Thread: Question about 1000 grit honing

Naaaaaaw... Just get it wet on both sides and slap it on a wet flat surface when you use it for rough work. We use it to SAVE time/labor

Why does the 1000 grit sandpaper save time compared to a 1000 grit stone? They're both 1000 grit, please explain.

The sandpaper abrasive makes it cut faster.

Originally Posted by rgdominguez

Why does the 1000 grit sandpaper save time compared to a 1000 grit stone? They're both 1000 grit, please explain.

Why does a 1000 grit waterstone cut faster than a 1000 grit arkansas stone?

Different abrasives cut at different speed. The grit just tells you how wide the scratch mark is, not how deep it is or how many the hone makes per stroke. And the abrasive particles in arkansas stones leave very shallow scratches and remove very little material. The abrasive particles in a 1k grit sandpaper leave very deep scratches, and remove much much more material.

For this reason you can't tell the grit of a hone by feel - some coarse hones feel very very smooth and some very fine hones feel surprisingly rough.

Thanks mparker, I'm beginning to understand. Do you know how fast 1000 grit Japanese water stones cut?

I'd say they're about medium. Not awfully slow but slower than the Norton 1k, which is slower than 1k sand paper.

Thanks Ilija, know I understand

But slow isn't necessarily wrong, especially for the beginner. Very good thread topic.