Thread: Shapton glass hone recommendation

I am unhappy with the grainy feel of the 4K side of my Norton and would like to try a Shapton Glass hone to replace the 4K Norton. I use a chosera 1K for bevel setting and would like an intermediate grit to use before the Norton 8K. If it matters, I finish on the Naniwa 12K and/or Gokumyo 20K.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

John

The Shapton 4k but I would really consider re-lapping the Norton 4k really well before I spent more money unless you just want a new hone to mess with they have a tendency to require extensive lapping to bring out the best in them... It is at least worth a try

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The Shapton 4k but I would really consider re-lapping the Norton 4k really well before I spent more money unless you just want a new hone to mess with they have a tendency to require extensive lapping to bring out the best in them... It is at least worth a try

Thanks Glen.

Ill try that. I have lapped the heck out of the 4K side. It is now about half the thickness of the 8K side. I lap it everytime I hone. It just feels so much rougher that any of my other hones, including the 1K

John

That is odd I haven't heard that story in a good 5 years

There were issues way back when they first moved production from the US to Mexico but those were resolved PDQ and most of the ones I have seen now are made in Italy

There are some threads and some pics here on SRP of the old issues, but it really shouldn't effect you...

Mine is exactly the same. Very grainy/gritty. When I first got it, Glen advised me to lap about an 1/8 of an inch off of it to get it down to good material. I did. And I lap it before almost every use. It wears faster than the 8k side and seems to throw slurry as you use it. I find that I have to rinse it after x number of passes. It still get the job done but like jmac123, I may end up getting another stone to replace it when I feel like I need "a new hone to mess with". My Naniwa 1k is a much nicer feeling stone than the 4k side of my Norton. The 8k side is nice and smooth. The 4k is gritty and very porous.

Can't argue with not liking the feel,,,

I like the Naniwa (3 or 5) feel and the Shapton feel better myself, performance though all of them do the job I ask them too...

As per Glen's advice (a few years ago) I lapped my Norton 4/8K and I've never regretted it! The 4K took quite some time the 8K hardly any! My 4K is getting worn but when the time comes to replace it, I'll go with a Norton 4K stand alone!

I won't argue with success!

Originally Posted by jmac123

I am unhappy with the grainy feel of the 4K side of my Norton and would like to try a Shapton Glass hone to replace the 4K Norton. I use a chosera 1K for bevel setting and would like an intermediate grit to use before the Norton 8K. If it matters, I finish on the Naniwa 12K and/or Gokumyo 20K.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

John

Many of us don't know the finer points of honing, other than some work faster and give more feedback assuring you that the job is done. I had similar frustration with the stones you have and upgraded to Shaptons as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by jmac123

I am unhappy with the grainy feel of the 4K side of my Norton ...

I'm actually glad to hear I'm not the only one. I thought I must have been going crazy or 'feeling things' or something because I swear my Chosera 1k is smoother than the 4k side of my Norton. Hence, I don't spend much time on it at all, almost directly from the 1k to the 8k in most instances. Guess I'm gonna have to think about a new stone....

Thanks to all who replied.

I have ordered a Shapton 4K and will update you when it arrives.

John