ART NEWS
To Keep Your Tools in Top Shape, Look For the Best Sharpening Stones
UPDATED (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 24, 2020 12:47 PM)
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Sharp ideas deserve a sharp blade. Using a dull blade to cut your craft or art materials can prove not only frustrating but also dangerous. Increase your cutting efficiency and decrease your risk of accidents with a dependable sharpening stone. Choosing the best one for your needs can be difficult, so let us lend a hand with our selection of the best sharpening stones out there.
1. Smith’s Tri-Hone Sharpening System
Achieve a range of sharpening capacities with Smith’s three-stone sharpening system featuring 6-inch stones of fine, medium, and coarse grits. The stones are mounted on a rotating base, and each is easy to access and identify. The molded plastic base features nonskid rubber feet to keep you safe and steady, and a sharpening angle guide ensures that you will get a consistently precise angle.
Buy:
Smith’s Tri-Hone Sharpening System
$24.97
2. Norton Abrasives Combination Grit Benchstone
Norton Abrasives’ sharpening stone is low-tech but effective and easy to use. With its combination of coarse- and fine-grit stones made of an aluminum oxide abrasive, you can sharpen a range of blades to varying degrees. This stone is ideal for deburring and producing clean edges.
Buy:
Norton Abrasives Combination Grit Benchstone
$30.84
3. Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone
Sharp Pebble’s whetstone system scores high marks in precision and consistency. This dual-sided stone is made from super-durable silicon carbide and features both a medium grit and a fine grit. With its nonslip bamboo base, this sharpening stone stays put. To complete the set, this product comes with an angle guide and a handy instruction manual.
Buy:
Sharp Pebble Premium Whetstone
$39.99
4. Lansky Puck Sharpener
Lansky’s blade and tool sharpener is an affordable and simple sharpening stone. Easy to use and transport, this pocket-sized device is ideal for lawnmower blades, hatchets, axes, shovels, and spades. The puck’s contoured shape allows a grip that’s both secure and comfortable. This stone features both a coarse and a fine side. For badly nicked blades, use the coarse side first, then refine the edge with the fine side.
Buy:
Lansky Puck Sharpener
$10.77
5. Dan’s Ultrafine Sharpening Stone
Sharpening stones don’t get more high-quality than than those quarried in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. These stones are graded soft to hard to translucent to black (for the finest edge). For putting razor edge on knives and carving tools, we recommend this black stone, which comes in a protective wooden box. Measuring 8 by 3 inches, its large size is ideal for kitchen knives.
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Buy:
Dan’s Ultrafine Sharpening Stone
$139.99