Thread: Norton 220 slower than 400 wet or dry

I have been playing with this old blade and noticed that Norton 220 is about 3-4 times slower than 400 grit wet or dry (silicon carbide) sandpaper, even when Norton is freshly lapped. Anyone else had same results?

I wonder if it is because silicon carbide is harder?

Thanks.

I've been told that it is the greater concentration of abrasive in the sandpaper. Cuts very fast but a person can get in trouble in a hurry if they are not careful honing with sandpaper ..... so I hear ... I stick with the stones.

I don't really like the Norton 220 for razors. Under 1k, I prefer a Chosera or a DMT. Haven't tried the Shaptons.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I don't really like the Norton 220 for razors. Under 1k, I prefer a Chosera or a DMT. Haven't tried the Shaptons.

What is your reason, if I may ask?

I agree with not using the Norton 220. I've used it for taking gouges out of tools, and what I don't like about it is that the stone breaks down so quickly that it starts to dish and develop shape irregularities that make it difficult to put a straight edge on something. If you have to really grind off a lot of metal, IMO Norton aluminum oxide sandpaper, glued to a flat surface, is the best choice. 80 grit is a very fast cutter, if you need to do serious grinding. 120 grit is a bit safer. Of course, a low grit DMT would work too, but a pack of sandpaper only costs $5. Depends on how much use you think you might get out of the DMT in the future.
But if you just want to reestablish the bevel on a blade in decent condition, just stick to a Norton 1000 stone, as mentioned above.

Originally Posted by time2shave

What is your reason, if I may ask?

What Min said. For me, going to a 220 means you have a lot of work to do, and most likely on a heavy grind razor. For me, the 220 dishes in that time. Also, the grit that breaks off can scratch the razor.

Also as Min said, you will have to decide if a DMT or sandpaper is better for you. For me, the answer is DMT - I hone a lot.

BTW, this comparison between the Norton and the sandpaper is just another example of how factors other than the grit can play such a large role.

The lowest I ever go is my DMT 600. That is only if I am removing some bad chips or if I need to do lot of work on a wedge.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I've been told that it is the greater concentration of abrasive in the sandpaper. Cuts very fast but a person can get in trouble in a hurry if they are not careful honing with sandpaper ..... so I hear ... I stick with the stones.

+1
Abrasive papers and films do have a very dense and also oriented abrasive load.
As such they can cut very fast. I am a fan of 15 micron film on glass for bevel
setting for this reason but prefer the feel of a hone now that I have a big
DMT to keep my hones flat.

Having said this we also need to double check the vendor specifications
for the products being compared. I looked today and Norton has (recently?) posted
a pdf file that is interesting for multiple reasons.

http://www.nortonindustrial.com/uplo...ningStones.pdf

It is interesting because apparently Norton has a 15000 grit (0.5 micron) finisher that I have
never seen offered for sale. For Norton combo fans like me, they also peg their 4K at 6 microns
and the flip of the combo stone 8K at 3 microns. They also appear to use the Japan system
for their water hones. While abrasive and binder can change how a hone works and feels, this
info makes me more confident in recommending a Norton 4K/8K combo or the near equal Na3k/8k combo when all I have personally is the Norton.

The softness of the Norton 220 especially with a slurry is kinder to the
very hard steel in razors than a DMT220 would be. Chips on the edge from
low number coarse hones are quite difficult to notice and are also difficult to
get out.

Well, I finally got some spray glue and glued wet or dry 400 sandpaper on glass. Much faster than Norton. I established a bevel in about an hour. It would've taken me 5-6 hours with the Norton.

I got the razor to shave, but it still pulls a lot. I need to spend more time on higher grits.
I was impatient and shaved about 2/3 of my face with it anyway.

For me, if a razor "pulls a lot," it usually means the bevel wasn't properly set. I think you'll want to start a little lower than you think you should. Then again, the language is subjective, so maybe I'm reading it differently than you wrote it.