How wide were the earlier edgepro Shapton glass run?

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ChasingSharpness

Joined
Feb 18, 2025
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I was looking at getting a shapton glass/rockstar 1x6 edgepro format, particularly the 2k as this is one of my favourite feeling benchstones,

But they seem to be produced around 22m. This makes sense as the full sized stone is 70mm and they cut it into thirds.

But my Tsprof stone holder has an opaque metal backing, so any stone smaller than 25mm I can't see the edges.

I noticed there were some Shapton Glass series made a long time ago that doesn't have a specified width. I was wondering if these were possibly made with a cast and were actually 25mm wide? I was thinking maybe trying to find one on the second hand market.

Ive got some Shapton glass seven series, but they are 36mm wide,

Alternatively I was wondering if there were any aftermarket stone holders or guide rods (I think there was a titanium one?) for the Tsprof k03?
 
I am pretty sure the old SG EP style stones were 1" wide, but can't confirm as I only borrowed them.

What diameter guide rod are you looking for? You can get ceramic or Type III anodized and ground aluminum rods in many different sizes. Igus has anodized and Pacific Bearing has ceramic coated.
 
Thanks that is much appreciated,

I can't remember off the top of my head but will measure with calipers when I get home. Pretty sure it's 8mm.

I am wondering if the material weight of the rod makes much of a difference during sharpening. I did notice on my Kadet the overall weight of the guide rod is so much lower than the K03 which feels alot heavier.
 
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I like the stone holder rod assembly to be as light as possible so I have a better idea of how much pressure is on the stone or strop.

I know the coated aluminum rods are available in 5/16" and 8mm, beyond that I am not sure since I think those are the appropriate size to use. You can purchase directly off of Igus's website but it is a pain to navigate. I use their rod and plastic ball bushing on my sharpener. I think the aluminum is 7075 so I think it would be stiffer than affordable titanium rods.
 
Diemaker said:
I like the stone holder rod assembly to be as light as possible so I have a better idea of how much pressure is on the stone or strop.

I know the coated aluminum rods are available in 5/16" and 8mm, beyond that I am not sure since I think those are the appropriate size to use. You can purchase directly off of Igus's website but it is a pain to navigate. I use their rod and plastic ball bushing on my sharpener. I think the aluminum is 7075 so I think it would be stiffer than affordable titanium rods.
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Thank you for the suggestion. The hollow lighter rod does seem a great idea, particularly for very light pressure during stropping. Igus website does seem quite difficult to navigate as you said, I will try and find the correct one.
 
ChasingSharpness said:
Thank you for the suggestion. The hollow lighter rod does seem a great idea, particularly for very light pressure during stropping. Igus website does seem quite difficult to navigate as you said, I will try and find the correct one.
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I just looked it up and they do make hollow shafts but they start at 12mm od. They do make 6, 8, 10mm, etc called drylin R hard-anodized aluminum shaft. The 8mm shaft is AWMP-08 and is $22.20 + shipping for a 500mm length. Hoping this doesn't run afoul of outside promotion.

I am still looking for a lightweight ball/handle. Wood looks like the best I have found so far but I am wide open for better ideas.
 
Diemaker said:
I just looked it up and they do make hollow shafts but they start at 12mm od. They do make 6, 8, 10mm, etc called drylin R hard-anodized aluminum shaft. The 8mm shaft is AWMP-08 and is $22.20 + shipping for a 500mm length. Hoping this doesn't run afoul of outside promotion.

I am still looking for a lightweight ball/handle. Wood looks like the best I have found so far but I am wide open for better ideas.
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Thank you very much I really appreciate that information. I will look into that option. I assume with these you just put the stone holder and ball on, with stoppers etc.. rather than the stock holder which comes in 2 bits. I think also the stock one is made from steel (?) so i hope it would be a fair weight saving and improve pressure control.
 
And just speaking of which.. I’ve had my Shapton stones for my Edge Pro for over ten years at this point and they still rock.

Granted, I’ve picked up some diamond plates for the more heavy duty stuff, but I still use the Shapton for my carbon steels. Makes for easy, consistent work.
 
ChasingSharpness said:
Thank you very much I really appreciate that information. I will look into that option. I assume with these you just put the stone holder and ball on, with stoppers etc.. rather than the stock holder which comes in 2 bits. I think also the stock one is made from steel (?) so i hope it would be a fair weight saving and improve pressure control.
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I am not familiar enough to know how your stone holders work but I would think they would swap right over, but it depends on a few details. The aluminum rods are a little looser size tolerance than precision ground linear rods but tighter than the cheaper ground rods most use. I am pretty sure the rods are steel or stainless steel so going to aluminum will be a big change. Do be careful with the screws as they will cut into the aluminum rod more and into the anodized layer. Not a deal killer but I suggest getting the position right before tightening the stone holder down so it doesn't move, and keep it there. My stone holder clamps onto the rod to avoid this issue, a pet peeve. I used a phenolic ball from EP and it is heavy, which is why I mentioned it earlier. You want the ball handle to be as light as possible.

Since you don't feel the weight of the stone holder when using it the difference in weight can make a fair difference in the force used on your stones. I think this can make a big difference in how long diamond stones or plates last as they can be very sensitive to the pressure used.
 
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