I have been through the wiki on this forum which has left one short question in my mind. Why are there hones with two different grit ratings?
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I have been through the wiki on this forum which has left one short question in my mind. Why are there hones with two different grit ratings?
Exactly the Norton combo stones the 4K/8K is an excellent example and I am thinking of buying one. Why the two sides?
I was under the impression that one should start on the 4K side to start off the honing which will sharpen the edge quickly then flip the stone to the 8K side for the later part of the honing which will hone less quickly but produce a finer edge to the blade.
Are you asking why a single stone would contain two grits? If so, Slartibartfast nailed that one. You basically get half of a full thickness 4k and half of a full thickness 8k for the price of one (or so). Since you need both stones anyway and most people are unlikely to wear through one, it's better to just buy half of each glued together for half the price.
Or are you asking why you need more than one grit in the first place, in one stone or otherwise? If so, see here.
It depends on how you are doing it. If you are just doing a progression, then yes.
Stay on the 4k side until you are popping arm hairs, then move to the 8k side.
I was referring to the pyramid method above, which is suppose to be a "fool proof" method of honing. :)
In my limited honing experience the 2 most import things are: 1) get a good sharp bevel set & 2)light strokes. you may think you have a light stroke, but probably not.
Here is one of glen's thoughts on the progression:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/350008-post3.html
What do you mean by a progression?
A progression is a series of grits used to slowly achieve a final polish. An example of a progression could look something like 1k, 4k, 8k, 12k.
The way Slartibartfast used the word means that you are progressing straight from the 4k to the 8k and not doing pyramids or anything else like that.