Thread: Ceramic Naniwa 12000?

Let me start off by saying I'm new to honing. I needed a touching up stone and after watching a bunch of videos I figured it was between the Naniwa ss 12000 or Shapton 16000. I went with the Naniwa and it arrived today. I opened the box expecting to see a pinkish stone but it was white and said "New Ceramics". Is this Naniwa's response to the Shapton 16000?

Looks like mine. Pull the sticker off, throw some water on it for a minute or two, flatten it, and enjoy.

They work quite nicely!

It is NOT a ceramic hone, I think perhaps it is 12k ceramic bits in a matrix. It will form a slurry for you, trust me.

Ok thanks. I guess they just changed it's color.

Mine came attached to a little stand...

Originally Posted by rcavazos1922

Let me start off by saying I'm new to honing. I needed a touching up stone and after watching a bunch of videos I figured it was between the Naniwa ss 12000 or Shapton 16000. I went with the Naniwa and it arrived today. I opened the box expecting to see a pinkish stone but it was white and said "New Ceramics". Is this Naniwa's response to the Shapton 16000?

I have both the above mentioned stones and I perfer the ss to the shapton. And the SS is much cheaper.
Stingray

I don't think ceramic or not has anything to do with the slurrying ability. It has to do with the type of abrasive in the stone. Ceramic alumina is a tougher abrasive than aluminum oxide used in older stones.

At the risk of butchering exactly what the difference is between all of the abrasives:
* aluminum oxide is a term thrown around, but there are a lot of different types. it's a sharp abrasive that at least in some versions is friable
* ceramic alumina is a type manufactured by a process that makes it very tough

What makes a stone "ceramic" or not is probably whether or not it uses ceramic alumina. The binder will be resin (like a shapton), magnesia (like a chosera), or maybe even vitrified (old norton india stones are vitrified, but they are not ceramic alumina as far as I know).

So if you put ceramic alumina in a resin or magnesia stone that has a soft binder, it will still slurry. If it slurries fast, one would wonder what the reason would be to have such a tough abrasive, because it won't be around long.

Originally Posted by DaveW

I don't think ceramic or not has anything to do with the slurrying ability. It has to do with the type of abrasive in the stone. Ceramic alumina is a tougher abrasive than aluminum oxide used in older stones.

At the risk of butchering exactly what the difference is between all of the abrasives:
* aluminum oxide is a term thrown around, but there are a lot of different types. it's a sharp abrasive that at least in some versions is friable
* ceramic alumina is a type manufactured by a process that makes it very tough

What makes a stone "ceramic" or not is probably whether or not it uses ceramic alumina. The binder will be resin (like a shapton), magnesia (like a chosera), or maybe even vitrified (old norton india stones are vitrified, but they are not ceramic alumina as far as I know).

So if you put ceramic alumina in a resin or magnesia stone that has a soft binder, it will still slurry. If it slurries fast, one would wonder what the reason would be to have such a tough abrasive, because it won't be around long.

My comment was based on my concern when I received my stone that it was a solid brick of ceramic like the Spyderco hones which do not slurry at all...they are not a water stone, they are a solid ceramic.

While solid ceramics can be nice, I was expecting a water stone...and that is what I received in spite of the appearance and initial concerns

Yeah, they are a super smooth stone. Like a notch up in fineness and feel vs. the other softer stones that are the old clay binder type.

Actually, I have no idea what the binder is in a superstone, but I did have the 12k for a while for woodworking (Before razor use). I wish I'd have kept it, it was a bit too soft for my taste for woodworking tools, but it had a great feel.

I was thinking the same thing. I thought it was going to be like the rods on the Spyderco Sharp Maker "correct name?"

I love my Naniwa SS - got a nice feel and have been quite easy for me to get to grips with them. I, too initially had the 12K to maintain the edge of shave ready blades, although I had to get the lower grit ones after a while.

BTW my 12K is also white.....

Ash