Abrasive Minerals
Abrasives may be classified as either natural or synthetic. When discussing sharpening stones, natural stones have long been considered superior but advances in material technology are seeing this distinction become less distinct. Many synthetic abrasives are effectively identical to a natural mineral, differing only in that the synthetic mineral has been manufactured rather than been mined. Impurities in the natural mineral may make it less effective.
Some naturally occurring abrasives are:
- Calcite (calcium carbonate)
- Emery (impure corundum)
- Diamond dust (synthetic diamonds are used extensively)
- Novaculite
- Pumice dust
- Rouge
- Sand
Some abrasive minerals (such as zirconia alumina) occur naturally but are sufficiently rare or sufficiently more difficult/costly to obtain such that a synthetic stone is used industrially. These and other artificial abrasives include:
- Borazon (cubic boron nitride or CBN)
- Ceramic
- Ceramic aluminium oxide
- Ceramic iron oxide
- Corundum (alumina or aluminium oxide)
- Dry ice
- Glass powder
- Steel abrasive
- Silicon carbide (carborundum)
- Zirconia alumina
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