Thread: Decisions... Decisions... In need of a finisher hone...

almost forgot, get a nice cheap used blade to practice on, learning is easier when your not afraight to make mistakes

A nice Jnat

Just kidding...great advice here. Master the 8k before looking for something new. Although at $60 for a 12K naniwa SS....

Chris

Magic marker technique? Haven't heard that one yet...

Originally Posted by Bordee

You will hear many differing opinions on this subject, but for a budget finisher, a Chinese natural stone (the so-called "Chinese 12k") presents great value. One can be found for $30 to $40. Several forum members have noted consistency problems with these stones. Maybe I got lucky, but my one and only Chinese stone is a nice finisher that consistency improves the edge off my Norton 8k.

I got lucky too. First Guangxi (c-natural) was a great one too. $35.00 came lapped (almost all the way) and with a rubber stone.

Originally Posted by Steel

I got lucky too. First Guangxi (c-natural) was a great one too. $35.00 came lapped (almost all the way) and with a rubber stone.

+1 on the C12K. Mine was not lapped well but 15 minutes with a progression of sandpaper (100 through 1200 grit) gave me a stone I would never part with.

You're lucky, I grabbed one off of Ebay from a kid in Michigan for $35. with a slurry stone. I had to finish it also, took about 1/2 hr with sandpaper progression. The slurry stone was tiny, I know it doesn't take much but with my big hands this thing was tough being about 1/2" square at best! Then I would get a great edge off of my norton 8k and the "Guangxi" would actually dull it. I tried this at least 4x. Then out of frustration had a friend who does razor honing professionally and after about 20min and numerous looks though magnification decided that the "finishing" stone was closer to a 4k or 5k at best and even at that it was providing a lousy edge. I returned it to the young man but still had to pay the restocking fee. I ended up getting the "purple dragon" ( I think it's referred to) from "A.J. in England on Ebay and it's rated about 12k and I love it! It gives you the frosted edge like the Jnats do and it works great. Considering buying the same thing again but larger.

I echo the comments on the Naniwa 12k. The only stones I have ever honed on are the Naniwa SuperStones, so my experience is limited, but I will say they are easy to learn how to use. I use the 12k like a barbers hone, about every 2 weeks I give my razor about 6 laps on the stone, which I have applied lather to. This is done next to a dripping faucet, so I can apply water as the lather becomes sticky. I have kept my razor sharp for a year now without going down to the 1k.

Originally Posted by pipeguy

I ended up getting the "purple dragon" ( I think it's referred to) from "A.J. in England on Ebay and it's rated about 12k and I love it! It gives you the frosted edge like the Jnats do and it works great. Considering buying the same thing again but larger.

How much was this stone?

It was about $48 US dollars..the seller is: aj_101 He gets the stones right from the quarry himself, and laps them too. They are great stones and he offers better ones. He has many shapes and sizes. Look for the ones with free shipping, they end up being a couple bucks cheaper. The stones are priced cheap it's the shipping that kills you. Mine was like $26 for the stone but $22 in shipping! He has a 100% satisfaction as a seller and he's sold like a few thousand! That alone says a lot!

Originally Posted by guthriemt

Magic marker technique? Haven't heard that one yet...

I have used this a couple of times. You use a felt tip marker to color the bevel and then when you use the hone you can see where you are not getting good contact between the blade and stone.