Thread: Hone confusion

In your first post, you mention using garnet paper to lap the stones. My experience in using garnet paper (with orange-colored garnet grains) to sand wood is that the abrasive does not stay on the paper very long. Couple this with a dampened stone and I would imagine that the problem would be exacerbated. Wet/dry sandpaper (with grey- or black-colored silicon carbide grains) would work better for lapping the stones and be less inclined to lodge in the stone surface.

As for the sequence used, I've never used a King 10k, or even seen or heard of one, but the 4k and the 6k can be used somewhat interchangeably. I purchased a 4k once from a Canadian seller (Lee Valley) and was sent a 6k instead. In the box, there was a slip of paper declaring that a Canadian national bureau of standards had determined that the two were (more or less) the same.

Allowing a stone to cover over with swarf can lead to a polishing effect.