Thread: Question about 1000 grit honing

I collect knives as well as being interested in straight razors. As a consequence, I have some honing stones. These are Japanese wet stones which are 1000 grit. Can these be used for honing razors instead of the sandpaper technique with all the work associated with it? It sure would make life easier!

1k is only used for extremely dull edges or edges that have been sitting for so long that the oxidation made them brittle. A 1k stone would do the trick, but the 1k sandpaper is faster and quite a few of us use it for lapping anyways.

You can use anything instead of the sandpaper technique, the only issue is time.

I'm curious what work you think is associated with sandpaper that isn't associated with a hone? The reason we use sandpaper for major bevel work is because it's so fast.

I was reading that you have to glue the sandpaper down on something and have to take care that water or something doens't get under it and change the flatness etc. That's why I ask about the stones since you just go and blow!

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.