Thread: 1k is a "slow cutter"?

In the 1K realm I have the Norton, Shapton and the DMTE which is listed as 1,200 grit. I started going with the diamond plate because it is the fastest. I check blades under the 30X stereoscope as I am going along and I found that a few will have micro chipping from my plate. Not many but some. On those I go to the Shapton 1k and follow with the Shapton 2k because I have it and it is a bit gentler than the 1k.

As to breadknifing, I have done it with a few razors that had serious chips and one with a bad frown. It does seem to be a pay me now or pay me later situation as getting that bevel back is a piece of work and I have found that I'm better off flat honing in most cases.

Harrelson Stanley, the USA distributor of Shapton, uses a very light pressure breadknifing that he calls "jointing". Howard of the Perfect Edge has incorporated this technique into his honing I believe. The edge is stroked across the hone, usually a high grit like a 16k, very lightly, probably no more than the weight of the blade. Harrelson says that it removes minute chips that can't be seen with the naked eye if I am not mistaken.

I watched Harrelson use it in the DVD that he and Howard put together. In the DVD Harrelson does the jointing at the 1k stage shortly after he had started honing. He examines the blade under magnification and then decides it needs it. The mind blower comes when he gets through the progression to the 16k and he again 'joints' the edge. He then goes on with the 16k and moves up to the 30k and finishes. I tried this 'jointing' technique on a few razors but found it may be more trouble than it is worth IME but I may experiment with it some more.

No matter what half the fun is getting there or rather the experimenting and discovery not only with the stones but how different some razors are from others and what method agrees with that particular razor to get the desired result.
All the major brands are good products. I guess it's more a preference for the characteristics of a particular stone or system like Shapton.

Originally Posted by Gunner777

No matter what half the fun is getting there or rather the experimenting and discovery not only with the stones but how different some razors are from others and what method agrees with that particular razor to get the desired result.
All the major brands are good products. I guess it's more a preference for the characteristics of a particular stone or system like Shapton.

Well said... it's so true, half the fun is just the experimenting and playing around with all the different stuff out there.

Originally Posted by pjrage

Well said... it's so true, half the fun is just the experimenting and playing around with all the different stuff out there.

So true but one of the side effects might be HAD and RAD.

Ok Jimmy ya got me HAD and RAD??????

Or maybe broke and broker:-)

Originally Posted by Gunner777

Ok Jimmy ya got me HAD and RAD??????

Or maybe broke and broker:-)

Hone acquisition disorder and razor acquisition disorder. They don't always go together but for me they are like the horse and carriage.

Hey I have that disease to--LOL! It goes well with broke and broker:-)

OK, I found some stuff online, and it looks like Lynn is correct. It gets a little hazy because the charts are in inches and millimeters rather than Microns and is meant more for categorizing sand.

I found one on Wikipedia and another on a PDF, page 2. The Complete Guide to Sharpening, by Leonard Lee, The Taunton Press, 1995, p.28 (which is a great resource, BTW) confirms this.

I found another chart here, but unless you sharpen with a rock, it is incomplete to the level we need.