Thread: Approximate grit size???

I have a Norton FB-6 orange 1x2x6" stone but no information on the grit size. Norton lists it as "fine" but fine is about as subjective as "shave ready".

Can anyone nail down the grit somewhere on the accepted numerical grit scale?? I'm not crazy about buying the same grit stone twice!!

Thanks

Ferd

I've not used that particular aluminum oxide hone, but I would guess it to be relatively coarse for razors. If anything, it MIGHT be able to serve as a bevel setter but hones like that tend to cause very chipped edges. If you want a grit number equivalent, then it might be around a 1k, but I could be off by 5 or 6k.

Sorry.

Like with barber hones, the grit number tends to be useless because it does not tell the whole story. All you can do is hone on it and see what happens. If you have magnification that would help a lot.

Do you have any other hones to which you can compare it?

Here a grit comparison chart for Norton India stone.

I have set bevels on a well worn Fine India (American Made). I have hear rumor that the Mexican made Fine India is coarser. I'd suggest using with oil and rubbing oil into the surface and wiping off with a rag when finished.

I have shaved off the Fine India but that shave was cut short for a good reason. Not very close or comfortable.

Fresh - around 400 grit, worn around 800 if using the JIS scale. From my experience with it. I went through an oilstone phase briefly.

If you had chips in the edge that needed to be honed out or setting a bevel on a factory Gold Dollar/very neglected razor this stone can be very useful. I used it to hone a frown out of a Flea Market Shapleigh razor.

Setting bevels on it normally leave a lot of work for the 1k to clean up. Not impossible but takes a little longer then going to a 1k stone and using that with a bit more pressure.

All from my experiences though. Nothing is definitive.

Since I see you're relatively new to honing a stone like this could be very destructive. I remember the 5 razors I destroyed in my earlier days with a coarse hone.

I'd greatly suggest putting this aside in favor of a higher grit hone. It will save your razors from destruction. Especially in unexperienced hands. When you know what you are doing this stone is a great tool to have in the arsenal. Just know it cuts fast and is unforgiving. Steel you remove cannot be put back.

Well, since all I have are beat up practice razors with broken scales and nicked blades, I'm not gonna do too much damage. I was just trying to see what I have so I know what I need to get so I can maintain my future shaver properly.

I'll write 500 on the stone and use it for knives and butter-knifing chipped edges. No razor work with this one!!

Thanks Guys!!

Ferd

A broken-in fine India can be used as a strong bevel-setter. You can even pair it with translucent Ark keeping one side lapped fresh to make it aggressive off the fine India and the other smoothed as a finisher. These are dedicated oil-stones.