First finishing hone

Hello everyone, I am currently finishing on a norton 4/8k and going to my Srd roo strop with success. I just feel that it can be sharper. With so many options I guess my main question is, as a beginner, should I worry about getting a naniwa ss 12k/ shapton 15k, or just get some Crox and diamond spray? Is this all personal preference, or is one option significantly more desirable in the long run. I plan on having all of the above at some point, but what would be the smartest next step in my honing arsenal? Thank you.

I'll put my two cents I, even if I am still a nub with honing. After honing to 8K, anything will help polish the edge. Question is, how much do you feel like spending? You can grab some diamond spray ( I have some of the .5 micron from SRD, works good), get a barber hone, are go for one of the more traditional finishing hones. I would personally recommend you get a spray/paste and see how that affects hour polish after the 8K. Let us know what you decide or are leaning towards, lots of good people here who have LOTS of experience. I just picked up a Zulu and have been experimenting with that. Always seems to be something else to try :)

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Originally Posted by prodigy

I just feel that it can be sharper. .

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Keep honing :)

Seriously tho, are you sure you are at optimal with the current gear? If so the 2 stones you mention are a great choice.
The Shapton 15 is fast enough to make 8k redundant so you may never learn your 8k if you get one too soon.

I'm with Oz. Keep honing and after 50 razors with constant improvement you will be able to say you have gotten the most from the hone and have a much better understanding of what you want and what path you wish to take.

I have a chinese 12k that I am happy with. I hear that they are hit and miss though. It took a while for me to get the edge I want, I think my breakthrough came with the 8k and the 12k just made it that much better.

I started out getting all the hones i have currently for kitchen knives, and just recently transitioned into straight razors. I feel pretty confident that i am getting the most out of my stones. I was leaning towards the naniwa ss, but my budget is tight right now, so i think i will go ahead and try the crox and maybe diamond spray and see how that goes first. Thank you all for the advice.

I have been looking at some used hones on ebay but am totally unfamiliar with the coarsness or fineness of the different stones. Most that I am looking at are vintage, and am not sure if they are barber hones or an old sharpening stone of some sort. Any help here would be appreciated.
Looking at a Crown and it actually says Razor Hone on it. There is also a Franz Swaty Austria redish in color but it doesn't say Razor Hone on it.
And am looking at a Purple Welsh, Keen Cutter and diamond edge, and a Skute.
These all look fair to good condition. Not sure what would take the edge beyond the 8k for maint and upkeep of a keen edge.
I have two hours left on one hone that I put $8.00 on. It may need to be dressed/flattened. It is the Crown that has a yellowish color.
I guess the other question would be, how does one dress these? same way as the softer stones?
Little advise would go a long way here.

Y'all might find more "hone" and "honing" specific information here:

Hones

Honing

Absolutely scads of old threads ready for the searching to answer every honing question you've ever thunk up. This is a big site, do look around.

Thanks for playing. :idea:

Foxfire, most of the hones you are talking about sound like Barber Hones. These can be lapped if needed, but need to be finished to a higher grit. Do a search on the forums that WadePatton linked for Barber Hone care, maintenance, etc and you should get some good info. Without pictures (and time) there is no way to post a definitive answer.

Well, I can give you one answer, The Swaty should be a fine barber hone to upgrade your 8K edge a bit and for maintenance, lots of people have em and enjoy them.

Best of luck!

You can get C12k and a Coticule slurry stone for around $45-$50. The slurry helps speed up the process and I progress to straight water then Windex. I love the results. Going from 8k to a really hard and smooth C12 can be very slow. The Coticule slurry helps a lot. The Windex helps when the C12k it starts pulling. My c12k is like glass.

Ya, thanks for the quick links. I have read an awful lot. need to take a break. Lol but am soaking it all in. I appreciate it.

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Originally Posted by Foxfire

Ya, thanks for the quick links. I have read an awful lot. need to take a break. Lol but am soaking it all in. I appreciate it.

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Did you read this one ? :
Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Library