Thread: Will this norton work????

I saw this stone at home depot and was wondering if the fine side would be suitable for honing a new blade. here is the link, http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053 It doesn't sy what grit it is, jsut that one side is coarse the other fine. I find this unusal considering any other Norton stone I have seen has had an exact grit specification. Any help would be great, as this stone is very cheap. Thanks

My guess is that is a carborundum oil stone. The description saying it is for knives, chisels and plane blades is probably accurate and I suspect the stone would be too coarse for straight razors.

I figured this stone was too cheap to be of an use. The one thing that has surprised me the most about my new found love straight shaving is how expensive a usable hone is. I mean it is going to be bar far the most expensive thing I buy for straight shaving next to the razor. Thanks for the help though

Originally Posted by sandyman4090

I saw this stone at home depot and was wondering if the fine side would be suitable for honing a new blade. here is the link, Norton 6 x 2 x 3/4 In. Bench Stone - 87933 at The Home Depot It doesn't sy what grit it is, jsut that one side is coarse the other fine. I find this unusal considering any other Norton stone I have seen has had an exact grit specification. Any help would be great, as this stone is very cheap. Thanks

This combo is a coarse + fine combo Crystolon (Silicon Carbide) hone.

Not recommended for honing a new blade.

Coarse is about 120 grit and the fine side is about 240 grit.
A razor hone is MUCH MUCH finer. The most common work horse
razor hone is the Norton 4000/8000 combo and many here further finish
and polish after the 8K side with CrOx or an exceedingly fine
water stone in the 10K to 30K range.

This link or others like it are worth a look:
Material Hardness, Grid Grading System
This link does list the standards that define what
coarse and fine are. This is historically a US company
so the ANSI standard is most applicable.

Note the list of standards and topics across the top
especially where ANSI grit is not equal to JIS grit. Also note
that the fine hone grit sizes of modern razor hones
are not well served by these standards.

Crystolon is Norton pet name for Silicon Carbide.
Norton Professional Sharpening Solutions
India is Norton speak for Aluminum Oxide