Hone Grits

So I'm new to straights, and honing straights. I watch these vids on honing and read the threads here, and wonder what on earth you're all talking about.

I understand what honing is, and what the process entails.

What I don't know is how a 1k grit stone compares to a 12k japanese stone, and how either compares to my generic Rough/Fine knife/tool sharpening whetstone which is something like 250 grit sandpaper on one side and 500 on the other. Meanwhile the barber's hone I picked up (seen here http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...id-w-pics.html ) is so smooth I'd liken it to polished granite, or maybe polished concrete. Maybe the stones follow the same specs as sand paper...I just don't know.

Thanks for the education.

the grit number designates the size of the particles in the stone.
There are several systems of grit JIS being the Japanese which is most common in Japanese synthetic stones. Norton uses different grit chart, I am not sure about barber hones.
Here some more info:

http://www.knifeforums.com/uploads/1...rpnrCmpre4.JPG
http://www.knifeforums.com/uploads/1...tMicronJIS.gif
http://members.cox.net/~yuzuha/jisgrits.html

When your talking Straight Razor Sharpening, a 1k stone is considered a bevel setter. A stone that's going to put the basic bevel on your blade. Something coarser, like 220k would be for repair work, like a chip. The other end of the spectrum, A 12k is a finisher. It put the final polish on a blade. A normal progression for razor sharpening, (and there are many) would be 1k, 4k, 8k, 12k...Something like that...

I agree with Rich.

If you want to read up on what sort of stones are used for what then have a read of the "What hones do I need?" article in the Wiki.

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Please take note,,,

Every single one of those Grit Comparison charts has a disclaimer at the bottom... Should be larger, in red, and at the top... In fact I would put more faith in the TV weatherman then those charts...

Comparing Grit Ratings across even brand lines it pretty much useless let alone between different types of stones/hones...

Naturals stones are a best guess, some are not even in the ballpark for accuracy..
Barber's hones are a best guess also, and are probably farther off then the naturals...

Depending on the condition of the edge you are honing you need a
Bevel Setter
Sharpener
Polisher
Finisher

All this is in the Wiki too

Edit: and I type slow LOL all this is above also Duh !!!

I appreciate all the replies. The charts are interesting, even if they are inaccurate.

I understand the progressions and have read the wikis. People who ask questions because they're simply too lazy to read their way to the answer are a pet peeve of mine. Besides I've learned quite a bit reading through the wiki that doesn't really apply to where I'm at yet, but is interesting nonetheless and may prove useful in the future.

Since I don't have anybody within a few hours of me who knows razors and honing I'm trying to get a feel for how these coticules, arkansas, waterstones, and what have you compare to things I'm already familiar with. It's kind of like finding a print in the woods. You can snap a pic of it but you'll get more info about it if you lay something familiar like a dollar bill down next to it for scale. I'm trying to get that scale.

I've found this area to be fairly subjective and not at all scientific. I think it's referential. Any 500 grit will be coarser than any 4000 grit and any 8000 grit will be coarser than a 30000 grit. I don't find any 12000 grit to be necessarily finer than any other 8000 grit. Consider a Chinese 12k vs a Belgian coticule at 8k. I find the coticule consistently gives a better finish than the Chinese. I find the Coticule 8k gives a better finish than the Norton 8k. When I get a new stone, I run a razor over it and look at the scratches under a microscope and that gives me a feel - just a feel as I don't have an optical comparator - for what grit it is and where to use it in the lineup.

I have had folks say to me that they bought a stone - even a coticule at times - that they "feel" is not 8k but 6k, 4k or even 1k and "what gives?" Personally, I've never had a coticule that acts like a 6k or 4k and certainly not a 1k and really have to question their breadth of experience with a wide variety of stones and how they interact with steel. 6k? Maybe. 10k? Quite possibly depending on the grade of coticule. But, like I say, the grit system is more referential than anything so user experience does come into it.