differnt hones and grits

I have been looking for a long time now for a new hone not for my razors for I really like the naniwa stones I have but a new hone for my knives. As I've said before in a different post that I have the Lansky 5 Hone system and a large Norton india red and course combo oil stone. I want use my naniwa stones on my kitchen knives and don't really like the other stones I have. The problem is that I'm more of touch and feel kind of guy. I read about this stone or that stone and without seeing and touching it I really don't know whether I would like it or not. I went through a lot of razors before I found the ones I really like and was lucky enough to let the ones I didn't like go with out loosing to much. I've been looking at the suehiro ceramic stones and the king stones at tools from japan. there prices aren't killers but would be if stones were bought and then put away not to be used. My question is are there any walk in shops that would have these stone. I don't believe there are any here where I live but when I do take trips I can be on the look out for these places. Theres got to be some places here in the USA. Anyone know of any I can put on my travel list as places of interest. Just a thought .:shrug:

Woodcraft has several stores throughout the U.S. & they have a selection of hones,,, go to the store finder on the front page,,,,
Woodworking Plans & Tools | Fine Woodworking Project & Supplies at Woodcraft

Why not try to make it to one of the meets. That's where you can really sit down with a stone as well as talk to people who own the ones you think you like.

I plan on making it to one of the meets as soon as I can. there's one in ky this year that if at all possible I will try to attend. It would be nice to be able to see and touch different stones. That's really one of the ways to find what you want.

I found a King 1/6 K on the bay at what I think is a reasonable price so I bid and got it. I'll try it and if it suits the bill i'll be ok if not I can go from there. I had a water stone many years ago and it got lost through many moves . I believe that stone would have put an edge on any blade made.

I've owned a King 800 and currently use a King 1200 as a bevel setter for my razor work. They both are Thirsty SOB's! Thanks to a tip from Glen I now keep my 1200 in a water bath 24/7 with no ill effects.

Use Distilled Water with 1 cap full of regular non scented bleach per gallon (about a Tablespoonful) and change the water about twice a year. Be sure to keep the lid on tight when not in use.

There have been a couple of times that I've been negligent about keeping it covered and the stone would start to feel slimy so I just rinsed the hone off, washed the container and added the treated water and was back in business.

If you don't mind waiting hours for the King to become fully saturated and then waiting days for it to fully dry out you can skip the water-bath.

As far as using it for razors, yes there are faster cutters out there but for the price it does a good job.

It should be an excellent finisher for your knives.

I hope this has been of some help.

Rhensley, may not be what you want , but if you fire up your scoot, a nice ride to Hot Springs Akansas, just out of town is a place called Dans Whetstones, he has all grades of arks in several different levels. I picked up a nice hard black on one of my rides out that way, plus a cool guy to spend some time with , him and his son are great people and you'll be in Ark heaven. Tc

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Originally Posted by cudarunner

If you don't mind waiting hours for the King to become fully saturated and then waiting days for it to fully dry out you can skip the water-bath.

As far as using it for razors, yes there are faster cutters out there but for the price it does a good job.

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I find my King 800 to be usable after a 20 minute soak. Yes it does take several days to dry out, but having it sit on it's storage box as a drying rack for 3 or 4 days is really not any harder than maintaining a soaking tub IMO. I suppose if space is at a premium a soaking tub would arguably take up less space than a drying rack. I can usually plan my honing at least 20 minutes in advance.