Thread: touching up a straight razor edge

5k is a good mid level stone but for no more than touching up I would suggest something closer to the 12k like an 8k. That is in terms of synthetics. Personally I prefer naturals and from that point of view I would recommend a good thuringian with a slurry stone. Going that route, if you had to, sell the 12k to help finance it. Of course that's just my opinion for someone new to honing. You can practically trip and drop your razor on a good thuri and get a good edge. Now if it were me I would invest in the biggest surgical black I could afford...of course now I'm just day dreaming.
What were we talking about ...

Seriously though, someone more invested in synthetics will probably have better advice if that is the way you want to go. I'll say naturals all day long. YMMV.