Thread: Grit diameter vs grit number vs scale

yes it would be fine if we used micron ratings instead of these more bizarre 'grit' scales. but even if we were talking about the same abrasive material, of the same shape, in the same binder material, one would still have to consider the distribution of particle sizes, as they wont all be magically the same size.

hopefully they wouldnt vary too much, but by saying something is 5 micron you would hope that what you are saying is that it is 5 micron or smaller. more realistically you are saying that say 95% of particles are 5 micron or smaller. how large is the largest particle, what percentage makes it above 10 microns, what percentage makes it below 1 micron?

take a look at statistics, and distribution curves and get a sense for how even after all other variables/differences are removed (abrasive material, shape, binder material,...), providing a single micron measurement for what is actually a distribution is STILL only so useful. and i wouldn't necessarily assume a Normal Distribution for particle sizes, with the same variance.

i'm pretty sure that these other standards like JIS or the standard provided by ANSI have something to say on the subject of particle size distributions, maximum particle sizes etc. so while the two standards differ, it may be more useful to have our manufacturers use them than for them to all come up with their own idea of what "micron" their abrasive mix is.

like everyone has said before: there are lots and lots of variables here, and the ONLY measure that matters is the use of the product in the real world.

In the South we enjoy our Grit(s) with Butter....

TY Rich

I needed that one hehehe

If you have 1K, 4K, and 8K slip stones I guess there are really no guidelines as to how a hone is colored as to what it may be in regards to it's grit rating? Kind of a question.. *S*
I have 3 slip stones that the white I can pretty much be sure from what I see online is 4000 grit. My 1K, and 8K, though I'm not sure. Apparently each manufacturer might make thier 8,000 grit honing stones from material that differes in color from some other makers.

When I hone with the darkish red stone I use just a little dish soap (as with the others) and on this hone the razor just glides along like it is on warmed butter. With the cream / light tan colored hone, I can get some drag and resistance and more importantly, I can see some grayish water on the stone indicating that I am removing enough metal to be a part o f the water. With the reddish-brown, I see no such metal material in the water. Don't think they are Norton, but I "seem" to have beetter luck using the tan - white - red-brown in that order. Next step is the 00 Frictionite on the "FINISH" side, which should be about 10,000 grit, and finally, the Chinese 12k. That is about as fine as I have, unless you count newpaper.

Should, or "could" one use a 800 or 600 grit when you are establishing a bevel and do it safely?