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Anybody tried this no-name synthetic hone marketed as 1000/8000

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251411832580

Materials:Waterstone made of Aluminum Oxide. (learn more about different materials)
Grit/Particle size: 1000/8000, 14/2.5 micro (learn more about grit)
Size:180x60x28mm (7.09x2.36x1.10 inch)
Weight: about 1.45 lbs
Accessory: Anti-slip silicone base

Well, the 1K side worked fine.
The 8k, not so much.
First it felt softer than the Norton, which was a bit suspicious.
I thought I'd used it to refine the edge after the Norton 8k, since it is sold as 2.5 micron, vs. 3 micron for the Norton.
When I tried to use it after 50 laps or so, the microscope reveal some dents.
I first blamed it on not having set the bevel correctly (which I found surprising as I inspected under the scope the full blade every 50 laps or so). So I went back to 1K and moved my way up when I was sure no micro-dents were left. Extra sure.
Same thing happened again when I try to finish off on that mysterious 8k.
So back to 1K and this time I skipped that last step.

Any ideas what could cause a stone sold as 8k to cause tear in the edge?
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
It could be larger particles in the 1k leaving deep score marks that later show up as chips after the 8k.
 
I figured something like that.
Is it salvageable?
I was thinking of severely lapping it, hoping the impurity were just superficial.
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Assuming it is the 1k, you just need to keep rubbing the thing on the 8k till all the chips are gone. Conversely the jump from 1k to 8k might be to far to get out all the 1k scratches.
 
I figured something like that.
Is it salvageable?
I was thinking of severely lapping it, hoping the impurity were just superficial.
I would think the superlapping might be a good option to try AFTER you try a long session to see if the 8K will remove the chips. Maybe generate a slurry and work on that a while, then dilute to just working on the 8K. I would try this first.
 
Traditional Japanese synthetic stones should feel softer than Nortons, because they are. There is a Norton 1000/8000 combo stone out there, which would equate to 800/6k JIS perhaps. I have had good results using 1k/6k JIS combo stones--King, Suehiro. Once upon a time, I ordered small 1k and 4k water-stones for gouges from Lee Valley. What I received was a 1k and a 6k stone. The order came with a slip informing me that the Canadian National Scientific Council (or some august body like that) had determined that a 4k King stone and a 6k King stone could be used interchangeably. Following this, maybe a 6k and an 8k can be used interchangeably as well?

Since you have a microscope, it might be interesting to observe the effect that standing water has on the edge at the end. Soak the stone, but use the 8k side without standing water to see if that helps. If it does, then the problem is with the standing water loosening abrasive.
 
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I have a king 1/6 and a norton 4/8
i was looking for a real 8k to go a bit further than the norton so I got that new 1/8

the 1 side works fine. It seems similar to the king's my problem is the 8k so far has just shredded the blades I tried it on.
i also have a norton lapping stone I can try to shave the 8k side a minimeter or so to see if inside it is better
 
From the pic, the 1k looks like one of those low-end Naniwa combo stones. Assuming it isn't loose abrasive caused by standing water, have you tried going from the 1k side to your Norton 4000 and then to the 8k to see if this helps? If so, then the problem may be too big a jump.
 
I did that.
1K then went to 4K on the Norton, then 6K on the king. Then 8K on the norton.
Since Norton is rumored to not be a true 8k, I used the no-name 8K to refine.
That is when the micro tear appeared. The blade was very clean off of the Norton 8K.

When that happened, I went back to 1K to erase those chips and ran the progression again.
Same thing happened. And I made extra sure the edge was fine before that no-name 8K, so I know it did it.
As suggested earlier, there might be an larger grained impurity somewhere.

Hence lapping it might help.
I did not have the balls to try it this weekend as it takes a lot of time to get to the test and a lot of work is spoiled if the test is negative.
 
Norton's 8K is 8K on the American Scale. It's 3 micron.

I believe the King is 6K on the JIS Scale. It's likely about the same. Have you tried shaving off the King 6K vs the Norton 8K? Many say that a JIS 5K is a very similar shave to an American 8K (both being roughly 3 micron). If this is true, you would be putting the King 6K and Norton 8K in the reverse order of what they should be. It's an easy enough test, and you already have both stones...

The no name is supposed to be 2.5 micron, so about the same as the Norton, you probably won't see a big improvement even if it works perfectly.
 
The shave test trumps the microscope IMO. 1k King > 6k King followed by linen/leather can yield a decent shave. Following Papa's comments, leave the Norton out of the equation and try just 1k King > 6k King for starters, then linen/leather until it passes the HHT, which is doable. Then try the shave test. Follow this with honing on the 8k side of the mystery JIS combo, followed by linen/leather and another shave test to see if the mystery 8k helps or hurts matters.
 
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Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
It's a good point that a microchipped blade can still give a good shave in my experience. It's a bummer knowing the edge isn't perfect, but oh well :smile:
 
What sort of magnification are you finding microchips at? Shave with it and see what you think. That's the only real test.
 
Those chips were big. Not visible on naked eye, but pretty big on x60.
It took a while to get them off on 1K. Not something I want to put on my skin.
 
The size chip you describe is well beyond what I'd consider anywhere near typical or acceptable from an 8k stone. I'd lap the stone and if after doing so the problem remains, consider it trash.
 
I know this will sound like a stupid question, but are you sure you are honing on the 8K side? Does the 1k leave 1K like scratches? If it leaves 8k like scratches, it's possible the sides are marked incorrectly. It would also explain why it takes a while to remove dings from the one side, I would expect a jump from 1k to 8k to take a bit of effort.
 
Not a stupid question.
I've done that with the King. Set the bevel on 6K (it took a while, but the stone is a fast cutter and did it even on a very rough blade). Then mess it up on the 1K. The king is unmarked

With the mystery eBay stone, which is unmarked too, I was careful.
The 8K side does erase marks from the previous stone, but it left 2 dents in the blade. So the best explanation is that there must be an impurity chunk that create those dents.
But considering the stone $30 including shipping, it is not entirely surprising.
At least the 1K side works fine. Seems as good as the King (which is good). So not a total waste of money, except I don't need two 1K stones.
 
Have you tried using the 8k side without standing water?--soaked for 10-15 mins., this being a trad synth, but only used in a dampened state? I found that that did the trick with regard to chipping, in moving from a 6k Sigma to a 13k Sigma after a brief soak (ceramic synth there).
 
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