Thread: 1-8k range questions & finishing possibilities

Thus far I've mostly been using a 3/8k kitchen hone (the 8k side is not good enough to shave off) and a set of welsh finishing stones (the dragon tongue, which I never use, a yellow lake and the purple stone advertised as 15k which I prefer to use with oil) and have sharpened a few straight razors and one kamisori.

To make this simple I am looking to expand my collection of hones and am curious whether I should go for naniwa super stones, shapton stones or a king 1/6 and Kitayama 8k. The last is the cheapest of these possibilities. I'm wary of trying the shaptons though as not only as they expensive I've been told they're a little too aggressive/hard for razors and may make for an over-keen edge. The naniwa option provides an added bonus in that I can add a 10k finishing stone which will allow for some experimentation, and comparison with natural finishing stones I would like to try such as the coti or Japanese naturals (I have my eye on one of these, but the price makes me wary) but in the end I cannot decide, and would love some help choosing between these three options.

Note I've considered the Norton 4/8 but I can't seem the find any that don't seem to be over-priced. Moreover the attractiveness of the stone seems largely to be its ubiquity, which makes for easy comparison of techniques, but this doesn't interest me too much.

Another possibility is trying some unusual stones I've found which may not be advisable, but perhaps someone with more know-how can give me some info here. My concern is that they may simply be too hard. These are oilstones. 200/50mm. One is Onyx (1500k) one ruby (3000k) and one agate (6000k) I can provide images if necessary. I've had some fun in the past using a similar, very hard green-stone hone (said to be 10000k) as a kind of post-finishing-finisher which seems to do the same kind of ultra-fine polishing/honing as you might get using certain pastes on a strop. However it does very little cutting and I'm worried the lower grit stones from the same source may have the same problem. Though this stone is very small (I'm in the process of getting one in the 200/50mm size) so these results may not be very telling.

Any input would be welcome, but I am especially looking for advice on the three possibilities above as well as suggestions for alternative finishing stones; synthetic or natural.

Welcome aboard,,,,
,,,,,,,read it twice ,,still waiting on the questions,,,,,

Do you want someone recommend a finisher?

Sorry if I wasn't precise enough. I've edited and hope it clears things up.

There will be some members come by before long, that actually use all those stones, they will get you on your way.

Wonderful, thanks

Which Shaptons do you mean ? Lot of guys use the glass stones on razors. An overkeen edge is a strange concept. Could you explain that too ?

My advice is to get yourself set up with a basic set of hones that can deliver you at least a reliable 8k edge. There's no point in discussing finishing stones until you can achieve that. After 8k you can go toward further synthetics to finish on or branch off to naturals. As for the basic set up, take you pick of Naniwai, Norton, Shapton.

Welcome to SRP, you can expand your collection of finisher all you want with what you mentioned all good finishers, but to get the out of them you must introduce a shave ready edge at the 8k level.

In your post you mention a 3k/8k kitchen hone, what is it?

Like Unimaru posted im one of the guys who uses Shapton glass stones and they are very nice, and very user friendly.

Which Shaptons do you mean ? Lot of guys use the glass stones on razors. An overkeen edge is a strange concept. Could you explain that too?

I believe the ones I've looked at, and received feedback on, are magnesia-ceramic. As far as an over-keen edge goes I can't explain the mechanical cause. I've never experienced it myself, however I've been told by various guides/individuals that if you hone too aggressively and for too long you'll end up with an edge that is ragged. Though it won't be visible to the naked eye.

My advice is to get yourself set up with a basic set of hones that can deliver you at least a reliable 8k edge.

This is what I'm looking to do. Thanks for your advice (though norton is out of the running for various reasons)

Welcome to SRP, you can expand your collection of finisher all you want with what you mentioned all good finishers, but to get the out of them you must introduce a shave ready edge at the 8k level.

This is what I've been told. The stone I have gets them close. I'm not sure what to call it as I've seen it talked about here (I did some searching before I started this) taking a razor from the 8k side to the DT stone seems redundant (whatever that means) but I can finish on the Yellow Lake, starting with slurry, and get a decent shave. Better if I finish on the purple stone with oil. It all takes a while though.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...nife-hone.html < this thread mentions the same hone.

The place that sells them here is Taidea.

Like Unimaru posted im one of the guys who uses Shapton glass stones and they are very nice, and very user friendly.

At the moment I'm confused as to whether glass and magnesia-ceramic represent two different sorts of stones. If this is the case then I've yet to find comparably priced glass stones. I suppose someone can clear this up; whether these are different, and if so whether the magnesia-ceramic stones are worth having.

Can no one give any feedback on the onxy/agate stones, and their advisability? Edit, I've got some images of them now if that helps (I blurred out seller information) Onyx 1.5k Ruby(Carby?) 3k and Agate 6k

Does anyone have experience using the king 1/6 or Kitayama 8k? How do these hold up?

Assuming I was going with the Naniwa stones; what would be a good range? I'm looking at a minimum or three or maximum of five to take me to 8k or perhaps 10k

Originally Posted by dadsavage

I believe the ones I've looked at, and received feedback on, are magnesia-ceramic. As far as an over-keen edge goes I can't explain the mechanical cause. I've never experienced it myself, however I've been told by various guides/individuals that if you hone too aggressively and for too long you'll end up with an edge that is ragged. Though it won't be visible to the naked eye.

At the moment I'm confused as to whether glass and magnesia-ceramic represent two different sorts of stones. If this is the case then I've yet to find comparably priced glass stones. I suppose someone can clear this up; whether these are different, and if so whether the magnesia-ceramic stones are worth having.

I would say you are looking at the Shapton Pro. They are colour coded & are 15mm thick. The Glass Stones are white in colour, some are grey, about 5mm thick & backed onto tempered glass. I use & prefer the Pros due to their aggressive cutting but have used both & would recommend the glass stones for beginners.

Honing too long or too aggressively is not the fault of the stone btw.