Carborundum grit question?

[The*Cincinnati*Kid]

I just purchased a lot of stones on ebay wich included a two sided stone "Carborundum No. 109 SIC" and I was wondering if anyone could tell me the grit rating of either side coarse/fine?


Thanks
Louis.

[kirk 988]

heard of them dont own one so wouldnt have a clue sorry i cant be of help

[PapaFish]

Carborundum is a synthetic compound that is very hard, and is what many hones are made of. My Norton Coarse/Medium is made of the stuff and is called an "India Stone". This guy has a table of hones and respective grit ratings. If you stone follows the "India Stone" ratings, Coarse = 135, Medium = 240, Fine = 340, Extra Fine = 450, then you would have a 135/340 stone. They are an oil stone, so you will need to get some cutting oil or mineral oil. Norton makes a "food grade" oil, and it's just highly processed mineral oil. I just use mineral oil since it's inexpensive, odorless, and can be used to lubricate the pivot area. My Norton Coarse is not suitable for use on razors, it's just too rough. The Medium works great IMHO. In my experience, these are slow stones, but hard. I have used the Medium side to remove chips and the like from razors. I am guessing that there are faster options, but when I consider the price I paid, the results I get, and how much I like playing around with my razors, I just keep going back to them. If I was working several razors every day, I would likely have a more sophisticated setup than I do with many more stones.