16k Shapton glass

There was never a stone that got so much love and hate at the same time. Some love the stone and get smooth edges with it, some say shaving with this edge feels like shaving with a rasp. I found it odd that there were so many different opinions on it and decided to try the stone myself.

I used a Swedish 5/8 Heljestrand razor to make it even harder because of the hard steel.

There are 2 main problems with this stone that you need to overcome:

Speed

Shaptons are fast. Faster than pretty much every synthetic and natural out there. And the glass stone is even faster than the pro series. This has its advantages, but at this level, it’s a disadvantage. Because the stone is so fast it’s hard to polish the grooves instead of replacing the 8k scratches completely. If you set a true 16k edge, this will be a harsh edge and you will see micro chipping and flaking at the very edge.

Binder

The binder in the Glass stones is softer and releases abrasive much faster than the Pro stones. This means they are faster, but they also generate slurry faster. Slurry can be handy at low grits to get things set up fast, but after 600 or 800 grit, it only causes more troubles. Especially on these hard Swedish razors. The slurry that forms keeps hitting the edge so that it chips out.

This is the edge that was honed before I called Tom. It had around 40 laps on the 16k before I took the picture.

At this point I had no idea what I did wrong, so I called Tom. He explained this and said I should go back to the 8k Pro and do 40 laps on it to clean everything up again. So that’s exactly what I did. I remembered my edge looked nice and clean at 8k, so I figured that it would look the same. In my experience you can’t overdo the 8k Pro stone. If you wish to do 100 laps, then that’s no problem. The 8k Pro will always look the cleanest because it hides scratches and blend them too. When you progress to the 16k, all the underlying flaws will pop up and the edge might not look as good.

Also, since this is a Swedish razor with very hard steel, the very edge of the edge will never be as clean as a softer American or British razor of the Shaptons.

Yes… the chip in the bottom part is horrible. I decided I wouldn’t go back to 2k to fix it. Hitting the Veho microscope with the edge 1 time will cause this, so I decided to let it be since I’m all thumbs and I would probably hit the edge again (luckily I didn’t)

 

After that I went back to the 16k. I cleaned it of so no slurry was on top and sprayed it with a bottle of water. I proceeded with VERY light laps. After 10 laps, this was the result:

The edge of the edge will clean up with some stropping. As you can see, there is no micro-chipping anymore.

 

After 5 laps on the Kanayama canvas + 20 on the leather:

I hope this helps a lot of the Glass stone owners out. Each stone needs a different approach. And until you figure it out, it can drive people mad. I’m glad Tom helped me out here and it gave me a smooth and comfortable shave.

 

 

 

Shapton 2k

Sharpeners and knife fanatics often ask me what stones I use. Most of the time they ask questions about coarse stones and finishing stones. For some reason, the medium stones aren’t that popular. It’s a shame because these stones hold the key to a good edge at the end of your progression. The progression determines which medium stone you use. I often use a 1k stone after 400 grit and before 3k. But what if you have a 800 grit coarse stone and a 5k polishing stone? Well then, the Shapton 2k is perfect for you!

The 2k Pro is an odd piece. It cuts close to any other 1k stone, yet leaving a smooth finish that already has a certain level of polish. For most softer steel knives, this is a good finisher. For harder knives, this is a perfect way pre polisher. The Shapton stones have an interesting grain pattern. The interesting bit is that the white is the abrasive and the green the matrix.

There’s a reason Shapton does not offer a 3k Pro stone. It’s because there is absolutely no need for one in their progression. The 2k is fine enough to lead the way for the 5k Pro. You can’t miss out on this stone. It’s a valuable part in my stone lineup and my results wouldn’t be the same without it!

Substrates

Introduction

There are a number of different substrates that are sold through CKTG and most of them can be used for numerous compounds, pastes, powders and sprays. I’ll try and briefly explain the advantages and disadvantages of each substrate. As always, these products are horses for courses and my favorite might not be yours. The macro shots used were kindly provided by Ken Schwartz, the microscope pictures were taken by me. The products are all made by Hand American, except the paper.

Bovine leather

Perhaps the most used substrate of all. It’s fairly cheap and works well with  bar compounds, powders, pastes and sprays. The grain holds the abrasive particles well and the slight cushioning is good for convex edges. If you want a pure straight V bevel, then this isn’t the substrate for you. Yes, the convexing is marginal and I for one like it, but some don’t.

Bovine leather on its own (without compounds) doesn’t really do much and isn’t an optimal finisher. If you want to finish on bare leather, I would advise horse because of the silicates in it. But more on that later.

Horse leather

 

This is my personal favorite for a number of reasons. One of them is the slightly stiffer nature of the leather. The leather isn’t as soft as bovine and doesn’t convex as much. If you do want your edge to be a bit convex, you can get away with a bit more pressure here. The second reason why I like this one better than bovine is that it can be used as a plain leather finisher.

Its feedback is better and the leather has more silicates that act as a compound on its own. This isn’t like CBN, or another compound that removes scratches. It blends the scratches of the finest compounds together making the edge slicker.

 

This is the back of Hand American horse leather:

Split leather

How this leather is processed is explained on the webpage of this product at CKTG. In short, they basically cut the top layer of the leather to expose the rougher layer underneath. Think of the layer as a cat’s tongue. Rough to the touch and slightly bumpy. This offers some advantages on its own. The grabby little “fingers” are excellent for deburring and give great feedback during deburring. I prefer this leather with sprays and more specifically sprays up to 0.25µ. The leather holds these sprays very well, and buries them into the grain. This will lead to a more polished edge and will cause the particles to not cut as deeply as on another substrate.

Balsa

 

This a fairly recent substrate. Keith de’Grau started with this substrate and it’s become one of the most popular substrates around. And rightfully so! The slight velvety feel of Keith’s balsa holds semi pastes perfectly and the grain of the wood will hold sprays as good as any other substrate. It’s the perfect substrate for people that are looking for a precise crisp V-bevel. It has almost no compression so it approximates a stone’s hardness. A 30k Shapton is hardly inexpensive, but a 30k balsa blank is pretty cheap. A 0.5µ spray or paste combined with a balsa blank can get you close to the same results with some patience and some care. You can’t use edge leading strokes however.

Paper

 

Another good option for perfect V-bevels. When glued to glass, it acts as a stone and works well with pretty much every compound. It is however a bit fiddly because paper curls and when you remove it from the glass it tends to roll up. You can glue it to neoprene too so you can have a softer backing for convex edges if you like that. Contamination is very easy too. You really need ziplock bags for this substrate. Ever since balsa came to the show, paper is used less and isn’t discussed as much as it used to be. It’s still a good substrate and it can work wonders on both knives and razors. On its own, it works as a polisher. Newspaper has been used for a long time as a strop and the ink in the paper works as a compound. Paper used for fine fountain pens (like Clairefontaine) work very well.

Mylar

 

There’s not much to say about this substrate as it’s more or less the same as paper. It’s flimsy, but flat. It has less of a grain though and therefore makes the compound cut deeper than paper. But when you scratch the mylar, you will scratch the finish. There is no room for error here.

 

Felt

 

One of the most used substrates for deburring and sprays. It’s best suitable for sprays, but I don’t like it for pastes or dry compounds. Also on the Edge Pro, it’s messy because of the hairs that fall off of the felt. When spraying compound on felt, you can get bumps because the liquid in the spray swells the surface. So spray once, let it dry, and then spray again.

Like split leather, it’s full of small holes that hide the compound making it smoother than some other substrates. The feedback is something you love or hate. For deburring, felt is the number one substrate and used most. CKTG has recently announced special deburring blocks made by Hand American.

Conclusion

Whatever substrate is your favorite, there’s a purpose for using them all. Luckily Mark stocks them all and has the highest quality available. We have Keith de’Grau to thank for that

 

 

The Shapton Superiority

Introduction

Recent posts on various forums have always gone in the same direction. They always start with the question: “What do I need for honing razors?” Ninety percent of the replies will consist of “get a barbers hone” or “get a Coticule”. While both are a viable option for maintaining a razor, a thought popped in my head questioning this. Are these really the best options?

Being a Belgian I really should say the Coticule is the best option for maintaining razors… but I feel it is not. Sure it gives a smooth close shave that is preferred by many, but the learning curve is fairly steep and I can get better results with other stones too. So as a basic setup or for somebody who likes the “old school” feel of honing on a Coticule, this is great. But what about us guys who seek more in an edge and want it done fast and precise? Well there are a few synthetic options out there:

1.      Naniwa Superstone:

A fairly popular hone due to its relative cheap price and smooth edges it delivers. While the 10k and 12k Superstones deliver a clean and smooth edge, the lower grits are slow and dish fairly fast. The 10 and 12k are by no means fast, but they get an edge smooth and shave ready.

2.      Norton 4/8k

Perhaps the most used combination around. Nowadays there’s a tendency to get the Naniwa stones over the Nortons, but a few years ago these were the standard. I don’t like them for the same reasons as I don’t like the Naniwa’s, but these are even slower. The 8k is also too coarse for my liking and doesn’t deliver the same quality a different hone would.

3.      Naniwa Chosera

I absolutely love these stones for knives, but for razors the fun ends at 3k in my opinion. The 5k does not deliver the shine it should and it just doesn’t polish. The 10k has the same problem and the jump between 5 and 10k is too big for me. A popular solution is adding an 8k stone. I would choose the 8k Naniwa Snow white for this task. Why this stone is not part of the Chosera lineup is beyond me, but that’s an entirely different matter. Still the 10k is too harsh and is lacking fine polish where the 10k Superstone delivers a smoother finish

So what does deliver performance at each and every level? Please welcome the Shapton Pro stones to the stand!

A full line of stones meant to perform

1. 320 Pro

When restoring blades, most people suggest a DMT diamond plate for getting the work done fast. I agree it sets a bevel very fast, I disagree with the fact it does a good job at it. The scratches are deep and just tears up the edge. Even a well worn plate will leave scratches so deep you won’t get them out fast.

A better option would be the 320 Shapton Pro stone. It’s works fast, doesn’t dish fast like most coarse stones and leaves a much better finish than the diamond plates and sets everything up for a 1k stone.

2.  1k Pro

The Shapton 1k is an odd stone. It’s coarser than its Chosera or Superstone siblings, but it doesn’t matter. I would rate the Shapton at 800 grit, but still leaves a nice finish and if you use a 2 or 3k stone afterwards everything will be fine.

Spending time at lower grits is essential. Often people rush into the 5-8k range without getting the bevel cleaned up. This will result in an edge that’s chipped and a lot of honers will call it “overhoning”. In fact you underhoned at the lover grit levels.

3. 2k Pro

Now things are getting exciting. It’s not super smooth after the 2k, but there is definitely a level of polish already. This stone is essential for your final edge. Any scratches you didn’t remove at this stage, will haunt you at 15k and higher. It’s an absolute nightmare when you realize you have to go back to 2k after 2 hours of honing. So do it right the first time and you won’t go nuts at 15k. I spend triple the time on the 2k than I do on the 8 or 15k stones just to be absolutely sure. Get a 100x scope and make sure everything is cleaned up and the edge is a nice straight line.

4. 5k Pro

Remember when I said the 5k Chosera doesn’t quite polish the way I want? Well this hone solves all your problems. Even though the Shaptons don’t really polish, but replace scratches by finer ones, the edge shines at 5k. This is also the reason you need to go higher than 8k with the Shaptons to get a nice shaving edge. A lot of abrasive material combined with a matrix that doesn’t break down at the sight of steel makes for a hard and precise hone that scratches instead of blending scratches together. Again, you need to spend some extra time to make sure you get everything right. After this stone, the rest of the honing process is a breeze

5. 8k Pro

Now things are really getting interesting. The 8k is often considered “shave ready”. However, when talking about Shaptons it’s not true. Yes you can shave with it if you use a paste or spray after it, but it’s OK at best.

You will notice that the polish is getting cleaner and better. But wait… there are scratches?! Yes there will be scratches. Get used to it. The Shaptons cut, even at the highest levels they cut. But if you look under 100x or 400x you will notice the edge suddenly looks so clean that it’s hard to believe it won’t shave very well. Hang in there, we’re close to the finish line now.

6. 15k Pro

Eureka! When you are done with this stone you will finally be able to shave… That is if you have Cromium Oxide (CrO) in your honing supplies. The 15k Is brilliant. It’s smooth, fast and cleans everything up. After this stone nothing except a quick strop on CrO is needed to get the edge perfect for shaving. After this you can add the 30k stone. I have one, but at $600 it’s hardly a bargain. 0.5µ CBN followed by 0.5µ CrO will get you close to the same result. Close, not the same.

Micro chipping… Overhoning?

Now this is where the most controversy arises. A lot of people say the 15k will leave a frayed edge that suffers from overhoning. As stated before this is in fact “underhoning”. Well the only way to proof it is with pictures, so I used the progression I explained and went insane on the 15k. All pictures were taken at 400x.

Here’s the 15k edge after 60 laps:

The same edge after 90 laps:

It was going slow so I decided to take the next picture at 150 laps:

Still nothing was chipping the edge. So I decided to do 400 laps in total. But if you need 400 laps on the 15k, you really did something wrong in the previous stages. This was for demonstration purposes only.

Conclusion:

The Shapton system is the ONLY system that performs fantastic on each and every level. They are good at maintaining a razor and at restoring. They offer precise, reliable and consistent results that can be reproduced each and every time. So there is no guess work like you would have with naturals. They aren’t variable batch to batch and there are no fakes ones out there that I know of.

They don’t cause chipping or other mythical problems on razors either. They just do the job and do it perfectly each and every time.

You can get these stones from Jende Industries. Tom Blodgett is by far the most knowledgeable guy when it comes to Shaptons and he’s also a professional honer.

EDC Sharpening and maintenance

Extreme sharpening is fun. Getting an edge hair splitting sharp is amazingly fun, but it’s sometimes not very productive. Getting an edge to pass the hanging hair test is great fun, but it takes a while and that edge will degrade fast. Hair shaving sharp is the standard for me when it comes to EDC knives.

The first edge

When I start sharpening an EDC I go all out, and polish it as high as possible (if the steel allows). There is nothing more fun than making a shiny edge that just melts through everything. Depending on the steel I will polish up to 8 or 15k JIS, or 2000 ANSI if I use abrasive paper when sharpening a convex edge.

I tend to use the EP the most lately both for V and convex edges when precision matters. The belt sander is fast and easy, but the edges aren’t beautiful. There is always going to be a scratch above the bevel that will ruin the finish. On hard used EDC knives I couldn’t care less. But on gentleman folders like a William Henry or a classic slipjoint, I want perfection. So out come the Chosera and Shapton stones, CBN slurries and suspensions, CrO and Boron Carbide semi pastes and diamond sprays. When I’m done I can see myself clearly in the edge and I’m happy with it. It usually takes 20-45 minutes depending of the amount of work I need to do.

Maintenance

But I don’t have 45 min every day to get my EDC sharp. You want something than will clean up the edge and will get it hair popping sharp again. I have a few fantastic products for that:

• 2µ SiC semi paste (Hand American)

The Hand American semi paste is easy to use, works on all substrates I’ve tried and gives a nice polished shine, but adds a certain amount of bite to the edge at the same time. Sure the edge won’t pass the HHT, but that’s not what I want at this point. I need a working edge that lasts me a while before I need to go back to the stones or paper.

• 1µ Boron Carbide semi paste (Hand American)

When your edge has degraded just a bit, this is the product that will get it back to the top. It’s smooth, works on belts and strops. Works on every substrate and lasts a long time. Of all the Hand American pastes, this one is my favorite for knives.

• 2µ CBN Slurry (Precise Sharpening)

The same grit as the SiC, but in CBN. Longer lasting, cuts faster, and leaves a toothy edge. A fantastic product that gives a very aggressive edge. At 38$, it’s not very cheap, but if you consider what you get in return it’s actually a bargain.

• 4µ CBN suspension (Precise Sharpening)

The newest product I’ve tested. I won’t finish on this compound, but if I waited too long with stropping, this is the only product that will get it back in a few strokes. It’s amazing. Drying time on balsa is longer because it’s a suspension. On leather, there is no difference. After this I prefer the 2µ SiC to smooth it out or 1µ BC if I still want some bite.

• Conclusion:

All these products work fantastic. You have options in pretty much every grit size, but for touching up, these are the products I rely on every day.

The Maestro Wu Shave

Somebody on Knifeforums challenged me for a cleaver shave. Actually, A number of guys will be doing it.

You can follow it here: http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?fid/48/tid/914169/pid/2386009/post/last/#LAST

This is by far the stupidest bet I’ve done. But it was fun to sharpen a knife with razor principles.
Progression: 320 Pro, 1k Chosera, 2k Pro, 5k Pro, 8k Pro, 15k Pro, 0.5 CBN, 0.5 CrO, 0.125 CBN

I must say that the sharpening session was harder than the shaving.

 

 

 

Straight Razors

In the last few months I’ve been getting into straight razors big time. I’ve used them before, but that was more sporadic instead of daily. Since I’ve gotten a few new razors and I have a few on the way. There are tons of articles on the web about honing and stropping razors, but this is what I’ve learned in the past months. I’m by no means an expert when it comes to honing a razor, but I can get BBS (baby butt smooth) with my razors just fine. Most of what I learned is thanks to Tom Blodgett from Jende Industries .

My first razor:

Stones

Oh here you can go nuts. If you already have good stones for your knives, then that’s probably all you need. I prefer the Shapton Pros for honing because I don’t have to soak them. Their grit range also offers the possibility to stay in 1 range of stones. The Chosera stones only go up to 10k for instance. This will offer a harsher shave and nowhere near the 15k Shapton.

The odd thing about razors is that you can use stones I would generally not use for my knives at all. The Naniwa Superstones spring to mind. I absolutely hate them for knives as they are slow and dish fast. The 10 and 12k are good for razors though. With knives you run the risk of cutting into the stone resulting in a lapping session to get the nick out. With razors, the built in jig (the spine) makes sure you don’t cut into the stone. Also, the stone is soft and polishes more than its Chosera brother offering a smoother shave. The 12k Superstone can offer a shave as smooth as a 15k Pro or 16k Glass stone.

If you already have EP or WEPS Shapton or Chosera stones, you can also use these. In fact, I would encourage you to do so! The stones are narrow and work a lot better with warped spines. The narrow stone accommodates to the spine better. You do need to be precise when using them, but you have to be precise anyway. It also saves money because you don’t have to buy a new set of stones. If you don’t have any stones yet, the EP or WEPS stones are cheaper too. We all know how expensive stones can be. Getting a 1×6 inch stone is a lot cheaper and last forever when it comes to razors.

Naturals like Coticule, Thuringian, Esher and various Japanese stones are a whole other story. All stones but the Coticule require some skill. The Coticule is easier to learn in my opinion and offers a stone that can handle everything from 2k up till 15k just fine.

This picture shows the range of smaller stones that are available (courtesy of Jende Industries)

Technique

Well this is where you experiment. Some people like x-strokes, some don’t. Some people like doing circles on the stone, some don’t. Try and see what fits you best.

As I use EP stones, I’m using X-strokes. This will let me hone every part of the blade just fine and lets me hone problem zones better.

A general consensus is that you use the least pressure you can without damaging your precision. Over  the past few months I’ve thought to myself more than once: “Oh so this is no pressure”. I really encourage you to try the least you can without compromising precision. The reason is that pressure will bend the edge of the razor and it will also leave deep scratches at the coarse stages that are impossible to get out later on without starting over. So do it right from the first time.

Everything else about honing can be found on Badger and Blade.

Strops and paddles

There are 2 types of strops commonly used, hanging strops and paddle strops. The one associated most with straight razors is the hanging strop. Remember the old barber shops where they had a leather belt and they stropped on that? That’s what you need! Just don’t get the most expensive one first. You WILL nick it. A cheap Dovo or Whipped Dog strop will get you by just fine while getting your technique perfected. After that you can spend some more on high quality strops like the Tony Miller, the wonderful Hand American Chicago strop or the heavenly Kanayama.

Paddle strops are what are used in knife sharpening too. It’s basically a wooden or synthetic base with balsa, or leather on the top. It offers the advantage that rounding the edge is a lot hard to do, but it’s not impossible so watch the pressure! For my paddle strops I use Hand American leather. Both the horse as bovine leather is fantastic and works well with and without compounds. Paddle strops are more used with pastes than hanging strops, with the exception of sub micron sprays and powders.

Compounds

You can use what you use on your knives here as well. I wouldn’t advice anything above 1µ and even that is kind of on the scary side. A good stone will give you a better edge in this range, but they are expensive as we all know. Compounds are relatively cheap compared to stone and very cheap is you compare them to high end Shapton stones. The 30k Shaptons stone is in a league of its own and not very likely to become mainstream at $600.

This is where compounds come in. A 0.5µ spray or paste is cheaper and while not offering the same cutting speed, is a good alternative to these stones. There are a lot of compounds out there. The most commonly used one is Chromium Oxide. I really love the CrOx from Keith at Hand American for this application. This compounds offers a smooth, but slick edge with almost no bite whatsoever. The CBN or diamond alternatives last longer and give an edge that bites a bit more. Some prefer this, some don’t. Trial and error here I’m afraid.

Sprays and compounds below 0.5µ are also available and can also be sprayed on hanging strops. Hand American offers a fantastic 0.25µ mono crystalline diamond spray. Ken Schwartz from Precise Sharpening offers a LOT of sprays up to 0.050µ. Yes that’s 50 NANO meters. Pretty nuts, but the edges are said to be amazing. I never tried them, and stop at 0.125µ at the moment, although I will try finer soon. All of these are available at Chef Knives To Go.

Conclusion

The straight razor world offers a new rabbit hole you can fall into. It’s marvelous and great if you do it right. Errors will quickly be punished forcing you to do a better job. It will teach you new techniques and lets you explore a number of different products. If you love knives, it’s only logical to shave with a straight razor in my opinion.