Thread: Made in China but not 12k so let's stop calling it 12k

Originally Posted by Theseus

I'd really hate to have to lap that beast.

I'm feeling the same way. I am seriously thinking about cutting it down into eight 1x3x8 hones and selling the spares that I don't need. I also thought that having 16 inches of stroke would speed up the normally slow process on these hones. I was hoping for feedback on both of these points in the thread I'm going to make right now!

Originally Posted by Nphocus

I actually just received delivery of:
15000 grit whetstone for fine honing. 2" x 6" x 16" | eBay

I would refer to it as a C15k, but I don't want to be e-drawn and e-quartered. I am a newb and I did not want to pay alot for this muffler, err hone.

I'm going to start another thread with pics of mine and some questions, if you could look for it and chime in, I would be much obliged.

As far as I understand the stone does not resemble the one on the photo. It needs serious lapping including geometry. Isn't it?

Originally Posted by Nphocus

I'm feeling the same way. I am seriously thinking about cutting it down into eight 1x3x8 hones and selling the spares that I don't need. I also thought that having 16 inches of stroke would speed up the normally slow process on these hones. I was hoping for feedback on both of these points in the thread I'm going to make right now!

It would have been better to buy just one 8x3x1" sized chinese, and now you won't have the truble to cut and lap that beast sized chunk.

Originally Posted by Zelenbakh

As far as I understand the stone does not resemble the one on the photo. It needs serious lapping including geometry. Isn't it?

Every new stone needs lapping. Geometry normally isn't an issue with hones. There isn't a hard and fast rule that says hones need to be square. Deal with enough low end coticules and you'll see that. I haven't put a blade to it yet, so I can't speak to alleged 15000 grit.

Originally Posted by jeness

It would have been better to buy just one 8x3x1" sized chinese, and now you won't have the truble to cut and lap that beast sized chunk.

I had that option. This wasn't much more than the 8x3x1. The shipping was still a rip in the buttocks for both.

Cutting and lapping really isn't that big of a deal. I had some granite tiles cut over the weekend at a local home improvement store. I'm going to try them first, if they won't do it, I'll call local granite suppliers or counter top makers. Both should be well equipped to cut 2-3 inch thick granite and corian. I'm pretty sure that both are harder or as hard as this PHUG.

Right now, I'm leaning towards the 16" long pieces. I'll give them a shot and if they don't work out, I can still cut them down to 8" pieces. I'm not too sure how well a 16" slab is going to ship without getting broken or cracked. I guess I could always put a piece of 1x4 pine on top and bottom of it and cut it to length and then box around it for shipping.

I'm also thinking about cutting an inch off of each end for a slurry stone. That would be about 1x1x3. That seems like a good size for a slurry stone.

Ron, I've got one of the Woodcraft hones. I'm not sure it is 12K. I don't have the instruments to disprove it. I use C12K not because it is the absolute accurate grit, but because it is easier to type, is all, and most of the honers understand what is referred to under the C12K name, even if it may or may not be accurate. I have a 00 Frictionite hone made by American Hone Company and I've read in forum posts that it is around 10,000 grit on the finish side. Again, it's not set in stone(pun) but all I have to go on t the moment.

The Chinese hone is, indeed, slow. I have a tendency to use mine dry at times, and it gives a wonderul polish on the side of the bevel, but, as you point out, it is a natural "mined" stone and grit can vary somewhat. Also, besides grit is how the grit is bound, whether naturally, or baked with fillers like the 00 Frictionite. Binders and grit make up the "whole" of the stone and influence how well the hone works in real life.

Personally, from what I have read here and at other forum sites, is that there is a noteworthy difference in the C12K as how they look (dark streaks, darkness of color) to the actual way that they perform. Thuringian and Eschers were another prime example. Same hone, but one was hand picked over the other and a name attached to the hand picked hones....Eschers.

I would like to think that they are at least a finer polishing/finishers than a Franz Swaty I have from Yugoslavia or my Emerald Pike green hone.

Originally Posted by Gibbs

I would like to think that they are at least a finer polishing/finishers than a Franz Swaty I have from Yugoslavia or my Emerald Pike green hone.

Some are. Some aren't.

Hi Vern
I see you mentioned that you use the stone dry. At what point do you feel the stone is not cutting anymore and instead becomes a burnishing plate? alx

I have seen my 00 Frictionite burnished using dry, kind of a glossed over appearance, but I have not seen it on the C12K, even using dry. My "Chinese" is an undetermined grit, but judging from the way it takes a long time to get anywhere, the grit must be pretty small. The bevel under 20X is really bright and polished. So, yes, with Ron, I don't think that you can really nail down the grit on these as you might get some soft and some really hard stones over the period of time and probably the TONS of rock quarried and sold around. We here at the forum just here about a small amount of these hones and feedback. How many of these hones are out there that the user knows nothing of this or other forum, and some may not even use the internet....shocking isn't it?

As Utopian just referenced to this Thread as a piece of history.....

...i just really asked me how it was possible to fill 5 Pages with 89 comments with a Discussion on a name of a Stone...

Not to offend anyone, seems the discussion was needed to this time, but really i just had to laugh...