1st hone a 12k??

Gents,

I have more razors than I expected to have since I started out with the straights about 1-1/2 months ago. Seems "My Precious" has become My Precious' . <Shut up! If "twerk" is a word, then so is Precious'!>

This is by no means a bad thing. However, I have zero hones.

Here's my quandry(YES! Got to use that word!):

All my razors are more or less shave ready. I believe I could get a little better from some of the 'tiques that I picked up.

Does it make sense for me to consider a Naniwa 12k ss as my first honing stone? Now, if I wasn't on a budget I would get a 1k, 4k, 8k *and* 12k. Lynn's video has me believin'.

Yes :)

I only wish I had been lead to a nice Naniwa SS 12k back in 1981 it would have made the next 20+ years soooooooo much easier

Keep in mind and I only say this because it is possible, that 12k and an Artificial Prep Stone used diligently can do everything but set a Heavy Bevel, honest I kid you not.. Even if you only use it as a maintenance hone it is well worth the money :)

@gssixguns,

The product description has me somewhat confused(as well as being new to hones):

Quote:

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A fine man-made stone used to prepare polishing stones for use. It is rubbed in a circular motion over the wet polishing stones to quickly get the abrasives into a paste consistency to save sharpening time and encourage even wear on stones. Approx. size 7/8" x 7/8" x 3".

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I thought there was no prep needed on the Naniwa 12k and that it was ready to go. Am I misunderstanding? Did you mean diligently using Nagura stone on the 12k or on the razor itself as a lower level prep? Also, please define what "diligent use" means to you.

Kind Regards,

You threw in a few questions hehehe

The Naniwa SS is NOT ready to go it requires lapping just like every other stone a DMT 325 or Atoma 400 are the two most popular plates used on here.. You can also use a flat surface and W/D sandpaper, but trust me here the DMT 325 is my most used hone out of all of them :)

The use of the Prep stone is found here in a more advanced scenario

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...lynn-glen.html

also here with the Norton 4/8 like I used to use before I bought way to many hones

gssixgun Honing on a Norton 4-8 - YouTube

So far I haven't found a Waterstone that I have not been able to get a shave ready edge from using that system, it is not for beginners it is for later down the road... that IMHO others might not agree..

Just to be perfectly clear a Prep stone an be used to re-freshen the surface as designed but it does not flatten like a Lapping plate will :( so I do not use them that way..

Uuuyy. Deeper down the rabbit hole ;) I'm off to your reference thread when I get a chance.

Buy a full spread of choseras, suehiros and jnats and add an escher and a few more jnats and cotis. Oops left out the welsh hones and a few others. Lol. The naniwa is a fine hone and will serve you well. Just lap it first as was said.

I've got a 400 grit piece of 3M wet/dry glued to a 2x4. You think that will work for lapping, guys?

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Originally Posted by Siguy

I've got a 400 grit piece of 3M wet/dry glued to a 2x4. You think that will work for lapping, guys?

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:nono::nono::nono:
You NEED it To Be PERFECTLY FLAT

This may help.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...ne_Lapping_101

More information and more questions(I'm trying to to retread the same ground on a separate thread):

I two American razors(5/8, 6/8), both honed well (one pro-hone and one nearly as well honed). The other razors are 'tique pickups-Fred Reynolds(no visible hone wear), Geo Wostie(moderate hone wear) and a Koeller(no hone wear. All 11/16s though I haven't measured the latter). I can shave with them all, however, the vintage blades seems to shave really well and feel great on my face. The pro-hone is probably the closest shaver, but doesn't seem as comfortable. I can't explain that one.

I have two strops. One hanging pasted with .3 CrOx. I will give them 10-20 laps. I have a bench strop that I will strop all the razors on while watching TV or listening to radio. Best tool in teaching stropping technique, IMO. I'm a stropping zombie at this point.

My razor acquisitions in the forseeable future are most likely more local 'tique buys(beaters and restos), budget permitting.

I need to start thinking about honing hardware, maybe, focusing just on razors I have for the moment. So, maybe a maintenance focus over a bevel-up plan. Budget consciousness is a concern. I've read the lapping wiki and have a cutting board size piece of granite and know how to accomplish lapping.

The refreshing stone Glen linked to earlier, is that used just to create a little slurry on the 12k stone to more aggressively attack the blade? Does it too need to be lapped? I'm betting yes.

Honing my vintage razors(no wedges yet, mostly hollows) also gives me pause. Why? Because I have no idea how they were originally honed. Tape, no tape, etc. Any advice here?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Siguy

Honing my vintage razors(no wedges yet, mostly hollows) also gives me pause. Why? Because I have no idea how they were originally honed. Tape, no tape, etc. Any advice here?

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You are over thinking it,,, The easiest way to learn honing is to learn to refresh edges then work your way down the line, nobody likes to do that any longer and wants to jump into the deep end...
Start with doing the easiest and then slowly expand from there :)

Now if your objective is to hit E-bay and Antiques stores and the like then you are underhoned and you need a Bevel setter, and a way to sharpen -polish..

This is the latest version of this article

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1148199

Overthinking is probably spot on. Probably due to information overload.

Thanks for being patient and the direction, Glen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Siguy

Overthinking is probably spot on. Probably due to information overload.

Thanks for being patient and the direction, Glen.

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No prob, in case it wasn't obvious I actually love the hobby hehehe

If I have the answer I will freely give it

I normally recommend that new guys start off with chromium oxide or .5 diamond spray or paste when they have shave ready razors that need refreshing. I have found that 4-7 light pressure strokes followed by a normal stropping will usually bring the razor back to a nice shaver. When this quits working, then I recommend a finishing stone like the 12K using again, 4-7 light X strokes followed by the chromium oxide or diamond media and then a normal stopping. You can almost maintain a razor in good condition indefinitely like this.

The DMT 325 is a great all around lapping or cleaning product and can be used for just about every stone I have encountered.

Obviously, if you are going to start honing beaters, then you need to look at more stones and find the method that will produce the most repeatable results for you. Most of the synthetic stones work great with no slurry, but using a slurry is a personal preference and if you are inclined, it should not be problematic. In my opinion, there is not much benefit from using the slurry either in time or results, but YMMV. As for using tape or not, again personal preference comes into play in my opinion unless you just have a ton of metal to remove or are protecting a pretty spine or Damascus type pattern, it really isn't necessary.

Recognize that honing like shaving is a learned process and start off simple. The more you over think or push yourself to frustration, the harder it is. Build and learn on what works and what doesn't work for you and be patient. There is a ton of great information here.

Have fun.

Hmmm...

I'm JaNortoning right now. I have a 5/8 that was honed with a 4/8k Norton and it is a terrific shaver and another pro-honed. That all gets taken care of with CrOx and stropping. All "new" razors to me come from 'tique stores.

I could always add a 12k later.... Hmmmm...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes :)

I only wish I had been lead to a nice Naniwa SS 12k back in 1981 it would have made the next 20+ years soooooooo much easier

Keep in mind and I only say this because it is possible, that 12k and an Artificial Prep Stone used diligently can do everything but set a Heavy Bevel, honest I kid you not.. Even if you only use it as a maintenance hone it is well worth the money :)

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After hours of video, thread, etc., Glen, I finally understand what you're talking about regarding the use of the nagura to put a slury on a stone and more aggressive hone at a lower level than you're stone's "default value" ala the "One stone hone" approach.

Sounds like a really simple concept, but I had no knowledge on the topic so no frame of reference.:banghead: In addition, there is no Magic hone.

For now, what can be immediately useful for me would be the 12k and a nagura given the current state of my razors. If I pick up any more 'tiques/beaters, they may have to wait for another stone...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Siguy

I've got a 400 grit piece of 3M wet/dry glued to a 2x4. You think that will work for lapping, guys?

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:nono:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dude, don't do it!:nono:

Not flat enough. Also you can't use a whole sheet of sandpaper on a 2x4. Get a big piece of heavy glass, or a 12" polished stone floor tile. You can hold the tile at an angle to an overhead light and see if it is flat, because straight lines will reflect curved lines if it is not flat. But usually the polished marble tiles are nice and flat. Heavy glass works great. The sink cutout from a polished granite counter top is popular. And there are granite lapping plates sold by woodworking supply sites that are rated and calibrated flat to the nth degree and are not that expensive. The plate can do double duty as a plate for honing on lapping film, too. And you can use it with sandpaper to lap your balsa strops flat. Sometimes they warp from moisture or age.

@Tulaneboy,

I think you missed a couple posts ;) Also, I was semi-joking about the 2x4, btw. I know it may not have been clear. Thanks for your post.