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Shapton Glass Stones?

C

Coonskinner

Joined
Mar 28, 2001
Messages
2,491
Tell me about these.

Do they hollow out easily like regular waterstones?

I was reading about them a little last night and it said they were ceramics.

Tell me about these wonders.
 
They are ceramic waterstones, yes. Some of the hardest and fastest waterstones available.

Do they dish? Yes, but slowley. Although, I would not recommend waiting to lap these stones. Because they are very hard it can be very difficult to remove even a little dishing.

The most costly part is the need for a very good lapping plate. You could use SiC powder but it's messy and not convenient in any way. For diamond plates there are many choices, here are the ones I would recommend.

Shapton Diamond on glass lapping plate: very expensive and only able to be used on 500 grit and higher glass stones. Produces best possible texture on glass stones and flattens very fast. I was able to get one at a deep discount so it was an easier pill to swallow but I still think it's a worthy investment if you plan on going all-in with the Glass stones.

Atoma Plates: for 500 and up GS the 400 Atoma would be the ideal substitute for the DGLP. The 140 Atoma could also be used but can be a little aggressive on the stones and remove too much stone at times. Used lightly it could easily do the job though. The 140 would be the better choice if you also want a fast bevel setting stone.

DMT: the 95 micron hardcoat lapping plate is in the intermediate level of pricing. This plate is large and designed to lap most any stone without the worry of damage to the lapping plate. I have not personally used this one but it gets good reviews.

DMT: the old standby, the DMT XXC 120 8x3in stone. Same warnings as the Atoma 140 for coarseness on the stone but one of the most cost effective options at around $60. Some report the plate wearing quickly but I have one that's 7 years old and still performs, diamonds are noticeably dull but it still does the job.

To start, I would recommend the lapping plate of your choice plus the 500 and 2000 grit SG stones. The 500 is a fast but smooth cutting medium/coarse stone able to produce some very nice edges on its own. It will easily set bevels or fix minor edge damaged without the need for a very coarse stone. The 2000 is a medium/fine stone and with all the metal Swarf it spits out you would think it's faster than the 500. It quickly reduces the 500 grit scratches and lightly polished the edge for a mildly toothy but hair popping edge. From here you can go as fine as you want as they have stones up to 30,000 grit, I like the 2000 grit finish though, it's a good balance of sharpness for various cutting tasks.

I would describe them as a Spyderco ceramic that had a love child with a waterstone, similar feel but with some abrasive release for fast cutting and minimal clogging. They will also give a bit of extra polish for the given grit, even the SG500 yields a bit of shine on the bevel.
 
Jason,

I am in the market for some stones and I've been looking at the Shapton Glass myself. After searching and perusing around here I had pretty much decided to go with the setup you're recommending. Atoma 140 or 400 for lapping, 500 & 2000 glass stones. If one wanted a stone to take the edge to the next level of refinement from 2000, what would be your recommendation? I had come across the 6k and the 4k as options during research mode.

I don't know if I'll need that next stone. But I'm going to be stuck in China for a while w/o the rest of my usual sharpening paraphernalia and have a chance to grab some supplies in Dec. when I'm back in the U.S. So I'd like to cover my bases as best I can in one purchase. I have seen the Shapton set with the 500/2000/16000 but I didn't know if that was a practical grit jump. I thought I'd read somewhere in that arrangement the 16000 was being used more for stropping?

I'd appreciate any input!
 
mycough said:
Listen to Jason... He knows.....
Russ
Click to expand...

I'm just a dumb redneck from the Oklahoma hills, but I have done figured that much out. :)

I appreciate his and others' willingness to share their knowledge and experience freely here.

It is a tremendous resource.
 
I have the 120, 500, 2000, and 16,000 SG stones. I would like to add the 6k next for a more complete progression but you can refine the 2k edge a LOT with the 16k, too much at times. Used for jointing the edge and light burr removal it can be very useful in finishing the edge. I usually strop the edge a bit on the leg of my jeans after I'm done with the 2k stone and it's good enough in my book.
 
Hows the 120? I got the 500,2k,16k set.... I was considering adding the 6k and the 120... but I also have an Atoma 140x... so the 120 may not do much for me.
 
I have a feeling the 220 is a better coarse stone but I have yet to try it. The 120 needs a good surface texture or it can glaze over, its a fast cutter though and produces nice clean bevel lines. Lapping with another coarse waterstone or SiC on glass would be the recommended method, diamond plate will smooth it out too much and make it cut poorly.
 
Cool... Yeah... Lapping the 120/220/320 are different with the SG stones. The DGLP is 320 grit and only recommended for >= 500
 
Jason B. said:
I have the 120, 500, 2000, and 16,000 SG stones. I would like to add the 6k next for a more complete progression but you can refine the 2k edge a LOT with the 16k, too much at times. Used for jointing the edge and light burr removal it can be very useful in finishing the edge. I usually strop the edge a bit on the leg of my jeans after I'm done with the 2k stone and it's good enough in my book.
Click to expand...

Luong told me about the 6000, I got one, I like it on my kitchen knives and some of my edc knives. It is as far as I go these days. I have an eef dmt that I haven't wrapped my mind around yet. I guess that is 8000 but it is a strange bird to me. Russ
 
mycough said:
Luong told me about the 6000, I got one, I like it on my kitchen knives and some of my edc knives. It is as far as I go these days. I have an eef dmt that I haven't wrapped my mind around yet. I guess that is 8000 but it is a strange bird to me. Russ
Click to expand...

My EEF has some machining marks on the surface that can be felt on broad bladed tools. Still, I like but seldom use it for anything but microbevels.
 
HeavyHanded said:
My EEF has some machining marks on the surface that can be felt on broad bladed tools. Still, I like but seldom use it for anything but microbevels.
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Thanks for the info Boss. I think this was an expensive toy considering I don't have an eex dmt yet. Christmas present from folks so I will never move it, but not my best decision. Russ
 
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