Thread: Shapton Pro Question

Hey everyone, been a long time since I posted. Hope everyone is doing well. I recently purchased three shapton pro stones from amazon 5K, 8K, 12k. And I've been noticing that they don't stay flat like i will lap them perfectly flat then the next time I use them I will go and refresh with a pencil grid and notice is isn't flat anymore. I usually draw like 5-10 pencil grids to make sure it is perfectly flat, so i know the stones were flat. Your thoughts gentlemen.

What are you using to lap them? Having a decent straight edge isn't a bad idea to see what's what. Pencil grid lines come off too easy sometimes.

I don't have them personally, but these are good questions to keep in mind.

Does the amount of water you use differ or are they exposed to dramatic changes?

How much do you hone between refreshes? If they are as soft as my naniwas, a good couple solid bevel sets will dish them a few thousandths (estimate), it is noticable when flattening but not so much when the blade is on the stone.

How do you store them while they are drying out? I prefer to leave all stones on an edge. The width of the stone is vertical. Couldn't say if it makes a difference, just what I do as prevention.

I’ve been using them just about everyday since Christmas. I stand them on end after use on top of the plastic case. I am lapping with w/d and marble. It seems once I start using one it settles out but warps or something as it dries. Idk.

Yes, they move a little wee bit as they absorb water. I tend to throw mine in the water for a couple minutes before I lap them. They repeat fairly well this way. Don't soak them too long though - that could cause problems too. They don't move a huge amount but enough to noticeably throw off the pencil grid. After that first little bit of movement when they absorb water they seem to stay put fairly well until the next dry/wet cycle. But again, if you give them a quick soak next time they will come back pretty close.

Couple things, more water, quick soak and try a squirt bottle to flood the stone as opposed to a spray bottle. I use a cheap fast food tray, from a dollar store, to catch all the water and swarf, with hones on holders.

Invest in a Diamond Plate, you can get a good 400-1000 Diamond Plate from Chef Knives to go for $30. Or get a name brand for a few bucks more.

If you are not using an aggressive enough paper, you may not be getting your stones as flat as you think and are just washing off the grid lines with swarf.

I was having an issue with a hard stone that I was refreshing with a 600 plate. I re-lapped the crepe out of it with a 300 plate and it completely changed the performance.

Grid it, lap it, grid it again, then you should be able to remove 90 percent of the grid in a single lap. Use a soft thick carpenters pencil from Lowes or Home Depot they make a heavy thick line.

Thanks for the input guys, nice to know that even after a long hiatus I can still come back and get help. I am using 3m w/d paper starting at 120 grit working up to 220-400- then 600. Honestly I thought lapping was pretty straight forward, I mean we're honing razors not building an apparatus for NASA.

I don't have this problem with the two naturals I have. They get refreshed before every honing sesh, and are always the same. My Chosera 1k, and now the Shaptons are the only stones I own that seem to change in between uses.

I do get great shaves daily(when I nail the edge), and it is something that makes me walk into work in the morning with a chip on my shoulder. With all that said, this hobby is constantly evolving and your obsessions are always drifting. From soaps, brushes, scuttles, strops, razors, and hones. Best wishes my dudes glad I found the site again.

I have the shapton pro (kuromaku) series myself, and never had any problems.
Have you looked at Shapton FAQ?
FAQ | SHAPTON Co., Ltd.
Perhaps a answer will pop up...

My 8k and 12k seem way more stable, but the 5k is the one i have the most issues with. I already new that you couldn't soak these stones, but I bought them on Amazon, so I'm thinking they may have been used. They came sealed with that paper wrapper around the case but there was no cellophane around the stones and I thought they came wrapped. But they are doing what I need them to do just a PITA that I gotta make sure there flat all the time.