Thread: Small stones

What do you feel is the smallest stone you could use on an average size straight razor

I have one that is about 1" by 2".

Aaron, are you looking for a "name that tune" type of contest or did you have a particular size of hone in mind?

I will say that an experienced honer, who is better capable of keeping the blade flat on the hone, can use one much smaller than an inexperienced honer.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Aaron, are you looking for a "name that tune" type of contest or did you have a particular size of hone in mind?

I will say that an experienced honer, who is better capable of keeping the blade flat on the hone, can use one much smaller than an inexperienced honer.

It was a pure curiosity question. I know that when dealing with knives it is recommended that your stone be at least as long as your blade but because razors are honed differently I was curious if there was a different rule.

Originally Posted by bouschie

I have one that is about 1" by 2".

I have a translucent Arkansas like that it was a freebie out of a lot and personality I don't think there's any point to mine. It doesn't make a good slurry stone and it's probably a bit pointless for fish hooks.

4x1 is about as small as I care to go. Here's a video honing on a 4x 1 1/4 coticule. I use it as a travel stone

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dCtfSAMvuaY

I have a small coticule, 23x101 mm (a bit under 1"x4"). I have honed a few razors on it (full honing), and found it a doable challenge, if you will. I used to have a 5x20 cm coticule, but sold it as I found it uncomfortably large - too long and too heavy. I have come to prefer thinner hones.

I love small stones. At first, the only reason I got the smaller stones was because I couldn't afford the big ones. Ha! But I have grown to really like small stones, and like the Spender said, they are very nice to hold in a flat hand while honing. I find I have more control using the smaller stones this way. Here's my collection of small stones, not including my Barber hones. The bottom right 3 stones are my favorites and are all 1"x5". My "Magic" Coticule that is very fine, a yellow/green combination Thuringian, and a dark blue Thuringian that is finer than the yellow/green. I've used the dark blue Thuri on the last 7 razors I've honed and the edges I've been getting off of it have been incredible.

Originally Posted by Dcaddo1

4x1 is about as small as I care to go. Here's a video honing on a 4x 1 1/4 coticule. I use it as a travel stone

I have one just like that. It is a good hone.

No real rules as such, though there are a few threads about quartons (quarter nortons) that someone was selling. I think the consensus was that they were not that useful.