Final polish?

My razor has yet to need it's first honing, so I've had plenty time to look at the ways people prefer to hone their own razors. A 4000/8000 grit Norton seems to the preferred hone from what I gather, at least for many people. I'd like to get some opinions about the need for some polishing strokes on a 12,000 grit hone before going to the strop. Some folks prefer this step, other think it's unnecessary. Personally, I'd rather skip buying a 12,000 grit hone unless I really need it. Thanks in advance for your advice.

i use the chinese 12k stone i got from woodcraft.com for about $40 including s/h. i think it puts a fine polished edge on the blade. before i bought it i was using just the norton 4000/8000, so it is up to you. myself i would say yes and use the 12k. you may want to experiment. you will find different opinions here and just about all have great merits. it comes down to what you like and you can afford.....good luck

a word of caution, the 12k Chinese is very slow, so if you are not the patient type you are better off with 12k Naniwa SS or something else.

A 4K/8K norton is a great way to begin and very effective. If you go with some small pyramids and get close on the 8K, you can continue to try 3-5 strokes on the 8K to see if you can dial in a comfortable shave. You can always then pick one up. The key to the polishing stones is the consistency they can bring to your process off the 8K to get to a comfy shave. Same with the pastes in my opinion.

Have fun,

Lynn

I say use the 8K and become proficiient with that until you extract every bit of keeness that you can. Once you can do that then worry about other stones. By the way you should be able to get a very good result from the 8K like Lynn says.

Lynn is absolutly spot on with his advice. Since it looks like you might be somewhat new to honing though, I would advise you to get a razor you don't mind screwing up. It takes a little time, and a lot of patience to get the proper hang of using the stones. Don't run the risk of screwing up you gest razor. While you are learning, you can send you good razor out and have it honed professionally this time. By next time though, you should be ready to do it yourself.

Enjoy!

Ray