Thread: Will a Shapton 16k take off enough to fix a tiny nick?

Originally Posted by JonnyBoy

Ok... so I picked up a 1k/6k Japanese stone, and after working the blade for a bit, I reset the bevel, and sharpened it up to the point where it shaves arm hair pretty effortlessly. I know jumping from a 6k to a 16k is a big jump, but with enough laps, and a clean bevel I should be alright, right?

Considering the 1k/6k rating on a Japanese stone is actually higher than that when translated to another scale (from my understanding), I would say you should be ok with the jump, might just take a little longer is all.

I would say the biggest jump in your progression would be from the 1k to the 6k. When you get a chance, I would pick up another in between those two.

*EDIT* There is a good pdf of a grit comparison chart available on here somewhere (I forget at the moment. Search for grit comparison chart.) Good to have on hand

GL!

Originally Posted by JonnyBoy

Ok... Anyone know where to get a 4k/8k in montreal? Maybe Norten Kitchen Supply? I have a wedding to go to this weekend, and I don't want to shave with a *cringe* disposable!

If you hadn't found the coarser grits, I would have said one of two things: desperate times call for desperate measures; or, your shoulders are going to get real soar.

I found that my daily shaver had an undulating edge and microserations that could only be seen under a microscope. I only have a 12K and an really coarse hone for knives and tools. I spent about an hour and a half on the Chinese 12K and checked the edge after every 100 laps. All in all I made 1,000 laps on each side before I had a perfectly straight edge and the desired sharpness. Point is, it will probably take 100-200 laps on each side when you move from the 6K to the 16K, but you can make the jump and produce an edge that you will be proud of.

For barely visible chips a Shapton 16 can remove them if you use a series of circle strokes in each direction with a little pressure followed up by a short series of circles with little to no pressure followed up with 10-120 X pattern strokes. If chips are visible and depending how big, you may need to go down to a 220 and begin your progression there. Normally, I find that if I start with a 1K, I take care of the small chips and setting the bevel at the same time. From there I go to the 3K, 4K or 5K, followed by 8k then either 12K or 16K or a Natural stone and finally pastes and then the leather strop. Pretty consistent method.

Have fun,

Lynn