Coarse Hone (120 Grit) – The coarse hone produces the fastest cutting edge on all types of knives. It is ideal for sharpening a very dull blade and repairing blemishes or damage to an edge.
100/200 grit – HONING – Used to remove moderately deep scratches or damage. These grits will leave the surface smooth to the touch but still considered anti slip when wet. No shine will be present and the scratches left behind will be barely visible if at all.
In order to hone your knife's blade, you need a grit around 2000. If the grit falls anywhere between 400 and 800, you'll be sharpening instead of honing.
A 220 grit stone would be appropriate when you're fixing damaged/chipped blades that require a lot of material removal. A 400 is great for your typical dull blade, then to 1000 for honing, and a 5000 for a good final polish.
For most tasks an edge sharpened to around 1000-3000 grit is good enough, providing a good balance between sharpness and durability. Coarser grits (eg, 200-800) are used for repairing damaged edges or for initial sharpening.
For those who have reasonable experience with sharpening, we recommend a finish stone of 8000 grit. If one is not certain, or for beginners, stones with a grit between #3000 and #6000 will produce acceptable results. So, in principle one needs at least three stones if one has to do significant amounts of sharpening.
Your two main stones should be around 3,000 grit and 8,000 grit. You could finish on the 8,000 grit and polish on a strop, but I like to have a third stone in the 10,000+ grit range for polishing. It's nice to have a water stone this fine for a comfortable shave.
A 3000 grit stone will leave a fine edge suitable for many situations, it may have a small amount of tooth to the edge. Water stones 5000 or 6000 are common finishing grits, and give a good slicing edge with a very slight tooth. Water stones 8000 and higher will leave very smooth and polished edge for clean cuts.
180 - 220 Grit: Fine. 180 – 220 grit is primarily used for the sanding finish or to sand in-between coats. It is also great for distressing! There are instances where you can use 180 to 220-grit to rough up a piece in preparation for paint, but you do not typically use these grits until after your first coat.
Medium Grit Whetstones
This grit range, from 1000 to 3000, is ideal for general sharpening tasks.
You cannot harm an edge by honing it too much but if your angle is too great, you can roll the edge over, rendering the knife blunt. The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that you set your angle correctly at 15º for Japanese knives or 20º for Western knives.
As such, more often than not, your knives should be honed rather than stropped, as honing is a necessary practice that will keep knives sharp and durable for a much longer period of time. Stropping, by comparison, does not necessarily need to occur after every use of the knife.
This takes practice, and you have to be careful, as using a whetstone incorrectly could weaken or damage a blade's edge. It can be fixed, but still – practice and caution are key. Another thing to keep in mind about whetstones is grit, indicated by the numbers on the side of the stone.
In the case of most automotive combustion cylinders, 120 grit works for older cast ring sets or where the cylinder has been re-bored and is a little rough. Hones with 180 to 240 grits are good choices for general deglazing where the cylinder is not going to be bored or honed.
The RPM will vary with the size of the tool and will range from 1200 to 60 RPM. The smaller the hone, the faster the speed. For a 1" tool, for instance you will want to be at around 800 RPM, for a 3" tool, you should be near 700 RPM, for a 6" tool, you'll be nearer to 450 RPM and so on.
In short, sharpening is used to restore a dull or damaged edge by removing metal, while honing is used to maintain and straighten the edge (which can bend over time). It's good practice to hone a knife often to maintain the edge and only sharpen it when it becomes dull.
A 240 Grit nail file is super delicate and perfect for filing the natural nail and also removing the shine from the natural nail during nail prep.
Smoothing wood surfaces: If you're working with wood and you want a smooth surface, 400 grit sandpaper is a good choice. It can help to remove small imperfections, such as bumps or rough spots, and leave you with a silky smooth finish.
There are makers that will start with a coarse grit as low as 40 grit for sanding metal that is pitted or rusty. A popular grit progression for sanding metal is 60 grit followed by 120 grit, 220 grit, and 320 grit.
5. Frequently Asked Questions. What is the sharpest knife material? Knives with an Obsidian blade are considered the sharpest in the world, but this material is not fit for making kitchen knives as they're extremely coarse and brittle.
A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives, pocket knives, and outdoor knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. In fact, a 20 degrees angle is often considered the best sharing point for most knives.
Coarse grit stones: Coarse grit stones, typically in the range of 80-200 grit, are used for heavily damaged or very dull blades. They remove a lot of material from the blade and are great for reshaping or repairing a damaged edge.
With a multi-blade razor or shaver, the first blade catches the hair, dragging it in the right direction, while subsequent blades cut the hair. This means you need a minimum of two blades to create an effective and close home shave.
Sharpen the edge of a dull straight razor by honing on a 4,000-grit sharpening stone. Start honing your straight razor's edge on a 4,000 to 8,000-grit stone while constantly wetting the surface. Continue for 20 to 30 laps and do a shave test.
Pull the skin tight as you apply the straight razor and shave with the grain of growth. If a closer shave is desired, you may go against the grain, but a gentleman who wants to avoid razor burn will reapply pre-shave oil and shaving cream before doing so.