Thread: Natural stones grit numbers why?

I don't know about you, but I'm fed up with people posting about natural stones and giving them unbelievable grit ratings, such as 20K Arkies and 15K Escher's where do people get these numbers from? it really winds me up, there is no such table or chart so why do they keep saying it?

Because they either plan on using those ridiculous numbers in the item description when they decide to sell it or that's how they were duped into buying the stone in the first place.

A lot of people think that they will achieve shaving nirvana the higher the "grit rating".

There is a guy on FB who sells ancient ocean jasper stones for razors, 30k grit Go figure.

Where you have people using the internet BS just seems to propagate quite naturally just like the stones. Faulty BS meters add to the problem.

Bob

While the above statements may be true especially to those who may have never honed a razor (or any other type of sharp instrument) i think it is also a way to convey a understanding of grit in a way that everybody understands. How else would one describe the sharpening capability's of a natural stone? One could use the terms really coarse, coarse, medium coarse, fine, extra fine, and super fine but it would still be lacking to describe in enough detail the requirement of those involved in the art (or alchemy, voodoo etc.)of razor honing. JMHO

Personally, the only way you can classify natural stones IMO are three categories, bevel setters intermediate and finishers, it's a pure fantasy putting big grit numbers of natural stones, I always get the feeling the users are trying their best to justify the stone for whatever reason.

Most of my hard jnats can deliver a keener edge than my suehiro 20k. Now the shapton 30k is only very slightly finer than the 20 k. So the whole thing is mixed up if you ask me. (.5 micron vs .44 micron for the 30k).

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

Personally, the only way you can classify natural stones IMO are three categories, bevel setters intermediate and finishers, it's a pure fantasy putting big grit numbers of natural stones, I always get the feeling the users are trying their best to justify the stone for whatever reason.

You are just using different terms for Course, Medium, and Fine.

And with an Arkie you can cross those boundaries even if using broad descriptions depending how the surface is finished and what you might use for a lubricant.

Stones like a sandstone COULD be given a "grit" rating, as its made up of tiny particles, and in theory, they could be measured. stones like Jasper, or Noviculite, its just not possible. But certainly if one were to say "finish LIKE a 10,000 grit stone" its simply a descriptor used to provide the prospective purchaser with some sense of what it is they are actually buying.
You can call a Nakayama a "Finishing Hone" all you want, we all know full well that some Naks might produce a finer grain structure, and/or can achieve a finer finish than another Nak.

i understand that grit numbers mean nothing for a natural stone.

However, the comparing the honing capabilities of natural stones to synthetic stones of known grit level can be useful. I have have a full set of Naniwa stones from 220 grit up to 12K and then Shapton 16K and Suehiro 20K stones as well. If I say that I have a Chinese Guangxi hone that produces an edge comparable to my Naniwa 10K, that is a useful comparison. If I say that my Tsushima Ocean Blue produces an edge as keen as a Naniwa 12K, but less harsh, that is meaningful. If I say that my Greek Vermio hone can produce produce an edge similar to the Shapton 16K, that is meaningful. I do not have a hone that produces an edge comparable to the Suehiro 20K, although if I had the patience, my Surgical Black Arkansas stone might get there.

When people use terms like coarse, medium, fine, very fine, extra fine, superfine, etc. I have no idea what they mean. I have seen 220 grit sandpaper labeled as very fine and 400 grit labeled as superfine. That may well be the case for sanding wood, but for razors, 400 grit is considered coarse.