Thread: Ceramic stones

I have had a friend of mine tell me that ceramic stones are even better for sharpeing as they do not clog like the porous ones do. Would a ceramic stone be used for a straight razor? I bought a nice Dovo razor and it came with a Col conk stone. I don't think that is enough . Any suggestions?

Some people do use ceramic stones, typically Spyderco Fines and Ultrafines (which I have one of). Grit is measured in the thousands. The Col. Conk stone may leave you wanting.

The most popular hone here is probably the Norton 4000/8000 grit combination waterstone, followed by various other natural and synthetic hones, all of very very fine grit.

What price range are you looking to spend? Some of them can get quite expensive, but one can get good results for much less $$$ IMHO also.


John P.

I would be willing to spend up to $80-$100. I want to keep my razor in good shape and have it last me a long time. My friend that told me about the ceramics told me about Spyderco. I just saw a Spyderco series 302 ultra fine grit for about $56.00 which looked appealing to me but I thought I would ask around first. Thanks for the reply by the way.

IMHO even non-porous hones need to be cleaned well. Superficial pores can get clogged up as well which will also reduce cutting power of the hone.

I use the spyderco ultrafine benchstone.

:: Spyderco Product Details ::

It's a very nice stone. You do have to clean it, but unlike waterstones you just need to scrub it with comet and call it done. They last forever. They theoretically do not need to be lapped, however this might entail sending the hone back to the manufacturer a few times until you get one flat enough to do straights with. On the downside, they are not as responsive as the waterstones. This is difficult to describe for a newbie, but waterstones give you some feedback on your honing. Spyderco's fine and UF do not. Their medium does give more feedback. All in all I like them very much, but they do take some getting used to. The UF has an equivalent grit size of 12000-13000. If you have the patience to learn to use them you can put one hell of an edge on your straight with it.


Hope this helps,


Patrick

Just a different opinion for your consideration.

Waterstones are really not that difficult to maintain and clogging is not really an issue. They are softer and easier to use than Spydercos especially on very hard i.e. brittle steels.

There is no magic bullet with hones but a yellow coticule would come close... however like most of us your house will gradually resemble a quarry as HAD takes hold

Just a word of warning on the Spyderco hones. They need to be "broken in". Fresh from the box they have "high points" that can chip the edge of a razor. The edges must also be dressed a bit. To get a Spyderco UF clean can be a chore. Sometimes the Comet routine does not work well. But...all of the hones need work at first.

The most popular and affordable stone here is the Norton 4/8 in a 3" wide size. When a newb asks us a question we generally reply in "Norton" terms. It is easy to keep flat, easy to clean and refresh the surface and cuts steel very fast. The 4k is for creating the bevel and the 8k side is for finishing the edge to a shaving sharpness.

Hope this helps,

Originally Posted by randydance062449

The most popular and affordable stone here is the Norton 4/8 in a 3" wide size. When a newb asks us a question we generally reply in "Norton" terms. It is easy to keep flat, easy to clean and refresh the surface and cuts steel very fast. The 4k is for creating the bevel and the 8k side is for finishing the edge to a shaving sharpness.

I agree that the Norton 4K/8K is a very good stone but you should also know that it needs to lapped frequently. Some members talk about lapping the Norton on a granite countertop (or other known to be flat surface) with wet or dry abrasive paper. My Norton was permanently damaged by that and I ended up ordering the Norton flattening stone and prep stone, although the consensus here seems to be that the DMT 8C is better. For more information on honing, see www.theperfectedge.com or write to the owner, Howard Schechter, who will be a good resource for product information.

Thanks for the insight everyone. I appreciate all the feedback

Looks like you're on the way to getting what you need.
Thought I would point out, that while the Spyderco UF stone is a good hone, and I use one from time to time, it is also very much in the finishing hone category, and unless your razor is almost shave ready to begin with, it will be a lot of work getting it to that point.
The Norton isn't a ceramic dry hone in the same sense but it is extremely versatile, for reasons Randy listed. It is also stupid easy to use. It wouldn't surprise me if you were getting shave ready edges from it in under a week.
Finishing hones are just gravy after that. There is a lot of experimentation (read:"Fun") being had with various rare or previously forgotten hones, many of which come into play with even finer grits than the 8K Norton. Are they necessary? I don't think so, but that is subjective at best. I do have them.
Something else that is easy to use, in the future, would be a Belgian yellow coticule. It is what I do most of my honing on these days. It isn't as fast as the Norton to a shave ready edge, but it is extremely versatile when combined with a rubbing stone.
That's for the future. There are many options out there now, not like before when so many of the (especially natural) stones were not known or had fallen into obscurity.

FWIW, almost all of the old barber hones are ceramic of some sort or other....I also like them quite a bit, but there are just as many who feel they aren't that good. You will have to make your own opinions in this regard, but personally I feel there's not much better especially for a touch up. Others would use pasted strops for this, but I already have the barber hones.


Clear as mud I'm sure, but hopefully I've helped a bit.


John P.