Thread: Naniwa Superstone Lapping Issue

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

I haven't seen a test of this, but I don't think these stones warp much. If they were 3 feet long and you stood on them, yes, but at 8 inches with knife-sharpening pressure, I doubt it. Further, you're supposed to support them while sharpening, so warping becomes a total non issue.

Maybe the word warp was wrong to use. Swel/swelling is perhabs better!??

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

As for the grit, 3k to 8k is just fine... I have never before heard anyone cite as a rule of thumb "double the grit," which would produce much larger gaps that 3 to 8...

Double the grit means double the numeric rating: 2 x 1k = 2k, 2 x 2k = 4k, 2 x 4k = 8k, etc.

Actually Naniwa builds them that way themselves in a 3/8 combo so I would guess it is OK

Also little known in our world here are the Henckels Hones in a 220-1-3-8 combo, also made by Naniwa...

So yes the the 1-3-8-12 is fine...


My personal preference is for much smaller steps 1-3-5-8-10-12 but it is not NEEDED...

Originally Posted by BKratchmer

Did you read the whole thread? The issue with warping is because of water and swelling, besides which a razor requires nowhere near "knife-sharpening pressure."

As for the grit, 3k to 8k is just fine... I have never before heard anyone cite as a rule of thumb "double the grit," which would produce much larger gaps that 3 to 8...

+1

As fast as modern man made water hones are these
bigger jumps are common and easy. Especially so when
hone surfaces are lapped to have the same almost perfectly
flat contour with a DMT plate or the equivalent.

The 3K/8K combo or a 4K/8K combo hones are well
paired by the manufacturer so not to worry.

Getting back to my original question.

Originally Posted by Danskeren

What about the thickness of the super stones. Is it not a crucial thing.? Whether it could be a factor in unevenness in the stones, or not.
If you ask me, a 1cm thick super stone is more likely to "swell" than a 2cm thick super stone is.
Am i wrong....??

Originally Posted by Danskeren;731571
Getting back to my original question.
Quote:[QUOTE

Originally Posted by Danskeren

What about the thickness of the super stones. Is it not a crucial thing.? Whether it could be a factor in unevenness in the stones, or not.
If you ask me, a 1cm thick super stone is more likely to "swell" than a 2cm thick super stone is.
Am i wrong....??

[/QUOTE]

perhaps the wrong question is at hand.

A material that "swells' has a net dimensional change
that is mostly a function of the thickness. Mostly is key...

For example if a material grows by 10% then
a 1cm block will grow by 1mm and a 2cm block will
grow by twice that.

However that is not the entire question.

Thickness also invokes time. It takes less time
for a thin slab to saturate than a thick slab assuming
that the saturation involves diffusion or the displacement
of air.

What I do not know is what swells in these hones.
The binder is mostly a trade secret and I do not
know the secret.

I do know that they only need a surface splash
to hone a single razor. I also know that if the hone
does not go bone dry between use this swelling seems
to be less dynamic/ dramatic.

For me if I use these hones the same way each time
they yields fine results. Since I have but one face
to shave and a good edge lasts weeks I let
mine dry between use. When I use it I splash it
lightly lap lightly it to get a light slurry and a fresh surface
and have at it adding sprays of water as needed.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

I do know that they only need a surface splash
to hone a single razor. I also know that if the hone
does not go bone dry between use this swelling seems
to be less dynamic/ dramatic.

Interesting thought!! -When not used so much, they doesn't need several minutes of soaking!!?
Are your stones 1 or 2 cm thick?

Does anybody else concur with that?

Thicher the stone-longer to get the swelling even ill say. If that make sense
A quick lapping(dont bother about the inch at the end i dont use) and no soak has been the way for me

I like dry lapping on coarse sandpaper the dust will make it smooth anyway

Originally Posted by Danskeren

Interesting thought!! -When not used so much, they doesn't need several minutes of soaking!!?
Are your stones 1 or 2 cm thick?

Does anybody else concur with that?

I mine is more than 1 cm thick. I have yet to measure it.

My point if there on is that we each use our hones differently
some folk use them all day all week long and then there
are folk like me that refreshes a half handfull of razors
once a month or so.

I find that if I use mine in the same way all the time
and just lap half the thickness of a sheet of paper worth at a time
the hone and I get along just fine.