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The Shapton Sharpening Pond is a heavy duty, glass and rubber "pond" designed to hold traditional water stones in a bath of water as they need to be soaked prior to use. We prefer the Shapton HR Glass stones over traditional water stones and they do not require soaking in water prior to use; however, we do find the Shapton Sharpening Pond still very useful for containing all of the water used during sharpening to keep your sharpening area clean. Particularly during chisel flattening.
Outside measurements are approximately 15-1/2 inches (390mm) x 12-1/2 inches (320mm), with a height of 2 1/8 inches (52mm). Inside measurements are 13-1/2 inches (343mm) x 11 inches (280mm) with a height of 7/8 inches (22 mm).
Constructed of two layers of tempered glass housed in a heavy-duty rubber outer casing, it weighs in at a whopping 7 pounds. This weight and the textured surface of the glass which grips the bottom of the stone holder ensures your stones do not move anywhere, regardless how vigorously you sharpen your tools.
This is a wonderful sharpening pond, good weight and quality.
Perfect in every way
Recently I expanded my sharpening equipment with a 2nd heavy holder and 2 more Shapton glass stones. Previously I had my one heavy holder set on a rubber mat to contain the mess and keep things from moving around. However the mat didn't have a rim and all the HoneRite spritzing was creating a mess on my bench top. The Shapton Sharpening Pond holds both heavy holders at once with room to spare and its raised rim contains the mess instead of it being all over my bench top. In addition, it's quite heavy and in combination with the weight of the 2 heavy holders everything stays put instead of moving all over the place while sharpening. This has made for a much more satisfying experience when it comes time to sharpen plane irons and chisels.
For years I've been sharpening with shapton waterstones mounted in cheap holders on a old piece of granite with a beat up rubber mat. The stones would rock side to side, slipping around. After finally rebuilding my sharpening station I decided to upgrade. I love both the stone holders and the pond, both have serious heft and weight guaranteed to keep your stones securely in one spot. A worthwhile upgrade, thanks Rob!
I’ve tried “sticky”, tacky, mats and the all have problems doing what they are advertised to do . . . keep the stones in place while using. And minimizing movement whie sharpening is key in developing adequate muscle memory when trying to achieve excellent and repeatable results. The pond helps. Greatly. It is pricey, but having sharp tools, not working dull are key to achieving stellar results. This is (nearly) a must have item. And as always the customer service is exemplary.
