Thread: Type of stone ?

Could you please instruct me, does it matter if you use a water stone or oil stone, to hone your razor. I have a diamond stone somewhere, but I have found my oil stone, or should I think of getting something different ?

Welcome to SRP. Some oil stones, notably Arkansas, Charnley Forrest, are suitable for honing razors. Some are too coarse and better suited to tools or knives. I think diamond plates are too aggressive. For more details check out the SRP Library/Wiki

Hones - comparison table - Straight Razor Place Library

What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Library

Next question, how much experience do you have honing razors ? It is a different kettle of fish than knives or tools.

Thank you for your instruction. I have no experience in honing a razor. I have loads of experience in honing tool as I am a carpenter. I will take a look at the links you have sent me. I want to get it right so I will take note

There are also honing videos by Lynn Abrams, the founder of SRP, and gssixgun, that are very instructive. I personally learned using these two tutorials, along with a little help from my friends ;

Pyramid honing guide - Straight Razor Place Library

Honing - Alternative approaches - Straight Razor Place Library

For beginning honers I think the 'honing by the numbers' that is the pyramid method is the easiest to start out with.

Water or Oil, no does not matter. I use water, even on stones that were traditionally “Oil” stones because of the mess and smell of oiled stones.

But on some stones, to max out the performance, oil does work just a bit better, it is a matter of personal preference.

What does matter, is the level of finish a razor will require over knives and woodworking tools. Having done all three for many years, knives work well at 1K for most and possibly up to 4-5k, wood working tools 1K to 8K max.

8K for razors is a minimum finish level. At 8K and beyond the edge is very fine and fragile, pressure and technique play a very large part in performance.

The biggest difference is the comfort, that must be built into a razor edge, that you do not have to contend with for knives and tools, it is not just about sharp.

as a razor it should be bevel set on a 1k stone with the spine flat pressure toward the edge, after the bevel is set proceed with the prefinisher in the same method then to the finisher. any stone below 1k is too coarse and anything coarser than 8k is too coarse to finish on. knife vs razor is a different ballgame. I would suggest finding an experienced honemeister in your area and having him let you watch and learn the progression.

There is certainly a ton of material in the links given. It shouldn't take much of a look around here to decide there is a bit to it but it is attainable. Of course having a pro honed razor or two for benchmark is always a good thing in my books. I think there are a few in your general area.