email to the info addy with a analysis and now Kyle has it as well.

Any news on the cermaics being in stock or shipping out? I haven't heard much if any updates about the ceramics and mine haven't shown up just yet. I see the ceramics have been taken down from the list of available stones for purchase and replaced with the micro-ceramics.

Hey Deputy,
They're in and should be shipping out this week. We're still undecided about continuing to carry them - the dilemma is that I really love the stones but am not so happy with manufacturer. If they can agree to back their product 100% like we do, then I'd love to keep carrying the stones.

Deputy115 wrote:

Makes sense to me Clay. Just noticed the removal of the ceramics from the site and wanted to ask about them. I assume there have no issues with the micro-ceramics so far? I'd like to purchase some but want to see how the other ceramics pan out before purchasing the micros. My understanding is , the micros are not made by the same manufacturer as the 1200/1600 ceramics.
Thanks for the info.
wickededge wrote:

Clay, et al,
I see you suggest a water and soap mixture instead of oil or other lubricant. Since soap is/contains surfactants is there a concern that it will migrate to the backside of the stone and eventually loosen the adhesive bond?

I have been away from sharpening for a while and am playing catch-up. I unboxed and used my new 12-1600 stones for the first time last night and noticed that they had a bad case of dandruff... now I know why.

Good question about the water and the adhesive - on the 1200-1600, it hasn't been an issue with the glue we're using. It has been a problem with the Micro-Fine ceramics and we're working now w/ 3M for a better adhesive solution on those stones. We should have samples this coming week. Once they're in house, I'll test them with water to make sure they hold up.

dgriff wrote:

Clay,

In the event you decide not to continue to carry the 1200/1600 ceramics; how will you proceed with their replacement? I have a pair coming for warranty replacement.

Good question - we'll most likely continue with them, just need to iron out details with the supplier. We have enough right now to cover any warranty issues.

babo wrote:

I know it's been a while since this topic was brought up but I thought it only fair to update on my ceramics use. Clay was absolutely correct that once broken in the stones work great. I took mine to some 600 grit sand paper to lap them flat and have been using them with great results since. It took a bit for them to be broken in but now I love them. The only thing I have to be careful of is if I tilt them to the side the little pockets will make a nasty sound and sometimes micro chip the blade. To fix this issue I just take my time. I also purchased the micro ceramics and they are amazing as well! I have had no issues with them and now regularly get mirror edge finishes.