Max Knives MK1709 — Corundum whetstone 5000/10000 on bamboo base

Overview

The MK1709 is the stone at the far end of the journey. Its 5000/10000 double grit in corundum is not there to rescue a damaged blade but to finish the work: refine an edge already formed, then polish it until it turns keen. Mounted on a non-slip bamboo base and supplied with a versatile angle guide, it is aimed at the maintenance and finishing of pocket knives, kitchen knives and delicate razors.

What a high grit does, and what it does not

A 5000 or 10000 grit removes almost no metal: it smooths, it aligns, it polishes. Run over an edge that is already straight, it gives a cutting edge that goes through material without snagging. Run over a blade whose edge is rolled or chipped, it corrects nothing, because there is nothing for it to bite into: you would polish a fault for an hour without making it go away. Hence the order to respect: a coarse enough grit first to rebuild the bevel, then this stone.

Technical specifications

Double-grit corundum sharpening stone: 5000 on one face, 10000 on the other. A non-slip bamboo base and a versatile angle guide are supplied. It is intended for the maintenance and finishing of pocket knives, kitchen knives and delicate razors. Within the range it sits above the MK1708 in 1000/4000, whose work it naturally continues towards finer grits and a more polished edge.

Care

Rinse the face you worked on after use: on fine grits the slurry loads up quickly and a clogged surface stops polishing evenly. Let the stone dry off its base, and wipe the bamboo rather than leaving it damp. Store the stone flat with nothing resting on top of it, and keep its edges safe from knocks, as they are the most exposed part of any finishing stone.