Thread: Cleaning Shapton Glasstones

We can break down the terminology into subsets with different labels (polishing, honing, refining, finishing, etc.), but the underlying goals are:

1) Form an edge
2) Make that edge usable for the context of the given tool

So, to me, sharpening ends at whatever grit you choose to use in forming the initial bevel and everything beyond that is polishing.

This kind of distinction is also important for using natural stones, as they don't have predetermined grit ranges that make them specific to any one purpose. The level of coarseness that is acceptable has to do with the intended purpose of the tool and nothing else.