Grand Unified Grit Chart

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SteveG
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Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by SteveG »

I believe this is the older version of this chart. I'll try and post the newer version as well.

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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by SteveG »

Newer Komitadjie Grit Chart from his Google Docs store converted to a PDF.

Komitadjie Grit Chart.pdf
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by Jeff B »

To view Komitadjie Grit Chart Google Spreadsheet without having to download.

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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by ken123 »

FWIW the Nubatama stones follow the Shapton standard ratings.

My compounds can be viewed more straightforwardly. So a 16 micron particle is a 1k grit. From there you can deduce the rest by multiplication or division by doubling/halving. 8 micron is 2k, 4 micron=4k, 2 micron=8k and 1 micron =16k. This extends out both up and down, so .5 is 32k, .25=64k .125=128k. You can also multiply and divid by bot two and 10, so while 16k is 1 micron, 160k is 0.1 microns. Similarly 32k is 0.5 microns and 0.05 is 320k and 0.005 is 3200k or 3.2 million grit. You can also interpolate to figure out 0.75=24k, 1.5=12k and 3 and 6 microns are 6k and 3k.

Going in the other direction 30 microns is 500 grit, and coarser compounds - 45(375 grit), 80(~200 grit), 200(80 grit) and 300 (50 grit) microns can also be compared in a similar manner.

----
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by DonnieFi »

I don't see Suehiro stones in the chart (unless I missed it?). Does anyone know what the partical size is on the Rika 3k and 5k?
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by Kit Craft »

DonnieFi wrote: Thu Jul 13, 2017 6:34 pm I don't see Suehiro stones in the chart (unless I missed it?). Does anyone know what the partical size is on the Rika 3k and 5k?
I wouldn't go crazy over where the stone falls on that chart. The 3k is probably around 5-6 micron and the 5k around 3-4 micron.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by BillyJack »

I think this chart is invaluable! I noticed there is only one column for Shapton Stones. Does the grit rating for the listed Shapton Stones cover both the Pros and Glass Stones? Also is it possible to get the chart updated? I know Edge Pro has replaced the #320 grit stone with a #400 grit stone and they came out with 2 new stones: a #2300 grit and a #4000 grit.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Here is a simple, easy to understand micron to grit comparison chart.

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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by Radar53 »

Just when I was thinking that I was starting to get my head around all this ...... Is this another grit standard? A number of the micron sizes above are at quite some variance to what is printed on Shapton stones eg 8000, 5000, 500 etc. So where & to what does the latest reckoning sit?
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by lsboogy »

The more I deal with sharpening, the less I believe in grit charts. I get a nice cloudy edge from my 1K stones, and can tell you my kitayama 8K gives a better shine than my shapton 8K, but the shapton is a harder stone. I think it's more about technique and feel than absolute grit - some will like a hard 8K stone, and some will like a soft 8K stone. I like more feedback so I go for softer stuff. Just a personal thing

Kind of like cars - I can drive a lotus faster than an AMG (own both) - the AMG is a faster car in the hands of a good driver, but I'm faster in the lotus
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by old onion »

Yea,stones are weird in grits.My old 2002 Dodge pick up has a bigger motor but I can drive my 20003 Chevy Tracker faster. :mrgreen:
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by lsboogy »

And I have found little correlation between grit and sharpening. I think it's a personal thing as to how stones work - my reverence for a particular stone may not be yours. I like a soft, muddy stone - how I sharpen - you might like a hard stone of the same grit - best car is like best stone. We all have our personal preferences in sharpening - my view of grit is different than yours - I like a soft 1-1.2K stone followed by a 6-8K stone (again a soft one) - sharpen how ya like
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by STPepper9 »

Are any of the names there representing king stones? Curious how they compare.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

lsboogy wrote: Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:39 pm The more I deal with sharpening, the less I believe in grit charts. I get a nice cloudy edge from my 1K stones, and can tell you my kitayama 8K gives a better shine than my shapton 8K, but the shapton is a harder stone. I think it's more about technique and feel than absolute grit - some will like a hard 8K stone, and some will like a soft 8K stone. I like more feedback so I go for softer stuff. Just a personal thing

Kind of like cars - I can drive a lotus faster than an AMG (own both) - the AMG is a faster car in the hands of a good driver, but I'm faster in the lotus
I don’t think I could fit in a lotus. They look like a matchbox toy when I see one on the street.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by Robstreperous »

lsboogy wrote: Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:39 pm The more I deal with sharpening, the less I believe in grit charts. I get a nice cloudy edge from my 1K stones.......

....Kind of like cars - I can drive a lotus faster than an AMG (own both) - the AMG is a faster car in the hands of a good driver, but I'm faster in the lotus
I see your point. In fact, as a student of sharpening with jnats it fits perfectly. A grit chart isn't particularly helpful if you're stuck on trying to get a regular quantitative measure of the coarseness of an irregular stone that came out of the earth. The sharpener, the stone, a given day what you're sharpening. Sort of like right car for the right driver on any given day.

Where I find the grit charts helpful, even with Jnats, is trying to get a sense of how big a leap I'm taking in my progression. Am I roughly going 2x or 4x or 8x. Since I mostly focus on edges and not polishing this is a big deal.

Another related use case where I find charts helpful is when I'm loading my stone with a compound. Compounds tend to be listed in microns and stones in grit. Sometimes I'm shooting for a close match between the compound and the stone. Other times I'm shooting for a custom edge and looking to try a particular spread. Always, at some point I'm looking to transition from a stone to a loaded strop and I like to try to keep the progression "tight" to my sequencing interval.

The charts aren't perfect but they're a good starting point and the more advanced ones allow for differences in grit ratings among manufacturers.

At the end of the day though they're only measuring one thing in a vacuum and application's what matters.

The most powerful thing rated by horsepower I saw on the road yesterday was a dumptruck.

But it still needed to stay in the right hand lane.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by STPepper9 »

Well said Rob.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by SeanOttawa »

nice chart links - thx
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by snapshot2020 »

lsboogy wrote: Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:39 pm The more I deal with sharpening, the less I believe in grit charts. I get a nice cloudy edge from my 1K stones, and can tell you my kitayama 8K gives a better shine than my shapton 8K, but the shapton is a harder stone. I think it's more about technique and feel than absolute grit - some will like a hard 8K stone, and some will like a soft 8K stone. I like more feedback so I go for softer stuff. Just a personal thing

Kind of like cars - I can drive a lotus faster than an AMG (own both) - the AMG is a faster car in the hands of a good driver, but I'm faster in the lotus
A good post and i also like to add that feel no two people will think the same about the same stones, so what you read someone is saying about his stones you might not find it will work the same for you.
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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by Komitadjie »

Updated the chart with a bit more information!

Something to keep in mind - This chart is intended to be a very rough guide, and allow you to compare one sharpening medium to another in very general, broad terms. There is a tremendous amount more than particle size that determines how the abrasive will actually perform in a given application. Backing, abrasive material, steel, technique, bonding... million and one things. This chart is very much a tool, *not* a be-all-end-all for developing progressions!

Latest chart can be found on my Google Sheets, I'm keeping it updated there now since it was becoming impractically large to create JPGs of that you could still read.

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Re: Grand Unified Grit Chart

Post by ex1580 »

Does anyone know how many microns the Naniwa Super Stone 12,000 and Arashiyama 6K are? I didn't see them on the chart. I have looked all over the internet and I am guessing about 1.2 and 2. I am trying to keep track of various things I have sharpened to learn more but the various grit standards are confusing so I am trying to convert them to microns as best I can to see if that helps. Thanks!

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/na12grsu.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/takenoko8000.html
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