Thread: Grit jumps?

Hi what is the recommended grit jumps? Is 1000 > 6000 > 12000 OK? Or does it have to be more like 3000 > 8000 > 12000?

Technically any jump is OK but it just takes more time on a hone before moving to the next when they are too spaced out. 1,000>4,000>8,000>12,000 is a popular progression.
I think you should have a 1,000 as it is a good bevel setter.

This is a question with a lot of answers
You´ll need a stone around 1000-2000 if you are going to do some bevel setting, For mid range stones I would choose 2 stones between 3k and 8k, and a polisher between 12k and 16k.
So 1k > 4k > 8k > 12k Would probably be a sensible setup.
You could fully hone a razor using only a 4/8 combo stone, and get a super shave http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html
Some people only use the Belgian coticule.http://www.coticule.be/
Some people even use Shapton 1k 2k 3k 4k 6k 8k 10k 16k and 30k to get the perfect BBS shave.
So you see, there´s a lot of stones out there, and a lot of people with different preferences

Pretty sure 1k-6k is too much. Maybe it can be done, but I think it would be easy to finish too early on 6k and wind up with 1k scratches left on the bevel. I sometimes leave 1k scratches after 4k and have to go back, and that is less of a jump than yours. 6k-12k is "doubling" the grit so maybe more manageable, but I don't know. I would guess that most setups don't jump so much to a finisher. And most everyone hones to at least 8k, considered good to shave off of, before a high grit finisher like 12.

I assume you are considering the king stone plus naniwa ss? If you try it and it isn't good then all you have to add is a 4/8 combo. Then its a 1,4,6,8,12 progression. Or just get the 4/8 first and add the 1k later.

Don't take my word though

Ps. Which particular stones are you considering?

Michael

I've been using a King 1K>6K then Chinese "12K" progression as my workhorse honing system for coming on two years. I've added a selection of natural finishers but haven't felt any need to replace or add to the king combo, for personal use it's ideal for me. Not sure if that would hold for all 1k>6k jumps as the king combo is the only >1000 grit synthetic I've used.

I don't check my edges with a loupe that often these days but the 6k king doesn't take long at all to wipe out the 1k scratches if I start off with a few sets of half strokes. Raising a slurry on the 6k does speed things up but generally I don't find it necessary unless it's a wedge-ish blade or very hard steel. For the jump from the 6k to the Chinese natural I'm more likely to raise a slurry on the Chinese stone to speed things up a little.

If you're only honing a few razors for yourself I don't think you'd find leaps of 1K>6K>12K horrendous, I didn't start shaving with blades I sharpen myself to improve my time efficiency. I thought of it as learning to hone by spending more time with fewer hones as opposed to less time with a wider selection of hones, but maybe I was just being cheap.

If it tuns out to be too big a jump for you then you've got an excuse to buy more stone, which is nice.