Thread: Too Many Hones!

Is there any do all hone out there? I don't want to have to buy a bunch of them. If I'm just keeping sharp a shave ready razor what hone do I need? Is it possible to keep a razor sharp forever off of one hone and a strop? All I here is hones, hones, hones!

Yellow coticule

i agree with yellow coticule. its slow work but good results.

For keeping a razor in shave ready condition, all you probably would need is a Norton 4k/8k. Some people talk about barber's hones and strop pastes for this purpose as well. I think that they also work. If you by razors from ebay and would like to have more flexibility in the event of having to reset a bevel , I would buy this kit:

Amazon.com: Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone: Home Improvement

When I bought my hones, this is what the experts recommended. I also bought a Chinese 12k finishing stone from Woodworking Plans & Tools | Fine Woodworking Project & Supplies at Woodcraft . It was about $20.

Al raz.

You won't live forever so that ain't an issue but a Norton 4/8 will keep your razors sharp and last longer than you will probably.

I'm not sure about that comment that a coticule is slow; it can be used with a slurry to increase the speed, and some are fast enough to set bevels. But, coti's are naturals, so it depends on your particular one.

If you are just keeping a shave ready razor shave ready, any finisher will suit you just fine. You can shave off a Norton 8k, but typically finishers are thought of as anything over 8k. Some options are the high grit Naniwas or Shaptons, the Coticule, the C12k, Escher, any barber hone that has been documented as being a finisher (which is most of them), a Japanese natural finisher, etc.

If by keeping a shave ready razor shave ready you want to include fixing any dings that may be caused by hitting the blade on something hard or dropping the razor, then you could think about picking up a Norton 4/8k or equivelant Shaptons or Naniwas, and maybe even something more coarse if you want to be able to fix significant edge damage. But, to just keep a shave ready razor that way, there is no need to make the investement in a 4/8k stone.

If you want to have only one stone to do everything, it seems to me that your best bet is finding the right coticule. If you contact a good seller, like Howard at theperfectedge, he should be able to find you one that can be used for bevel setting with a slurry, polishing with a light slurry, and finishing with just water.

I think in your last threat I suggested either the Norton, a coti/BBW combo or just a coti.

I'll stand by those.

You may want to visit Welcome to Coticule.be, home of the famous Belgian Whetstone - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone

It is a site devoted to the coticule. Good honing tips for getting the most out of a coticule.

Cheers

I was confused about which hone to get too!!!... after months of research I did, and once I read Lynn's recommendation about just getting the Norton 4k/8k I decided to get it. Actually is a little expensive but apparently it'll do the job forever.

I just ordered that Norton kit, too. After lots of research, it seems to be the best all around deal. I've seen microscopic photos of edges going right from an 8000 to a paste, and the results look outstanding. Also, many people feel you can go from an 8000 to a strop to your face with few if any problems. Besides, if you can't shave off the 8000, going to a finer stone ain't going to help.