Thread: #12000 Kitayama Super Polishing Water Stone

I have a Norton 4000/8000 and am curious why would someone use a yellow coticule which has an 8000 grit as well. Why not go to a finer grit like the #12000 Kitayama Super Polishing Water Stone to finish? I know Lynn mentioned this in his DVD and the cost is lower than the coticule.

talk to howard at www.theperfectedge.com

the yellow Belgian sharpens finer than it is rated.

Samurai is correct. A coticule does leave a finer finish than its 8K rating would indicate. Others have placed it around 10-12K.

Grit size is only part of the equation. Different abrasives can have different shapes to the individual grit particles. From what I've read, the cutting agent in a coticule has a less jagged exterior than, say, a Norton 8K. The more rounded particles don't cut as deeply with each stroke, so they leave shallower scratches in the metal.

This polished surface is more comfortable to shave with.

These variations between hones are one reason why we haven't come up with a simple and nifty little chart that shows exactly how each hone relates to the others. Unfortunately, it's more complex than just grit size.

Josh

FWIW the kitayama is an 8000 grit stone that is very often incorrectly labelled as a 12000 grit stone. this is because the abbrasive particles in the kitayama great ground down to a finer size as you hone which CAN (but not necessarily will) leave a finish that's comparable to a 12k stone