Looking for new progression stones

[kohalajohn]

My synthetic progression is aging out and I am looking for a nice set, something like 4k, 8k, 12k.

My finishing set is ok, it is black ark and pasted balsa. I'm keeping that.

So about buying a mid range progression, I hear people like Shapton glass.

Suggestions appreciated.

 

[Tomo]

I like the Shapton Glass set for low range and midrange work. The 8k is fine enough to jump straight onto a natural finisher. The 1k is a fast cutter and great for bevel setting. Comes with a nice little stand.

 

[Dilbone]

The shapton kuromaku is my first experience with anything other than film, Norton, or king and I love them. Fast, hard, predictable, and good feedback IMO. 1.5k, 5k, and 8k

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

[Acmemfg]

BBW, Coticule, Zulu Grey.
I have had great success with this set up

 

[bluesman 7]

My synthetic progression is aging out

How do stones age out? I'm guessing that you're just wanting new stones.

 

[kohalajohn]

How do stones age out? I'm guessing that you're just wanting new stones.

Yup.

They didn't really age out. My 4k/8k norton combo I chose to leave in the cabin so here at home I only have the very cheapest knock off of a 3k/8k combo. And recently the 3k/8k pair separated when the glue failed.

My good one was my nani 12k. Until one of my little boys figured out how to open the drawer and throw it around, breaking it.

I have boys. That's why I have to buy new tools.

 

[kohalajohn]

I like the Shapton Glass set for low range and midrange work. The 8k is fine enough to jump straight onto a natural finisher. The 1k is a fast cutter and great for bevel setting. Comes with a nice little stand.

View attachment 1209663

That stand is just to store them, is that right? I'd have to buy that naniwa stone holder to hold it while honing. I see Shapton makes a pricey stone holder.

And since I've lost my nani 12k, (story below) is it reasonable to jump from the shapton 8k straight to my black ark? The ark is convex so is slightly faster than a flat black ark.

 

[Steve56]

That stand is just to store them, is that right? I'd have to buy that naniwa stone holder to hold it while honing. I see Shapton makes a pricey stone holder.

And since I've lost my nani 12k, (story below) is it reasonable to jump from the shapton 8k straight to my black ark? The ark is convex so is slightly faster than a flat black ark.

The stand also holds a stone on top for honing. It is taller than most stone holders.

Right now, I’m normally using a 2-stone Shapton progression, and a jnat to finish. The bevel setter is a 2k Shapton Glass HR, followed by a 6k Shapton Glass HC. These are followed by a jnat, but one could easily go to a 12k synth and beyond following the 6k.

I have some coarser stones for heavy lifts, but for ‘normal’ work those 2 work fine.

 

[kohalajohn]

The stand also holds a stone on top for honing. It is taller than most stone holders.

Right now, I’m normally using a 2-stone Shapton progression, and a jnat to finish. The bevel setter is a 2k Shapton Glass HR, followed by a 6k Shapton Glass HC. These are followed by a jnat, but one could easily go to a 12k synth and beyond following the 6k.

I have some coarser stones for heavy lifts, but for ‘normal’ work those 2 work fine.

View attachment 1209878

A lazy rainy Sunday is a good time to chat about this.

Steve, your choice of the HR high rockwell for the 2k, but HC high carbon for the 6k, can you tell me about that choice?

I understand the HR is the faster cutter, good for modern hard blended alloys, where the HC is slower, more suited to simpler carbon steel. Is your choice due to the fact that a bevel setter has more work to do, so the aggression of the HR is preferable?

 

[JohnEzra]

+1 for the Shapton Ha No Kuromaku. Great stones.

 

[Steve56]

You are correct @kohalajohn - the 2k HR will work vety well as a substitute for a 1k or 1.5k in other lines because it is so fast and loads up less. The 6k HC is a ‘milder’ acting stone though still pretty fast, and the HC series polishes a lot more than the HR series in the same grit. I find the 6k HC to be almost the level of other 8k stones. I think @njtnjt uses this sequence too.

I might also add that the Glass series is designed to go in 3x steps, so this sequence is within Shapton’s design.

The 3k HR -> 8k HC is a candidate sequence I’m playing with but the 2k/6k actually seems better if a good jnat is your finisher. The 3k HR is slower as a bevel setter, and the 8k HC isn’t really needed vs the 6k HC.

The 4k HR is also useful for light bevel work on full hollows.

 

[kohalajohn]

I might also add that the Glass series is designed to go in 3x steps, so this sequence is within Shapton’s design.

Steve,

I'm curious about how my two arks would fit in this.

I have a double sided, both convex, soft ark and black ark. The soft ark was described by Jarod at Superior as a bevel setter, and the black of course is a finisher. The idea was that I could start on the soft ark and jump all the way to the black ark.

I had my doubts. Surely I have to drop at least a couple of progression steps in between.

Before I spend a day testing this out, what do you think?

Maybe I should just try it. If it works that would be amazing. But I suspect I'll just be doing seven hundred laps on the black ark to get there.


Photos below.

 

[Steve56]

I can’t really say, but if it takes a day to find out the answer is likely ‘no’ simply because of time constraints. I’m not much of an Ark expert, but I don’t think many go from soft to hard black or surgical to finish. I can go bevel set to finish on those two Shaptons and a jnat in under 20 minutes taking my time as long as the bevel is in decent shape, no chips, pits, etc.

 

[kohalajohn]

I can’t really say, but if it takes a day to find out the answer is likely ‘no’ simply because of time constraints. I’m not much of an Ark expert, but I don’t think many go from soft to hard black or surgical to finish. I can go bevel set to finish on those two Shaptons and a jnat in under 20 minutes taking my time as long as the bevel is in decent shape, no chips, pits, etc.

Yeah, I'm leaning toward your system. A 2HR to start and then a midlevel. I'm not interested in jnats yet, I'll be finishing on a black ark. So the question is can I get away with just one mid level shapton between the 2HR and the black ark, and if so, what should it be?

 

[kohalajohn]

I see the shapton HR gives much more options, and I could go 2, 6 and 10.

the shapton hc only goes up to 8, and that's a problem as half my razors are finished on black ark and half are finished on diamond balsa.

to jump from the diamond balsa, I need a 12k, about one micron. From there I go to .5u diamond balsa.

Maybe my progression will be 2hr, 6hr, 10hr and then finish and maintain on black ark or balsa.

but then there is the Kuromaku series. that goes to 12k. Ah. now I need to research what on earth those are about....

 

[njtnjt]

You are correct @kohalajohn - the 2k HR will work vety well as a substitute for a 1k or 1.5k in other lines because it is so fast and loads up less. The 6k HC is a ‘milder’ acting stone though still pretty fast, and the HC series polishes a lot more than the HR series in the same grit. I find the 6k HC to be almost the level of other 8k stones. I think @njtnjt uses this sequence too.

I might also add that the Glass series is designed to go in 3x steps, so this sequence is within Shapton’s design.

The 3k HR -> 8k HC is a candidate sequence I’m playing with but the 2k/6k actually seems better if a good jnat is your finisher. The 3k HR is slower as a bevel setter, and the 8k HC isn’t really needed vs the 6k HC.

The 4k HR is also useful for light bevel work on full hollows.

The 2k HR and 6k HC are an amazing combo. I've not had the pleasure of using anything close to it. Efficient and "accurate" as the dickens... easy to use. Doesn't matter the steel, these stones glide through it with aplomb and control leaving a polish I havent been able to duplicate on any other combination, not that I could have possible tried them all! Just my opinion.

Best wishes on your quest.

 

[kohalajohn]

The 2k HR and 6k HC are an amazing combo.

After this combo, Steve finishes on a jnat. My finisher is a black ark. Do you think I could jump from the 6k HC to finish on the black ark?

 

[bluesman 7]

After this combo, Steve finishes on a jnat. My finisher is a black ark. Do you think I could jump from the 6k HC to finish on the black ark?

That sounds like a stretch to me. Is there anything left of your 12k Nani? You don't necessarily need a big piece.

 

[Ravenonrock]

I’m happy with the results I’m getting off Naniwa Super stones. Nothing to compare to, but the results have been excellent for me. Reasonably priced, user friendly.

 

[kohalajohn]

Yeah, sharpeningsupplies.com is having a sale now, so looking at 3k, 8k, 12k naniwa, double thick S2 superstones.

nanis and nortons are what I have always used, so wanted to take advantage of the recent loss of my nani12 to try something new, like Shaptons.

But Shaptons only go up to 10, and that's only ANSI, so more like 8 on JIS. A nani 12 is 12 JIS, which is the step I need to jump to balsa.

I could get shapton 3 HR, 8 HC and a nani 12. That would do it.

But advantage of using the same brand all the way is that you know the distances between the stages are what they are. With the Shaptons I'm just guessing and I might have some jumps that are too small and some jumps that are too large.

Hmmm. Still not quite there yet.