Advice on Finishing with a Vermio Hone

One of the shaving related gifts that I got for Christmas was a Vermio hone and I know that a few members have been using these for a while. The Vermio made my Christmas list after having thoroughly enjoyed my shaves with a razor that I purchased from Griffith Shaving Goods. At the price that Griffith is selling these hones it seemed like a great introduction to natural hones and working with a slurry.

I've been pretty busy the last month and while I've played with this hone a bit I'm still getting a feel for how to put a great finish on my razors. My last trial was to go to the Vermio from my Nani 12k and run around 40 laps on the finisher with no slurry. I'm still experimenting but I figured it wouldn't hurt to see what some of you gents who have one of these stone in their collection are doing with them.

I also got my Vermio hone from Matt at Griffith Shaving. Although I have several hones suitable for finishing, I love using the Vermio to give the edge its final polish.

Although the Vermio might work following a 12K Naniwa, if you have something in the 8-10K range or another natural stone that is in that range, you might want to try one of them rather than the Nani 12K to see which gives you the better edge overall. I find the Nani 12K gives a keen edge, but not necessarily a smooth one.

My favorite way to use my Vermio is to treat it as if it were a barber's hone. That mean either to use it with plain water, or to use a little shaving cream or soap lather as a lubricant. A few drops of liquid hand soap will also work. I presume something likes Smith water soluble honing oil might work as well. I do not suggest using regular honing oil unless you intend to continue using nothing but oil.

Although I did try it with a slurry when I first got it, I found that I get better edges without the slurry.

The Vermio is also a great hone for refreshing edges when it starts to tug. I am a senior citizen with a tough white beard and very sensitive skin. I want my edges to be very keen, yet smooth. I keep my Vermio on my bathroom counter. Every few shaves, whenever an edge starts to tug in the slightest, I take 10-20 laps on the Vermio and then rinse, dry and strop the blade. That is generally all it takes to restore the edge to my standards.

I got my Vermio from Greece. I've never considered using slurry, it's a pure finishing hone. Mine will not hold water. I have used lather, but prefer Smith's. It is as slow as a dense Arkansas, but will create a smooth keen edge. I rarely use it anymore, however, I prefer my coticule edges. Not quite as keen, but unsurpassed in smoothness.

I've noticed that it's a slow cutter. The razor I used in the last trial had a decent edge but could have been a bit smoother so I took it back for another 50 laps and I was very happy with the results. There's still some experimentation to do but I feel as if I'm slowly figuring this stone out!

It you have a stone that is a pure finisher slurry shouldn't make it less of a finisher...

The stones that Matt over at Griffith Shaving Goods sells come with a slurry stone. Seeing as cau bought his in Greece I'm assuming that he didn't get a slurry stone and not having one would probably keep me from considering the use of a slurry.

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Originally Posted by GreenRipper

I've noticed that it's a slow cutter. The razor I used in the last trial had a decent edge but could have been a bit smoother so I took it back for another 50 laps and I was very happy with the results. There's still some experimentation to do but I feel as if I'm slowly figuring this stone out!

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The Vermio (well, mine anyway) is a true finisher. That means that it is great for polishing the edge, but it removes very little metal. Thus, it is a slow cutter That is why I recommend a prefinishing hone prior to using the Vermio as a final finisher. The prefinishing hone could be an 8-12K synthetic, a CNAT, a Coticule, etc. Get the edge close to what you are looking for using a faster stone and then put on the final polish with the Vermio.

Using slurry will probably make the Vermio cut a little faster, but I suggest gradually diluting the slurry with water until you are finishing on plain water to get the very best edge (at least for my beard and face).

The fun thing about honing is that there are a lot of methods that can be used, but very few rules that have to be followed. Feel free to experiment and find out what method produces edges you like best.

I got mine from Vasilis, a member here; it did not come with a slurry stone. It's a hard stone, and very glassy. What do others use to make slurry, a softer stone, like a tomo? A piece of coticule? Or a diamond card? I can't imagine abusing the surface with a diamond card, or even a coticule. I don't have any J rub stones, so I guess it's a polisher for me.

You could use a well worn diamond plate to generate slurry, say something in 800-1000 range.