It's hone time

Another great shave today! Looking forward now to another step of my learning ladder and the inevitability of me honing my own. I think I have almost decided on the next steps but, softly, softly, just run my ideas past you guys to see whether I'm playing by the rules.

Looking at the issue from a minimal needs point of view, I've concluded that something in the order of 4K, 8k, and 16k stones would take care of the problem (I plan to practice on some cheap razor metal in the first instance, just to develop technique). How does that sound? I know that I couldn't do better than to send my kit to a honemeister periodically but, hey, I'm in for the long haul...

If that's in order, the next question is product and availability. I can get a Norton combo fairly readily over here at a reasonable price, which would probably look after the 4/8k. Expert advice says go for Shapton but a) they're nowhere to be found in the UK b) ain't they a price? :eek:. I can get one (16k) or all three of them shipped from the US of course but there's the consideration of the proportional shipping cost. Do you know, I think I'm talking my way around to a Shapton set :gaah: to get it all done in one job.

What do you think? Maybe I've set my heart on Shaptons and quietly think that this would be the best way to go. Is this flawed - will my early technique do them justice? Would I be better practicing on something of a lesser quality? I haven't lost sight of the fact that the stones will need lapping at some point - but a diamond lapping plate - eek! Is there anything else I might need? Quite an investment that I will have to justify. And the big one - does this sound like early symptoms of HAD?:w

Subjective, I know but all advice gratefully received. Thanks.

IMHO the Norton 4/8 is a great stone. I really appreciate mine a lot more since I have gotten the Shaptons and some of the other highly regarded rocks available. I am not knocking the Shaptons but I find that I like the feedback on the Norton and the job it does on an edge.

You can flatten stones with sandpaper. Check out this thread here for more on that and here is a link to DMT's dealer list. Scroll down for dealers in UK or Europe.

Thanks Jimmy - will browse now.

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Originally Posted by Moggs

Thanks Jimmy - will browse now.

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Check with Howard at the Perfect Edge. He's a true gentleman and very knowledgable. His prices are very competitive. Plus, for an additional $5 each he'll lap the Shapton's for you. :tu

I have a Norton 4000/8000 it seems like an HUGE bang for the $60 I paid for mine. I also use a paddle strop pasted with .5 micron CrOx powder. It is cheap and the results are immediate and require no skill on my part. I have DMT diamonds that I use to lap with, but I did my Norton on wet/dry sand paper this week and the results were terrific. You can get reasonable results on a tight budget.

I'm a definite promoter of the norton 4k/8k also. It's a fantastic stone, and it's a pretty reasonable price too. 8k is enough to finish on, but most like to finish on a finer stone. Does a synthetic or natural stone appeal more to you as a finisher? If it's synthetic, then I think the Shapton 16k is your stone. But if it's natural...you have a LOT more options, and you'd be opening the doors of HAD wide open!

Just to name some natural finishing stones: a nice coticule, escher or vintage thuringian hone, japanese natural (VERY expensive :eek:), or a chinese 12k. I currently have a couple of coticules and have recently acquired a nice escher stone, all of which am in love with. But seriously...once you get one natural stone, you'll want more...so don't say I didn't warn you!!

Dave

Thanks everybody. Plenty of good advice. I suspected that there would be no straightforward answer! The lure of the Shaptons is strong.... I'm in no hurry - still shaving well. It gets better and better!