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Tormek Blackstone Silicon has been developed for shaping and sharpening* HSS and other exotic alloyed steels. It can also touch up tungsten carbide. It does not offer faster steel removal on ordinary carbon steel than the Tormek Original Grindstone.
The combination of abrasive hardness, shape and grain size is optimized to work efficiently at the Tormek system’s low RPM. Its faster material removal is an advantage especially when shaping tools with a large bevel surface, where the grinding pressure is limited, for example, planer blades and woodturning skews.
The grit size 220 is the same as the Tormek Original Grindstone and can be altered to work like a 1000 grit stone with the Stone Grader SP-650. Thanks to its sharp and relatively small grains, the Blackstone removes hard steel efficiently even at low grinding pressure. The Blackstone Silicon also offers exceptional wear resistance. It can even touch up tungsten carbide, where the tool already has an established shape.
* A distinction should be made between the shaping and sharpening of a tool. When shaping you remove steel to achieve the shape and edge angle you want. When sharpening you just touch up an existing shape to renew the sharpness.
