Thread: Honing questions!

First off hello friends! I've lurked this site a long time and never posted, but I broke down today and made an account...

So for honing ive been using a norton 4/8k, .3 mic lapping film on polished marble with a beveled edge, and the balsa from whipped dog. and i have a normal leather strop un-pasted..

1st off i cannot seem to get past hht (i get light violin/or a really "forced" cut of the hair) on the 8k without a few passes on the strop is that normal? Although after stropping i have had a FAIRLY decent shave off of the 8k on a gold dollar,and a wester bro's.

and 2nd off, i'd really like to replace the lapping film with a stone, and i really like the way the yellow coticule sounds, but in all honesty, am i going to be disappointed coming off of the lapping film edge? the film has no mojo and im not a big fan of the feedback on it.

3rd, how picky should you be on a bevel setter, i would rather not fully bevel set a razor again on the 4k as it took forever and i really like that stone so i dont want to wear it out too fast. is a king 1k sufficient or should i shoot for a more quality set up?

and finally, is the balsa wood a long term keeper or is a pasted strop far superior for a CrOx/IrOx set up?

my edges are getting better each try because of all the lurking on other peoples threads, but i figured i needed some help finally.


All input is appreciated!

I forgot to add that i have a soft, and a mild white and off-white arkansas stone set that i use for knives, but as they are oil stones (and cut so slow), i should stay away from using those as bevel setters right?

i just figured moving from oil to water didn't make sense, but i'm no expert.

Hello and welcome to SRP!
Most people who hone have a 1K hone to set the bevel on.
4/8K hone to the medium work and then there is a finishing hone (10K and up)
People also use a DMT 325 grit to flatten their hones. Acquire your hones over time.

I know someone with a lot more experience will chime in soon enough.

Coticules are very nice. Being a natural stone.... they have a little bit of learning curve to them. Each one is different from the next.
Always take the time to learn what your hones can do. It's a fun journey.

Good luck in your honing adventures!

Thanks, ive been lapping with the marble/400grit wet dry, does the dmt produce nicer results?

1 that's perfectly normal. The Hht only means something if YOU can get repeatable results. It's not a standard test every ones hair is a little different. So its a gauge for you to determine where your edges are.

2. The coticule will be different. Not necessarily better or worse. But you can finish off it. So its up to your personal taste. I like the ones I've got a lot. Actually they are my favourite finishers.

3. The king 1k will serve you well. There are better bevel setters out there. But it's cheap efficient and reliable. So unless you open up a sharpening business you should be perfectly happy with the king.

The last question I can't help you with. I suppose both work. If I use a paste I usually use a paddle strop.

And no the dmt don't produce nicer results. It's easier to use and it doubles as a coarse stone. But for lapping you won't notice a difference in the stones.

Unfortunately I can not comment on the coticule as I have no experience with one.

The king is a solid performer if you like lapping constantly. After lapping it cuts really fast but quickly loses its tooth.

I use a naniwa 12k and spray crox on polyester webbing to finish. I use 10ish laps on the crox strop. My edges are pretty stellar with this set up.

With my 8k I can pass an hht with coarser hair. It means little but I know which hair and how it should cut if my edge is where I like it.

I think you are better served getting your edge as sharp as possible on 1k and in your case a 4k. Without a properly apexing the bevel you're just gonna be spinning your wheels.

If your still learning the 4/8 ,my oh need to stick with it till you have it mastered, you said that there getting better , so you ain't there yet, if you've been lurking you have see n glens signature, if not look it up , you need to learn what you have before you move on , and the Gold Dollar ? Have you used a shave ready razor yet to compare what your shaving with? And don't put any faith in the HHT. Good luck. Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

If your still learning the 4/8 ,my oh need to stick with it till you have it mastered, you said that there getting better , so you ain't there yet, if you've been lurking you have see n glens signature, if not look it up , you need to learn what you have before you move on , and the Gold Dollar ? Have you used a shave ready razor yet to compare what your shaving with? And don't put any faith in the HHT. Good luck. Tc

I have used a shave ready, i have a Wester brothers honed by Larry from whipped dog, to see what i should eventually be able to attain, was shipped with a very keen edge (also possibly the worlds best customer service).

The gold dollar was simply to see if i could set a bevel as i did not want to destroy larry's, or any other nicer razors i plan on getting. it took forever on the 4k.

Glen is GSsix gun yes? i found him on youtube for JANorton its what convinced me to get that stone he's a very skilled man.

Thanks for everyones input on this!

Originally Posted by jfk742

Unfortunately I can not comment on the coticule as I have no experience with one.

The king is a solid performer if you like lapping constantly. After lapping it cuts really fast but quickly loses its tooth.

I use a naniwa 12k and spray crox on polyester webbing to finish. I use 10ish laps on the crox strop. My edges are pretty stellar with this set up.

With my 8k I can pass an hht with coarser hair. It means little but I know which hair and how it should cut if my edge is where I like it.

I think you are better served getting your edge as sharp as possible on 1k and in your case a 4k. Without a properly apexing the bevel you're just gonna be spinning your wheels.

I didn't want to sound weird by saying that but i know exactly what you mean, when i dilute the slurry and go straight water on larry's pre honed edge, i can get certain hairs to softly ping off the 8k.

Also, sorry for the late reply, had to run some errands this morning.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...on-2012-a.html

this will give you answers to questions you didnt even know you had. I found a lot of the good techniques work well for other synthetics as well.