Thread: One Stone Hone: Coticule, J-Nat, or Something Else?

I think part of the rub (no pun) is the one stone scenario. It reminds me of the old trail bike (motorcycles) that were made for street or dirt. They might do it but they weren't ideal for either one.

I voted jnat for versatility. I think the jnat can be used for bevel set and take 'er up to a finer edge that most coticules (although not all and I love coticules as well). As far as using razor sharpening and knife sharpening - you may want to consider a king 1/6k and a jnat - two side and a total of two stones.

I think if you really take good care of your blade all you need is a finisher. If all you need is a finisher then it doesn't matter which finisher you get. I don't think it's a good idea to re-bevle every time you hone.

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Originally Posted by aaron1234

I think if you really take good care of your blade all you need is a finisher. If all you need is a finisher then it doesn't matter which finisher you get. I don't think it's a good idea to re-bevle every time you hone.

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All well and good until the day you drop your blade in the sink and need to repair the dinged edge. Can be done with a finisher I guess, but you'll be at it a while.

If you only want 1 stone to deal with I would consider finding a coticule with BBW as a backing stone. Use the BBW side for kitchen knives, and the coticule for razors. Plus you'd have the utility of using the BBW to expedite bevel setting if need be. Then you just need a rubbing stone for each side and you're set.

You could add a king 1K (or similar) and have a solid bevel setter in the mix. No need for a quarry if you're diligent and dedicated, but I'm sure you understand the reasons a beginner is advised to obtain a set of synthetics and learn on those rather than trying to naturals route.

I have to say that I just love working on coticules. Pocket knives to razors, I just love to work with one. That being said, I just finished sharpening my Shun kitchen knives on a Jnat with stellar results and I get sharper edges on my razors too. If I could only pick one or the other to do everything from kitchen knives to razors I would have to vote jnat, but I would miss my coticules dearly.

Originally Posted by crazy4str8tsinnc

I have to say that I just love working on coticules. Pocket knives to razors, I just love to work with one. That being said, I just finished sharpening my Shun kitchen knives on a Jnat with stellar results and I get sharper edges on my razors too. If I could only pick one or the other to do everything from kitchen knives to razors I would have to vote jnat, but I would miss my coticules dearly.

And yes, you would be there forever trying to fix a chip. A good coarse stone is definitely recommended as well.

Softer stones are better for knives because they cut faster due to the fact that they keep releasing new abrasive particles into the slurry. Heavier slurry concentration equals faster cutting speed. Knives normally need more work than razors and don't require as keen and smooth of an edge, so softer is better.

Harder stones mostly are used with slurry that is generated by the rubbing stone (nagura) and don't release much or any more during honing. This gives a much keener edge. Razor quality stones are all about the same "grit" or abrasive particle size from what I've seen, but knife quality stones can have slightly coarser/larger abrasive particle size.

As to the OP's question - both coticule and JNat work and I regularly use both a coticule AND a softer JNat as a "one stone hone" - admittedly after a Chosera 1.000 if a bevel set is needed. The soft JNats I use are this one http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1596757 and this one http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1221444

I use both with a "diamond nagura" (AKA worn out DMT) and they give me very sharp Japanese kitchen knives with a nice kasumi finish and comfortably shaving razors. Same with the coticule (OK, not regarding a kasumi finish ).

Of course, a razor finished on an Escher or hard Oozuku is sharper, but sometimes I prefer a more forgiving edge .

Cheers
Jörg

So has anyone come up with one stone that will do it all? From bevel to finish?

I was reading posts but haven't seen anything specific posted yet! If so, I apologize in advance!

The inherent problem with 1 stone for everything is natural finishers aren't particularly great bevel setters - and heaven forbid you have to do any sort of repair on one. My research indicates the vast majority of '1 stone systems' are actually '2 stone systems.' A 1k bevel setter, and a finisher that can be slurried to remove the stria from the 1K and gradually diluted to polish the edge. 3 if you count slurry/nagura/'diamond nagura' stones.