How much do you "step up" grits?

[Aaron Karp]

What's a good rule of thumb for how much finer grit should get as you progress from one stone/paper to the next? For example, if you start with 1,000 and then go to 6,000, and then 12,000. The first step is [+5,000, x6], the second is [+6,000, x2]. Should I be thinking in terms of absolute steps up? Multipliers? Am I thinking of this the right way at all?

I typically use water stones, but sometimes use sandpaper-on-glass if I'm in a rush.

[Tom M King]

The closer the steps, the fewer total strokes it takes, but there's still not much difference in total time it takes. Closer steps make the biggest difference in flattening backs, where you're limited by the force to surface area that you can apply.

I have a lot of steps, but my setup takes no time to go from one to the other. My reasoning was nothing scientific. I do a Lot of sharpening, so I figured the stones would last longer, since there are fewer strokes per stone, and I didn't expect Stu to stay in business forever, so bought them while I could. I wanted to see what they were like anyway, and could deduct the cost.

1k to 6k is a fairly big step, but still doable if you're only doing the cutting edge anyway.

[Rob Luter]

When I was using 3M Abrasive film on glass blocks I used 40µm>15µm>5µm>1µm>.3µm. Depending on who you believe, in grit size that's 300>1,000>2,500>1,4000>60,000

Current scheme is 1000 Diamond Plate>6000 Shapton>16000 Shapton>Strop, and I don't bother with the 1000 unless the primary bevel needs to be restored. It works great.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Aaron and welcome to the Creek.

What's a good rule of thumb for how much finer grit should get as you progress from one stone/paper to the next?

The answer to this may depend on the condition of the edge being sharpened. Most of the time my coarse water stone sharpening starts with a 2000 grit stone. This is followed with a 4000 then finished with an 8000 and possibly a stroke or two on a strop.

If it is just a touch up, the edge may start at 4000.

The setup you describe should work fine.

Are you experiencing difficulties with your setup?

jtk

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Usually when I see a "recommended" progression for sharpening, it will be a 2x to 3x jump. I expect smaller jumps for coarser grits.

I regularly jump from my 5K waterstone to my 16K waterstone. Given how often I touch up my chisels, I usually start at 5K.

Shapton's web site provides this obvious advice on their web site:

The usual order is to start with coarser stones having larger abrasive grains, then move to finer stones with smaller grains.

For some Shapton stones, there are recommended progressions, some from their site and some from other places, for example:

Recommend the 5000 (Wine) before the 8000 (Melon), but you can go from the 2000 (Green) directly to the 8000 (Melon) - a 4x Jump.

The FAQ recommends that you go from the 8000 (Melon) directly to the 30,000 (Purple), do not hit the Yellow in between for softer steel; but you can if you want with harder steel.

I have seen the following recommendation from a seller of the Shapton 12K stone: 1K, 2K, 5K, 12K.

I have also seen: 1K, 3K, 6K, 8K

I go from my Tormek (hollow grind) directly to my 5K Pro.

I think that much depends on what you have, where you start, and where you want to end. You can go directly from a Washita to a strop and get good results; well, David Weaver can, my stropping game is low. Most people here seem to do just fine with Stropping (just not me, but my 16K does a great job).

I should probably put something between my 5K and my 16K, Lord knows I have sufficient stones to do it!

[Curt Putnam]

I find that the coarser the grit, the closer the steps need to be. Using waterstones, I find that 1000 > 6000 > 13000 works very well. Using diamond stones, 1200 > 4000 > 8000 > strop works well.

[Jim Koepke]

Another thought came to mind.

This may also depend on whether you want a single bevel, hollow bevel or if you use a secondary/micro bevel.

One can likely make bigger jumps between grits with a micro bevel.

jtk

[Oskar Sedell]

You can go directly from a Washita to a strop and get good results; well, David Weaver can, my stropping game is low.

Is it possible that your washita game is low? My experience is that it is what you do on that stone that makes the difference, not the bare leather. Aim for an edge that is good off the stone itself, the stropping is just icing on the cake afterwords.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Another thought came to mind.

This may also depend on whether you want a single bevel, hollow bevel or if you use a secondary/micro bevel.

One can likely make bigger jumps between grits with a micro bevel.

jtk

Now that you mention it, the Purple 5K Shapton Pro is designed assuming that you will only be honing the blade tip (micro-bevel) about 1mm so it is reputed to feel "strange" if you do a regular sharpening with it. I have a hollow grind, which is probably why that stone works so well for me.

A micro-bevel is much easier and faster.

[Prashun Patel]

When I bought, I was led to believe 1000, 5000, 8000 is acceptable. It has been for me. I often strop after on a charged block of maple and do notice a difference vs stopping @ 8000.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Is it possible that your washita game is low? My experience is that it is what you do on that stone that makes the difference, not the bare leather. Aim for an edge that is good off the stone itself, the stropping is just icing on the cake afterwords.

My washita game could be low, but, I get very good results off my 16K stone but I don't seem to see much difference when I strop by hand.

[Curt Putnam]

Prashun,

Assuming that you are using green compound then you are finishing at ½ um. The 8k stone is in the neighborhood of 3 um. For the best edge, one needs to finish at under 1 um.

JMO & YMWV

[Jim Matthews]

I mainly use two grits, 60 micron (Coarse India) and a "Hindustan" about 15 micron followed by a buffing wheel with Green honing compound at 0.5 micron.

Each step is briefer than the last.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I mainly use two grits, 60 micron (Coarse India) and a "Hindustan" about 15 micron followed by a buffing wheel with Green honing compound at 0.5 micron.

Each step is briefer than the last.

I have only seen Hindustan listed as Hindostan, but I assume that it is the same stone.

What color is yours? Do you happen to know if you have"Export Extra Quality" (the hardest, white or yellowish-white in color), Washita Finish Quality (grayish white), or Number One Quality (bluish gray to almost yellow) usually roughly finished.

I have never seen one. For those not familiar, I have this:

HINDOSTAN, although usually called an oil stone, can be used with water with equally good results. It is a very fine-grained sandstone, and is the best low—priced sharpening-stonefor mechanics’ tools. It is a fast-cutting stone, but owing to its softness, the powder or grit which is cut from the stone soon forms a mud that clogs the pores and makes it cut more slowly unless the stone is kept free by the plentiful use of water. By using a little oil and leaving this dust on top of the stone, a fine surface is given the stone, which produces a very fine edge on the tool. It is a very good stone for imparting a quick medium-coarse edge, and is used very largely by amateurs and those who do not have to use an oilstone very often.

I wonder how it is relative to the Norton Queer Creek stones. I know that the Queer Creek stones are supposedly rough only and I would expect less expensive. They recently changed the name because Queer has negative connotations these days, but those are still for sale so I purchased one just to check it out but I have not done anything with it (lack of time and I would need something suitable to sharpen with it, so not my chisels I think).

[Jim Matthews]

I have only seen Hindustan listed as Hindostan, but I assume that it is the same stone.

What color is yours?

Mine is a light tan color. It was a generous trade from Rafael, here in the Creek.

It "feels" finer than my Lily White Arkansas and cuts faster than my Black "surgical" Washita.

Great for the O1 steel I favor.