Thread: Synthetic progression end result?

Well in a strange series of events a co worker of mine wanted to dump his Shapton pro 1k, 5k and 8k for a ridiculously low price! So I picked them up, went home lapped them (he was using them for knives) and went to town with one of my Hart 7/8 razors bevel set 1k then to 5k and finish on the 8k without stropping the razor was popping arm hair effortlessly at tree top level. Loving the feel of these stones. (still going to officially finish that razor on one of my Air raid shelter jnats)

I still believe I need something in between my 1k and 4k Shapton glass and my new 1k and 5k Shapton pro stones. So I purchased the Shapton pro 2k. I went back and forth on which 2k to get. I hope I got the right one?

Again thanks everyone for your replies.

Eric

Sounds like a good choice. Lots go from the 1k to a 3 or 4. But I have a 2k for that same gap, and it makes the 8k job a much easier one. Great score!

Originally Posted by bobski

Sounds like a good choice. Lots go from the 1k to a 3 or 4. But I have a 2k for that same gap, and it makes the 8k job a much easier one. Great score!

That is what I am shooting for more greater elimination of potential mistakes after bevel set!

To me and I have only been honing a few years the finisher of choice is what determines the edge and then if you use a pasted strop with say diamond spray or CrOx that's going to change the final edge to some small degree.

Originally Posted by dshaves

Do different brand synthetic stones leave better or worse edges in comparison to each other up to 8k?

For Example only: Shapton glass stones leave crisp edges whereas Naniwa SS stones leave a smoother edge is this true or false?

Please, I am not a beginner! I have yet to try other brands that is why I am asking...

Currently I am using a Chosera 1k for bevels and Shapton glass 4k, 8k for middle work with various finishing stones.

Is the grass greener on the other side??? Lol!

Thanks

Yes the grass is greener on the other side. It does not mater which side you are on
the other side is greener.

Shapton Glass hones just work. The only problem with them is they are so fast
it is only necessary to use half the strokes on the hone with only the weight of
the razor.

Since you have shapton 4k and 8k look hard at the next shapton perhaps the 16k.
My first OMG moment was on a Naniwa 12k.

The Shapton edges are a bit harsh on my face so I have been using my Naniwa 12K
more and more.

All my 8k hones seem to pair nicely with the Naniwa 12K so I would recommend it.

I would note that after 8K the differences from 10K to 18K on all the good name brands
demand more of me honing the razor correctly more than grit rating.

You have Shapton -- sticking with Shapton would be great.
The Naniwa 12K is a darn fine and a bit less cash...
Either will give you a great shave. Use the Shapton with a much lighter hand.

Originally Posted by Utopian

And conveniently, Naniwa makes both a 2k and 3k hone in the Professional line. Of the two, I consider the 2k to be the better option between the 1k and 5k.

I bevel set on the Nani 1k SS, have the big green beast but used to the SS I guess, and depending on how much honing gymnastics I had to perform due to blade geometry, i.e., bent and twisted spine (just had a Sheffield like that), I will add the 2k, (great transition stone).

If the bevel set was relatively by the books, then I'll hit the Nani 3k, then go 5k, 8k, and if I'm in a keen mood, will throw in the 10k, finish on 12k - then move to the final finishing stone.

I don't mind putting a few extra stones in the mix, takes longer, but it's my personal razor, I figure take it up slowly through the synthetic progression, and it provides a perfect foundation for the natural finishing stone I choose.

Naniwa also makes a very cool 3/8 k combo stone - which gives me the Nani 8k I need, and if I get a solid bevel set with the Nani 1k, the 3k can also be a perfect transition stone....that's how I hack and slay my way through it.

Hate the honing part, love the shaving part....

Originally Posted by dshaves

Well in a strange series of events a co worker of mine wanted to dump his Shapton pro 1k, 5k and 8k for a ridiculously low price! So I picked them up, went home lapped them (he was using them for knives) and went to town with one of my Hart 7/8 razors bevel set 1k then to 5k and finish on the 8k without stropping the razor was popping arm hair effortlessly at tree top level. Loving the feel of these stones. (still going to officially finish that razor on one of my Air raid shelter jnats)

I still believe I need something in between my 1k and 4k Shapton glass and my new 1k and 5k Shapton pro stones. So I purchased the Shapton pro 2k. I went back and forth on which 2k to get. I hope I got the right one?

Again thanks everyone for your replies.

Eric

The Shapton Pro 2k is a superb stone.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Shapton Glass hones just work. The only problem with them is they are so fast
it is only necessary to use half the strokes on the hone with only the weight of
the razor. Use the Shapton with a much lighter hand.

You are correct with both these statements, the Shaptons are very fast and demand a lighter touch and it took me awhile to figure this out, I currently start at the 4K and then go 8K ( Both Shapton GS ) and then finish on one of a few different naturals and then strop, sometimes I will do 5 weight of blade passes on a pasted strop with .25 diamond spray and then do 5-7 light passes with .5 CrOx, I know that sounds counter productive doing the .25 then .5 but the latter seems to soften the edge. I normally like just the natural edge finish but lately have been playing with sprays/pastes just to see what they are capable of and I also have thought about adding a Naniwa 12K SS as it seems to get a lot of love from a lot of ppl.

I use both the Shapton Glass HR and the Pro series, but differently. I have also been experimenting with the HC 8k.

I have the Shapton 500 HR double thick, a 1k HR on the way, and the 4k HR. The 'backbone' of my synth progression is a Shapton Pro 2k, 5k, and 8k.

The 500 is used to prep Gold Dollars, correct geometry, chips, brute forcing frowns, etc. I like it better than the Chosera 600 (it's faster), and it is as fast as the Pro 320 but finer. The 1k HR that's on the way goes between the 500 and the 2k Pro. Previously I went straight to the 2k Pro or used a Naniwa 1k SS or a 1k King.

My main bevel setter is the 2k Pro, followed by the 5k Pro and the 8k Pro. I follow this set with koma and tomo on a jnat finisher. This 'core' of Pros has produced excellent and repeatable results.

The 4k HR is used to refurb razors with developed bevels but have minor issues, and it's noticeably faster with my wear-resistant Yoshikane SLD slicer than the 5k Pro.

The following comments are something said to me by a knowledgeable honer or the result of limited experience on my part. The Shapton HR 10k was reported to be a 'chippy' hone at least on razors. Some do this and some don't for some reason. The HC 8k that I have produced edge artifacts that appeared as bright white dots at 10x magnification, but only on a very hard Swedish steel Kikiboshi - so far. The more I honed the more 'dots' I produced. I went back to the 8k Pro and they disappeared, and the edge appeared 'straighter'. This is the only razor (so far) that the 8k HC has produced such artifacts. I haven't the slightest idea why, but the HC polishes considerably more than the Pro or HR. It yields mirror-polished bevels if you like that sort of thing. The 8k Pro doesn't polish as well and there are a few residual scratches, but the bevel is easier to 'read' than the mirror polished HC bevel.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by dshaves

I still believe I need something in between my 1k and 4k Shapton glass and my new 1k and 5k Shapton pro stones. So I purchased the Shapton pro 2k. I went back and forth on which 2k to get. I hope I got the right one?
Eric

Personally, although I have some intermediate stones I've never found a use for anything between a Shapton 1K glass and a good old Norton 4K/8K. The 1K gets the geometry, then the bevel gets set on the 4K. By the time I'm done with the 8K it's popping hairs up and down the edge, so then I do the Shapton 15K and 30K to finish.

But, I think getting more stones is a good plan! They're good fun and we all of us have a couple of forms of AD!