Thread: touching up a straight razor edge

I need some advice on getting another stone for touching up the edge on a straight razor. I have a Naniwa 12K stone and would like to get one more lower grit stone from this. There is a Naniwa 5k stone would this be a good next stone. It is expensive so that is why I'm asking. what about the diamond plates.Would like to eventually get into more honing with more experience. Does anyone have any suggestions on this? or advise. Is there another approach for me to take?

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.

If you want a synthetic stone to use before the 12k then 8k is the step down. In the past 8k was the top of the grit level and you could get a very nice shave off of 8k. But now 12k or 20k is better. I like synthetic stones so im on the other side of the street from Paul. But its all personal choice.

5k is a bit course for touching up an edge. Its used mainly to step up from 2k or 3k on the way up from a full bevel set.

The 8k Naniwa Superstone will go great with your 12k Nanny. Or you could go with 3µ 3M type 261 plain backed (non sticky) lapping film. No substitutes except maybe the NanoLapTech type 26x which I suspect is just rebranded 3M type 261, or else the ThorLabs 3µ film, which is good, too, but ThorLabs doesn't have 1µ so I don't deal with them anymore. 1µ is slightly finer than the 12k Naniwa and 3µ is roughly equivelant to the 8k Naniwa. Then you will need a REALLY flat and non flexing plate, thick enough to keep your fingertips out of the path of the razor. I like 1-1/2" thick cast acrylic sheet, 3" x 12", from TAP Plastics. Don't go thinner than 1". It is basically unbreakable and since the razor never touches it, it will never wear out or get out of flat. It's only enemy is high heat. As a bonus, you can use this and sandpaper to lap your 12k stone. Or try some 1µ film instead of 12k! There is finer film, namely .3µ, but give that a miss. Nobody really likes the edge from that grade. To go finer, lap and mount a piece of balsa, and rub in a very small amount of .5µ diamond paste, and then do a .25µ and a .1µ balsa. Don't stop at .5 or .25, it gives the same sort of edge as the .3µ film and you are better off stopping at 12k or 1µ than going on but not all the way to .1µ. half to quarter micron for some reason makes a "sick" edge somehow, but going beyond that mellows it back down so it is both comfortable and extremely sharp.

But there I go off topic again. My suggestion is either the 8k Nanny or 3µ lapping film but only of the correct type.

There are other stones that will "work", but sticking to the house brand will be super easy for you, ditto the film if you get the right stuff and not just whatever you find online. Lots of really bogus film out there. At least the Naniwa, if you get it with the box from a legit vendor, you know isn't fake.

Honestly though, for a simple refresh, the 12k should be all you need. Are you lapping it regularly? I really like that stone, myself, though I use film more often. The only stone in that style that I don't like is the 3k, which I find loads up badly and quickly for some reason. The 12k is a crazy easy finisher, IMHO. Just lap it regularly and you good. And THAT is another good use for an 8k. There is lapping, and there is lapping. Just from one razor to the next, a few slides of the stone across the 8k will clear the swarf and flatten both of them. Be sure to rinse the 12k super good afterwards to eliminate any stray particles of grit from the 8k. Then every once in a long while do a full bore high octane lapping on 600 grit wet/dry or whatever other media you like, followed by honing a SS chef knife or something to smooth the now flat stone a little.

I have a super fine (around 12 k) Chinese natural stone that I use for this. Last time I did something most people probably would not recommend: I built up slurry on the Chinese stone with a small Belgian stone (I didn't have matching stone and slurry stone, so the slurry was technically mixed from two different stones). I touched up my oldest Dovo on it, gradually washing off the slurry until the stone was clean, and that razor has honestly never been better. I'll try it on another one soon.

Slurrying one stone with another is not as far out as you may think, either that or I am farther out than I think. I have used slurry from a coti on a hard Ark before in an attempt to tame a prickly edge. It was a success mostly but I have since found that a couple (10 or less) dry strokes on the coticule by itself is easier and acheives the same thing.

There are obviously some things that you should not do for instance using oil on a thuri or a synthetic water stone but, for the most part I beleive you never know until you try it. Experimenting is how we find out what works.

Yes

First off We have always recommended some rather Expensive Lapping plates

DMT
DGLP
Trend
Atoma

About 5-6 years ago I bought a rather cheap 400-1000 Diamond Plate IIRC it was from CNTG I wanted to test it

But the ones on Amazon are the same

Look I hone a crap ton of razors I use the 400 side when I lap in a new Stone or Hone I use the 1000 side to Refresh the hones between razors

This Plate works just fine for what we do,,, we just don't need .001" accuracy Now they even have a 600/1200 woohooo splurge time

5-6 years for me is about 10,000 razors and the original Cheapo Plate is going strong, yes I have all the expensive ones too, and yes they are probably better, but ya just don't NEED them


https://www.amazon.com/SATC-Diamond-...1zcF9hdGY&th=1

As for a Naniwa 12k as a refresh the 10k is the next step down but for what you are doing the 8k is where you want to go

Here are some hints for the 12K Maintenance


https://youtu.be/91VMW_aAMmI?si=gSabgUXzbjvt9Ukp


ps: Just to clarify, there is a difference between Maintenance and Touch Up

Maintenance = a regime of keeping edge always tweaked in by honing every week or two

Touch Up - Means you hone when you feel the edge drop off

In theory if you Maintain the edge,, you NEVER need a lower grit unless you cause damage to the edge