Thread: Alternate types of GlassStones ?

I don't want to hijack another thread so having read here that there are two alternative types of glass stones I wanted more info. Any website that has details or members with experience with the differences ? A great excuse to feed the HAD.

That's the basic story one product for the Japanese market and the A2 specific for the US- which includes the rest of the world maybe not today but soon.

The Japanese set is available at japan-tool

The Japanese version is supposed to be tailored specifically to the types of steel used for Traditional Japanese tools and knives.
Originally those stones were grey colored (if you have them, hold on to them. they're rare ) to differentiate them visually from the existing line of shaptons.
They changed that after the initial feedback, because white is normally the most desirable color in traditional Japanese hones. Now they are whitish. Don't know if they are exactly the same hue of white.

Anyway, So sells both types at japan-tool.com he is probably the best qualified person I know atm to contact if you are interested in learning more about the difference.

Ah-so ....... Thanks for the replies. Help an old guy out with this, on the website So says,"A stone that performs well with White Steel #2 might be almost unusable for Blue Super steel, and vice versa".

Dealing specifically with straight razors is there a white versus blue steel to contend with ? BTW, I'm not lazy by nature so before asking this I Googled it and did a bit of my own homework and found this.

Still want to know if the white versus blue applicable to our thing?

Well, there will be a difference. The question is 'how significant'.
I know for a fact that honing a stainless friodur is different from honing an old sheffield.
So there is a difference, and I might use different stones if I have the idea that some other stone will work better.

However, 'unusable' is a very strong term, and in my experience, the difference is not so dramatic for razors. The only way to know for sure would be to do the test.


Maybe I cantry to set up a comparative test...

In that reply Mr.N classed Swedish steel in with the blue. I had (he said HAD) for whichever reason assumed most of "that" stuff would be closer to white. simple clean high carbon steel. IIrc The Swedish steel that Mosaku uses is Sandvic; I had the idea that it was old material, so perhaps closer to age of swedish razors, I'm unsure now...

' all that to say "i've really been looking cloe at swedish razors lately"

"A stone that performs well with White Steel #2 might be almost unusable for Blue Super steel, and vice versa".

Ceramic stones are especially good for the harder abrasive resistant alloys. It's much harder to imagine that working backwards to not doing well on somewhat softer simple steel. I may be misrepresenting So's message even though his statement seems more approiate regarding naturals, and #2 is probably like 1050 or something.

I'm sure the info is on site somewhere, but what about "tungsteel", silver steel, others(?) that are something other than simple high carbon, I wonder if they are at all similar known alloys still in production?

My guess regarding the shaptons is the difference between them is not great, and, or subjective. Super blue and A2 - i bet cha have similar characteristics.

That's all my assumptions that let me say there are whites and blues for razors, but i don't know what they are or any differences between them, basically because ceramic hones cut nearly everything well.

In case anyone was confused, the difference between White and Blue Steel is the alloying elements in Blue Steel.

Both White Steel #1 & #2 and Blue Steel #1 &#2 have between 1% and 1.4% carbon, but Blue Steel #1 & #2 have chromium and tungsten added to increase abrasion resistance (by creating more/harder carbides in the matrix), but this creates a slightly coarser microstructure, so it doesn't take as sharp an edge as the White Steels.
Blue Super Steel has between 1.4% and 1.5% carbon, and then some chromium, tungsten, vanadium, and molybdenum added for even more wear resistance than regular Blue Steel.

Some good info on the different steels: Kitchen Knife Terms / Def - Knifeforums.com - Intelligent Discussion for the Knife Enthusiast - Powered by FusionBB

if i remember correctly shapton pro is for carbon steel
shapton glass for stailess steel
and the new shapton glass for carbon steel (japanese steel) and will eventualy replace shapton pro

i think they all work good on any steel except that if you use them with the other steel it will not be as
shiny. it will leave it a little foggy or hazy

this is what i remember from last year discussions

On Shapton's website they have a FAQ that states that the 12K Pro is for stainless. They say that it will load up when used with carbon and that the other pros will not. I have the pros including the 12K and I have successfully sharpened both carbon and stainless with them.

Not to contradict Russel as I imagine he has probably forgot more then I know about honing but the woodworker's forum that I mentioned earlier here seems to have a different view of white versus blue steel. This poster Scott's info gives me the impression that blue steel would be the better choice for razors but I am a neophyte in metallurgy.

Perhaps they are talking about two different things ? Could this be blue or white as applied to the small world of Japanese woodworking tools? Awhile back I bought a razor stamped Blue Steel and in googling the term came up with a definition on the wiki that didn't mention white steel.

I don't really know where the controversy stems from, some guys say White takes a sharper edge, some guys say Blue, and it probably comes down to a question of the particular smith at some point.

But from the standpoint of the metallurgical properties of the steels, IIRC, chromium and tungsten carbides will limit how fine the grain of the steel can get. Finer grain allows for a thinner edge to be maintained but, again, the difference is going to be affected by the smith as well.

The only difference that is said to be noticeable is the increased edge retention of blue steel, but then again, there isn't a whole lot of info as it applies to razors.