Blackstone users, stupid question for you!!

[SharpenADullWitt]

I will have a Blackstone soon and know that there are times that it is recommended to use a permanent marker on a knife and on the stone.  Does a typical black  marker show up well on the blackstone, or do I need to be looking for some other color for use with that stone?

[Ken S]

I would call your question practical. It is certainly not stupid. It is probably best answered by Steve. Incidentally, I would like to know the answer, also. Following Steve's suggestion, I have been using the SB bllackstone more for knife sharpening, but mostly with jigs. (Whereas Steve might sharpen a hundred knives in a morning, three is a busy session for me.)

Ken

[Hatchcanyon]

there are also white markers.

Rolf

[Stickan]

Hi,
I use a black marker and have no problems seeing what i am doing.

Best,
Stig

[SharpenADullWitt]

there are also white markers.

Rolf

Do you have any link or know what they are called?  The only white ones I have seen, are less of a marker and more of a wax pen. (China marker)
Steve is part of the reason I asked.  He used a marker and recommended some marks on the wheel, in his dvd, but it appears to be on the grey stone in the dvd.  I have the SB stone coming, but haven't seen one in person, to know how black is it. (I don't know that I will do enough to use the freehand method, but I do want to learn it)
I need to hit some thrift stores and find some old knives, cheap, to practice with.

Thanks gang

[Rob]

I've had an SB for years and always used black sharpie's....no probs.

[stevebot]

Black market is no problem, Blackstone is really gray and black shows up well.
I like red and blue for bevels. Black can be confused with just a lack of light, but not red or blue.

[Ken S]

Great post, Steve. It gave me a good laugh. What Is the "black market" you mention? (an obvious, but funny typo for black marker.

We should note that the "blackstone" is really a darker shade of gray, not black.

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

Black market is no problem, Blackstone is really gray and black shows up well.
I like red and blue for bevels. Black can be confused with just a lack of light, but not red or blue.

That is an issue with internet pictures.  They can vary by what one does to to picture, as well as monitor settings, etc.

[Ken S]

We have an English idiom, "Sunday, go to meetin'". It literally means a person's best suit of clothes, reserved for attending church services.

The confusion about marking the blackstone may have partially arisen from Steve's choice of shooting locations for his DVD. The choise was logical. The farmer's market offered lots of background noise and the opportunity to work in a crowded situation. All Steve's home workshop offered was a quiet, studiolike atmosphere with no extraneous noise and good lighting.


In the very brief shot of Steve's market set up, we see Steve using his veteran SuperGrind with the SB. That's the hard working machine which has sharpened thousands of knives and consumed many grinding wheels. (Steve uses eight worn out SG formerly -250s as table weights.)

Steve told me that as a teacher, he felt he should use "the latest model". So, the Tormek featured in the DVD is his "Sunday, go to meetin' Tormek", the 40th Anniversary T7. It happens to have an SG-250 mounted on it. Alas, the old faithful SuperGrind did not get the starring part.

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

Actually, it was his studio video where he marked the angle on the side of the wheel, that made me wonder if the marker didn't show up well on the black wheel.  Since I don't yet have experience..... (better to ask and remove doubt, then not ask and stay a fool)
His red and blue markers made me smack my head, in a why didn't I think of that sort of thing.  Sometimes I have been offered colors like those for free, because black is the "required" or go to color for so many of the uses. (I just gave away several blue to a teacher who could use them)
Some days, I think outside the box, others, I seem confined by it.

[Ken S]

I believe the two marks on the grinding wheel are basically visual aids to get someone started. Through long experience, Steve knows where to align his eye and knife for his desired bevel angle. The visual aid is very useful; so is experience.

Ken

ps Steve, please feel free to post. First hand information beats second hand retelling every time.

[SharpenADullWitt]

No different then using the jigs.  The visual aid gives a reference point that one will feel comfortable with, after, practice, practice, practice.
Tools that one rarely does, I would expect falling back on the jigs (or for training new users, etc).  I, like others, like to have extra skills available to me.

[Ken S]

Excellent point.

Ken

[stevebot]

I have developed my own visual reference points on the Tormek, but they will vary with the users height and the height of the table.