Thread: Cutting Shapton Ceramic on Glass...Results

Originally Posted by Bruce

however, it will be a flexible honing medium and neither rigid nor predictable in its actions.

This doesn't have to be true. Keep in mind that the abrasive in the Shapton glassstones is a ceramic, and flexibility is not commonly considered a property of ceramics. Brittleness, however, is a property of ceramics. If you had a ceramic stone worn down to a thickness of one millimeter, it would be very easy to break, given a length of eight inches. The glass substrate adds strength to the thinner layer of ceramic.

This is the same reason why they use re-bar in concrete; concrete has excellent strenght under compression, but cracks easily when flexed.

Would a coticule be flexible if it didn't have slate glued to the bottom? No; it would be easier to break.

The shapton stones will not be flexibe, and they will remain predictable. They will also be easier to break. They require a strong substrate.

That's why I suggested granite tile from Lowes; they will cut it for you for free, and it's FLAT. I had a granite tile cut into several pieces - some 3x10 slabs and four 1x6 pieces. When I brought them home, I checked their flatness on my granite reference plate (which is flat to +/- 1.05 microns per foot), and they were right on the money.

Glue your cut shapton to a granite substrate, lap it for flatness, and enjoy for a long time.