Thread: My current collection of hones.

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

To reply to doorsch the answer is one word, Challenge. Yes, I can get a 10, 12, 16, 20 or even a 30k stone and 'finish' my edges but I have learned nothing along the way in terms of really understanding what goes into getting to that stage. I'm not struggling to get there, I'm enjoying the fact of learning something new from the ground up. If there was an easy way out for everything we would all be millionaires with a large staff to do it for us.

I think that Razorfeld has made a very Valid Point!

I've posted time and time again that if I were to drop and break my Naniwa 12K I could live off of my Norton 8K edge for the rest of my life! However if I were to break my Norton I would eat peanut butter sandwiches day in and day out until I could save up enough money to replace it!

If you can't get a Good/Close/and COMFORTABLE shave off of a 8K edge then spending money on a higher grit stone is a waste of time and money!

I think that Glen hit the nail on the head when he said:

"No amount of money spent on a Stone can ever replace the value of the time it takes learning to use it properly"
Very Respectfully - Glen

I think Sergeant is suficiently at ease about the hones he needs I guess

about the collections this thread started with I have mixed feelings, on one hand I would love to have a collection like that , but on the other hand, seeing those collections makes me feel like a sane and responsible consumer

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

To reply to doorsch the answer is one word, Challenge. Yes, I can get a 10, 12, 16, 20 or even a 30k stone and 'finish' my edges but I have learned nothing along the way in terms of really understanding what goes into getting to that stage. I'm not struggling to get there, I'm enjoying the fact of learning something new from the ground up. If there was an easy way out for everything we would all be millionaires with a large staff to do it for us.

Again not agreed, every move on any stone is something your learning from...it just depends on how much time you spend to learn...this has nothing to do with the kind of stone you use...

It sounds like learning with a 8k stone is the holy grail of honing and everything beyond on higher grits is not relevant or not a way which should be proceeded...

if you are comfortable with a 4/8k combination ....proceed that way its ok. For me personally i would miss a lot just staying there...and that doesnt mean that i did not learnt using a 8k as a finishing stage...but i do not like a shave that way in comparison as it comes of on some finishers i own...

And we all know that the most relevant part is setting the bevel on the stone < 1k

Originally Posted by doorsch

Again not agreed, every move on any stone is something your learning from...it just depends on how much time you spend to learn...this has nothing to do with the kind of stone you use...

It sounds like learning with a 8k stone is the holy grail of honing and everything beyond on higher grits is not relevant or not a way which should be proceeded...

if you are comfortable with a 4/8k combination ....proceed that way its ok. For me personally i would miss a lot just staying there...and that doesnt mean that i did not learnt using a 8k as a finishing stage...but i do not like a shave that way in comparison as it comes of on some finishers i own...

And we all know that the most relevant part is setting the bevel on the stone < 1k

On most razors you can set a bevel on a 4k and if you can't THEN step back to a 1k. To tell everyone that you HAVE to use a 1K to set a bevel is just irresponsible. I get a kick out of reading where someone has honed a blade on stones that range from a 220 up to a 60K (?), either the blade was so crappy that the only way to get an edge was to go that extreme or their skill is that bad. My grandfather used to put an edge on a razor that would scare the hair off your face using just a couple Arkansas stones and I learned from him. I still contend that the best way to learn is with the fewest stones necessary and when you get proficient and consistent then start adding to your arsenal.

...nothing more useful to add here for me into this discussion :-)

Of course one doesn't need a large collection of stones to maintain a razor. There are a few points to consider here though before starting to ridicule or make assertions that anyone with more than a couple stones is a poorly skilled sharpener.

First, many here do sharpen more than razors. I use my stones on all sorts of tools, including kitchen and pocket knives, lathe cutting tools, razors, chisels, etc. Many guys with large collections of stones started with one or two, then decided it would be nice to get a coarser stone or two to get things done faster when starting with a severely dulled or damaged edge. Once you get the coarse stones you need to work your way back up in a progression if you want to finish the job quickly and correctly unless you have very good magnification to be able to see when all the scratches are removed from the coarser stones. Those random scratches can really harsh/ruin an edge, especially on a razor. Lastly, if those guys are anything like me, they always wonder if maybe a different type of stone would work better or faster than what they've got, so they decide to try one out. Then this happens again and again and before you know it you have a pile of stones. Some folks have favorite stones for favorite tasks so they can't or don't want to unload the old ones.

Oh, and here's my stash:

eKretz, you have provided a sane and logical explanation for HAD. You are to be commended for a concise statement of reason, intent and usage of stones.

eKretz - absolutely right: only imbeciles belittle others when they know next to nothing about them. Unfortunately, there are a lot of know-nothing imbeciles in the world.

My sharpening tasks involve a lot of different uses, such as:

razors of course,
rolls razor blades,
lathe tools for my mini lathe,
creation of tools such as punches,
maintaining leather punches, wad-sets, and rivet punches,
leather skiving machine blades - maintaining,
foredom specialist carving bits - maintaining,
hand graving tools - maintaining,
1940s Pfaff leather sewing machine - maintaining,
scalpels and other cutting edge tools for my lab - maintaining and creating,
leather head knives, half round knives, skiving knives - maintaining,
osborne and dixon thick leather plough gauges - maintaining blades,
leather lace making tools - maintaining edge,
woodworking chisels, jack plane, rabbet plane - maintaining blades,
leather pistol grip strap gauge tool - maintaining edge,
vintage pocket knives - recreating and maintaining blades,
etc, etc, etc,

Could anyone tell what I use them for by looking at them? No! Only a fool would succumb to such monumental self-deceit to believe that he did know.

It would take slightly less of a fool, but still a fool, to tell me that I have too many.

Have I got enough hones? No!

Why not? Because I need a varied set to cope with different types of steel and both modern and vintage tools (a lot need adapting/cutting/sizing, etc) and - most of all - I like them. Some people have a load of guns, or wrist watches, or cigarette lighters, etc, but do they need them? Of course not. But they enjoy them. There isn't much left in this world for me to enjoy, but this is one of them, and enjoy it I do!

I enjoy good workmanlike hones like chosera for doing what they do easily, fast and without major prep.

I enjoy naturals because they vary so much - in shape, colour, size, performance. I like to imagine the immense oceans of time it took to make them what they are, and the different ways they were formed.

I enjoy some because they look so fantastic - striped, marbled, coloured, glassy depths you can stare into, how some leave a lovely satin finish while others leave a shine that makes your heart sing.

I enjoy some for their rich history, and as I use them I can imagine old time craftsmen using them and imagine what their lives were like.

I enjoy some which are old and which have a question mark surrounding their origins - I can dream of the faraway places they came from, the trade routes, hot temperate climes so different from mine.

I enjoy old barber hones (naturals like eschers, coticules, etc as well as the small man-made variety) because they take me to a time when the barbershop was a hub, I like to imagine that and re-live stories I have been told, and wonder about the strange markings that adorn razors that were supposedly sharpened for them and why and how they came about...

There are so many reasons to enjoy them. Perhaps each hone has its own reason.

And - I have said it before but I'll say it again - I know how to use and get the best out of each and every hone I own, because I have taken the time to get intimately concerned with them and spent countless hours using them.

To be honest, if you can't set a bevel on a low grade stone like a 1k, then there is no need getting more hones, cause you are never going to cut the mustard. So, unless you enjoy them for other reasons then save your money.

As has been said many, many times before on this forum by luminaries like Glen, Lynn, Jimmy etc, you set the bevel by the 1k stone - after that all else is just refinement. There isn't much else to say other than that on the subject.

Like my sensible friend doorsch said above, I guess I have nothing more to add to this discussion. Just that if you like acquiring hones then get them and ignore everyone else. If you don't need them, don't get them, but don't knock others for doing so.

Regards,
Neil

Neil, if anyone thinks they can discount or challenge what you have said about hones, human nature, the separation of man and apes and the need to keep learning they are just mouthing off to hear themselves. Enough said, lets go on to any other topic, like a better chocolate cream frosting for that forbidden chocolate cake.

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

...................Like my sensible friend doorsch said above, I guess I have nothing more to add to this discussion. Just that if you like acquiring hones then get them and ignore everyone else. If you don't need them, don't get them, but don't knock others for doing so.

Regards,
Neil

Yep, yep, yep.....I couldn't agree more!