The Shapton Rock Star #500 is the coarsest stone in Shapton's Rock Star series. Designed to bring broken, heavily worn, or improperly sharpened knives back to life, this stone handles the "rescue" phase of the sharpening process with its aggressive metal removal capacity.
About the Rock Star Series
The Shapton Rock Star series extends the Kuromaku's philosophy of ease of use to a wider grit range, offering durable and long-lasting stones. Rock Star stones are optimized for intensive professional use, culinary school environments, and knife-making workshops. Their resin binder structure keeps the abrasive particles stable and ensures even wear of the stone. No pre-soaking is required — this feature is a critical advantage in busy work environments.
#500 Grit: Rescue and Reshaping
The #500 grit is the strongest link in your sharpening chain. This stone comes into play in the following situations:
- Knife edge is broken or chipped
- Angle is sharpened incorrectly and needs to be reset
- Knife edge is excessively rolled over
- A new knife needs a different angle
After using the #500, it is essential to continue with #1000, #3000, and higher grit stones. This stone alone does not provide sufficient sharpness — its purpose is to correct the edge, not to refine it by thinning.
Technical Specifications
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Grit: #500
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Series: Rock Star
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Binder: Resin (vitrified bond)
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Metal removal rate: Very high
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Stone wear: Medium — Rock Star is resistant to uneven wear
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Usage: Wet (a few drops of water)
Who is it Suitable For?
Indispensable for knifemakers, kitchen equipment repairers, chefs performing heavy-use knife maintenance, and enthusiasts interested in second-hand knife restoration. For home users, this stone is also extremely useful during the annual "major maintenance" of knives.
Usage Tips
- You can apply more pressure on this stone — the coarse grit can handle it
- Advance on one side until the edge is corrected, then switch to the other side
- Regularly check the flatness of the stone — coarse stones dish faster
- Check for coarse scratches on the edge before moving from #500 to #1000
Care and Storage
Coarse stones accumulate more metal dust. After use, clean the stone with a brush and rinse thoroughly. Flatten regularly with a flattening disc — a flat surface is fundamental for maintaining consistent angles.