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I am in the process of starting to make my first lot of straight razors. I will be forging from 1095.
i am comfortable with the grind but would really like some advice on the best set of stones/grits from setting the bevel through to final sharpening. How many do I need? I assume at least 3?
i already have strops as I use them for my knives. I've just never sharpened on stone before as being a knife makers mainly used my grinder then paper wheels.
I would go 100% synthetic. Learn them, love them, master them.
You'll need more than 3 stones I would think.
We're you to chose say Naniwa's:
220 or 400 to get started (maybe) - then maybe a 1k, 3k or 4k, 8k, with a 12k finishing stone.
That's my guess anyway. Most guys here have more than 3 stones and we aren't producing blades!!
Good luck!!
All of them. Actually I haven't read the post yet. I shall go back to read it now.
Ok now that I have read it. I would say if your wanting efficiency and speed then diamonds might be the way to go. I don't know how thin your going to get the edge before you stop grinding but the diamonds will make short work plus no lapping....ever. Now that edge might not be the smoothest but if your just doing a basic edge then it would be acceptable I would think. If your wanting to produce shave ready customs then maybe throw in a nice high grit synthetic... maybe a Nani 12k or Shapton 16K.
A DMT 325 would probably be your most useful stone. The a 1k stone would definitely be next. I have those two grits in diamonds because those are the ones I spend the most time on. Plus you can use the diamonds to lap your non diamond stones.
Diamonds cut a little too deep to be effective. Yes they cut fast, But the scratches are that deep that you will have to spend longer on the upward progression removing those deep scratches from the edge to prevent them causing chips on the final edge.
Diamonds have a place in the honing rotation, and that is for restoration and stone flattening. They have no real place in the honing process other than that.
The Naniwa superstone 12K is a great stone, I use one myself. It's not a stone for a professional. It's prone to clogging, and needs lapping every use. If your doing more than 1 razor at a time say 5-10 razors at each stone progression batch style then the Naniwa superstone is a liability. If I had to do that with the 12K naniwa it would get throw across the room, And I love my 12K :D
I was suggesting the diamonds because he's going to have to establish a bevel. He would be able to do that quickly. Then he could worry later and really it doesn't take that long. I follow up my diamond 1k with a coticule and from slurry to clear water maybe 20 minutes. With a synthetic it would be faster. but thats just me.
I thought you were implying using a diamond rotation. So it's my bad.
There are some diamond hones available, and diamond plates that go pretty high up the grit scale. I thought you meant use those!!!
http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ond-hones.html
Yeah my bad I can see that the way I worded it. I know I remember some one on here used a full diamond rotation at least up to the 8k DMT. I don't know if they finished with something else or shaved off of that but yeah I wouldn't want to shave off an 8k diamondQuote:
Originally Posted by Iceni
Great advice. Thankyou Guys!
To clear up my question, these razors (three of them) are for myself and family members and should be shave ready when complete. I am not concerned with efficiency and budget is not a major concern. Learning by feel and a quality finished product are my Main criteria.
I just wanted peoples opinion on the best range of grits and types of hones, especially once I have finished my final grind to start setting a correct bevel.
I will be grinding to a very fine point. I should be able to get the blade reasonably sharp straight off my grinder finishing off on a trizact belts. It is more the transition from my grinder to setting the correct bevel I am mainly concerned with.
I don't know what to comment with other then today I stropped a razor on my leather belt
to show a friend what a nice piece of leather does to a edge.
And it was only sharpened a fine side of a course fine oil stone a old one.
Then hard ark and then clear Arkansas. I was shaving my face right in front of him by the pool with
no minor so it would be able to get it done with only 3 stones.
Well then it seems you have time and steel to burn being as they are for family. I would still suggest a diamond 325 and 1k. Then, if money is no concern, some chosera's. Nice chunky hones that will last forever. Maybe finish on a natural. I love my diamond 1k for bevel setting. A lot of people say diamonds don't have feedback but they do. The razor just goes smooth and seems like its not cutting as fast as it should. Its subtle but its there. The 325 will allow you to get down to that edge where both sides meet and is very useful for when/if you need to remove a lot of steel fast. Also it can be used to lap your non-diamond stones as I already mentioned. You could do that with a 1k diamond just a little slower but saves you from having to buy 2 stones if you sacrifice some speed. Good luck on whatever you choose. Make sure you post some pics of the build. From start to finish preferably.
For your 1K stone, the Naniwa Chosera is hard to beat. If you're a bladesmith the Chosera will serve you well and you won't regret the decision.
Three stones has been enough for me also. If you're using 1095, steel doesn't get much plainer than that. You can use any type of stone you want to and get a fine edge with it as long as you don't leave it overhard/file hard.
Yeah I have to agree on this really. If you have time and you aren't trying to make a business of it, then three stones is enough. I have about ten stones and use three regularly. I use my 1k diamond for bevel setting and lapping, then a La Dressante Coti (not that the vein really matters) with heavy slurry and dilute to clear water, then I use oil on the coti, then I use a well broken in trans black arkansas stone. Its a cheap finisher that has stellar results. Of course I could and use to just use the diamond and coti and got perfectly acceptable results with that. I just like the arkie finish better.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveW
You can do it with one stone. A coti. Not recommending it but many do just that. I prefer a wide range of synthetics as well as Jnats, naguras etc. I dont "need" them all but I want em. Theres only one way to know what you like and thats to try as many different edges as you can. One Jnat can produce many variations of the same edge from buttery coticule like, to shavette sharp with different finishing technique. If i had to do it all again, I would have what I have. No regret here at all.
I recently did some course bevel setting on the Naniwa workstone (1 and 3 K), realy soft synthetic and cheap hone, making a litle slurry on it will let you skip anything courser hone wise
(none of us know what type of edge you get straight from your grinder, how course/fine it is, or wheater the planes forming the edge are cenvex, concave or flat)
when you start honing on your stones, color the edge with a permanent marker to see if the entire bevel is making contact with your hone you decide on ;)
I forgot one of the most important things everyone here has forgot to mention, we want to see some pictures of your work :beer1: