There are three different methods you can use to maintain the SkiVisions inserts:
1. Coarse emery (silicon carbide) paper, in 60 to 100 grit or so. Emery paper is good for maintaining all the stones EXCEPT the green stones.
2. The SkiVisions high speed steel dressing stone, which is used to dress the Base Flattener steel blade and can also be used on all the SkiVisons stones EXCEPT the green stone.
3. 100x Diamond file. This is the ONLY method for maintaining the green stones and can be used on all the SkiVisions stones.
IT IS INCREDIBLY EASY TO MAINTAIN THE SKIVISIONS INSERTS. ANYONE CAN DO IT WITH EASE! HERE IS HOW.
This is a ruby ceramic stone showing multiple cut paths and metal embedded. This stone has done a lot of work and needs to be re-lapped so that the face is returned to a new, flat condition, and all the cut paths removed.
It is literally as simple as lapping any of our stones (other than the green, see below) on a sheet of emery paper. This stone was returned to like new condition in a few swirls on the emery paper, you can see the stone grit on the paper that was removed in bringing it back to clean and flat.
The Base Flattener stone blades are dressed the same way as the edge tuning tool stones.
Lay the emery paper on a flat table and lap the stone blade on it until it is returned to a new, clean, sharp condition. This not only refreshes the cutting edge sharpness, but also maintains the flatness of the blade. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LAP THE GRIT SIDE. Lap the sides that has the lines shown next to the M or C, those are the non-grit sides. If you lap the grit sides the stone blade will no longer impart structure into your base.
The steel blade is re-sharpened with the SkiVisions steel dressing stone. This is a very aggressive silicon carbide stone which will eat very hard metal. The stone is used in a back and forth rubbing motion while it is kept VERY flat on the steel blade. We tried in this picture to show how deep this stone can cut into the metal, if you look closely you can see deep scratches in the steel blade. THIS STONE IS NOT TO BE USED ON SKI OR BOARD EDGES, IT IS TOO AGGRESSIVE. If you use this stone on your steel blade very regularly and keep it very sharp, it should never need replacing.
The green stones MUST be re-dressed only with a diamond file. Just lap the green stone on the diamond file and it will quickly return to a clean and flat condition.
You can do any of these dressing procedures wet or dry, but if you do them dry you should wash the stones afterwards to remove the dust.
Don’t breath the dust, not good for the lungs!
SkiVisions Maintaining Cutting Inserts, Base Flattener Stones, HS Steel Bar & Files
(Reproduced from SkiVisions with permission.)