Thread: A Change in the Line-Up

"Yer OUT!!!" I sez to my DMT-Extra-Fine and -Extra-Extra-Fine. And with that, there's a big 'ol hole in my batting order.

Leading-off, a DMT-Coarse (325 grit), for lapping
Batting second, a DMT-Fine (600 grit), for setting bevels
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Fifth in the order, a Norton 4K, followed by a Norton 8K, then a Spyderco UF (0.5-micron diamond spray and CrO2 on hard-wool felt close out the line-up)

I like the DMT-Fine for setting bevels on unwieldy, larger wedges, but the more I read and talk to folks, the more I'm thinking about how to bridge the gap from 600 grit to 4K. The Chosera 1K gets solid reviews, here and elsewhere; but will that leave too large a gap between itself and the Norton 4K? (in other words, should I also buy a Chosera 2K; or, would a Chosera 2K, itself, be sufficient to "cover the bases" between the 600-grit DMT and the Norton 4K? or, should I buy the Chosera 1K for "normal" bevel-setting AND as next-in-line when I use the DMT-Fine?)

The inevitable question must also be asked: who's selling 'em in the US, at the least-expensive prices?

I k chosera would eliminate the need for the 600 in most cases. It cuts fast, leaves nice scratch pattern, not too scratchy and doesn't dish easily. JMHO. Plus its splash and hone so no soaking.

Setting A Bevel With A DMT Is Not A Great Idea. It Leaves Micro Chips In The Edge That Take Longer To Hone Out.

If I Read This Correctly You Are Going From A 600 To The 4K Now?

From What I Have Read And The Little Bit I Have Honed The 1K To 4K Is About Average. I Don't Think There "NEEDS" to Be Something To Cover The Gap.

Just My Opinion I What I Have Done. YMMV......

Seeing as yuo already have the Norton 4K and 8K, why not try the Norton 1K. May even be able to get rid of the 600 you have, but not a biggie either way.

IMHO the Chosera 1k is worth the extra $ over the Norton. I say that having had the Norton in the past. The progression from 1 to 4k is normal. No need for an intermediate step in between AFAIC.

I'm with the above, 1K to 4K is no problem. I do it on Shaptons. Glen goes from 1K to 5K on the Choseras, but then again, he's been around for a while.

600 to 1k would be fine. I use Shapton Pro 320 -> 1k on restorations no prob.
2k can be a nice addition for chippy razors. I like small increments on problem razors but 1k-4k should be ok.

If you're trying to build a useful progression, you should learn about the different scales in use. 8K on one scale is not the same as 8K on another scale.

The Norton 4K is about 2.3K on the JIS scale (roughly 6 microns), so a Chosera 1K (JIS) to a Norton 4K isn't much of a jump.

The Norton 8K, at 3 microns, is equivalent to 4K JIS. The Norton 1K is about 800 JIS. The actual grit rating of the Spyderco stones is undetermined (even by Spyderco) but the UF has been anecdotally rated around the 4K JIS mark.

Originally Posted by Ecl

If you're trying to build a useful progression, you should learn about the different scales in use. 8K on one scale is not the same as 8K on another scale.

The Norton 4K is about 2.3K on the JIS scale (roughly 6 microns), so a Chosera 1K (JIS) to a Norton 4K isn't much of a jump.

The Norton 8K, at 3 microns, is equivalent to 4K JIS. The Norton 1K is about 800 JIS. The actual grit rating of the Spyderco stones is undetermined (even by Spyderco) but the UF has been anecdotally rated around the 4K JIS mark.

You're right, of course; and I thank you for pointing it out to me -- without the uniformity of measurement, it truly is "apples to oranges"! Reminds me of grade-school arithmetic, and finding the "lowest common denominator" when dealing with fractions

Here is the most recent table from The Grand Unified Grit Chart (on Blade Forums dot com).

Norton lists in microns, only; so, @6-micron particle size, the Norton 4K is equivalent to ~JIS2.8K, and @3-micron particle size, the Norton 8K is equivalent to ~JIS4.0K (together with the Spyderco UF and DMT-EEF!) -- and now I see how the jump from the Chosera 1K @JIS1.4K to the Norton 4K is not the "big jump" I had thought it to be, and the same holds true for the Norton 4K to the 8K. (for the sake of a complete picture, with the manufacturer's listing of a 14-micron particle size places the Norton 1K at ~JIS1.1K, which is still not such a large jump to its "big brother" 4K)

I would like to complicate matters a little further. DMT says the exposed part of their diamonds is about a third of the diameter, e.g. the 3 micron EEF has 1 micron exposed.

And has someone ever tried a Norton 8K edge versus a Shapton 4K or 5K edge? According to the table, they should have comparable particle sizes, but I would not be happy to shave off my Shapton 4K.