Thread: What is Your Current Honing Set-up?

Hi guys

After speaking with one member who has switched to Glass, I was wondering what you guys were using these days and what you used previously. How do they compare?

For most razors

Naniwa Chosera / Professional 1-5-10 into a Natural finisher depending on the steel characteristics through the progression

Originally Posted by gssixgun

For most razors

Naniwa Chosera / Professional 1-5-10 into a Natural finisher depending on the steel characteristics through the progression

When would you use your glass stones? Or is that just finishers?

Originally Posted by JP5

When would you use your glass stones? Or is that just finishers?

I use the GS 1-2-4-6-8-16-30 pretty much only with the razors that can handle a 30k edge nowadays,,, Most American and especially NY made

The Naniwa SS 1-3-5-8-10-12 are mostly reserved for some of the new finicky steels, they are very gentle polishers and you can avoid so many issues using them, especially with slurry... Many Customs, Revisor, some of the TI steel, Wacker these are so easy when you take all the steps, and you avoid the "Sparklies"

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I use the GS 1-2-4-6-8-16-30 pretty much only with the razors that can handle a 30k edge nowadays,,, Most American and especially NY made

The Naniwa SS 1-3-5-8-10-12 are mostly reserved for some of the new finicky steels, they are very gentle polishers and you can avoid so many issues using them, especially with slurry... Many Customs, Revisor, some of the TI steel, Wacker these are so easy when you take all the steps, and you avoid the "Sparklies"

Those short intervals sound good to me.
I'm considering transitioning to glass when I start honing again but I would probably just go to 8 or 16 and use film or compound if I wanted to go finer. Wouldn't use a 30 enough to justify the expense, if at all. Not sure how it compares to other edges. I'll have to see how sharp I can get a Torrey someday on film.

Originally Posted by JP5

Those short intervals sound good to me.
I'm considering transitioning to glass when I start honing again but I would probably just go to 8 or 16 and use film or compound if I wanted to go finer. Wouldn't use a 30 enough to justify the expense, if at all. Not sure how it compares to other edges. I'll have to see how sharp I can get a Torrey someday on film.

Personally I have been recommending the 1-3-8-12 Naniwa SS it is pretty hard to beat at any price..

The Shapton Kuromaku set is also a solid set especially if you have a Natural to follow it with and the price on amazon is awesome

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The Shapton Kuromaku set is also a solid set especially if you have a Natural to follow it with and the price on amazon is awesome

Also you can get away with a pasted strop if you don't have a natural. Can't get much sharper than a 12k Kuromaku edge but it does need some taming.
Ironically it's one of their stones they don't recommend for razors but I think it was Iwasaki san or Mizouchi san said you could use the 12k if you didn't have a Jnat.

Norton 1K, 4K, 8K, Chinese with/without Belgian slur, Suehiro Gokumyo 20K

Usually 1 - 3 - 8 - 12k Naniwa SS or 1k Naniwa SS - Coticle

Lat weeekend I had a Skype one on one with a member in Florida on Arks, now Washita - med Ark - Trans Ark is in the mix too.

Shapton Kuromaku 1k or 1.5k (I prefer the 1.5k) to set a bevel followed by Norton 4k/8k, then BBW/Coticule and finish with a Vermio or Pierre La Lune or Oozuku, depending on my mood. Sometimes I end with chromium oxide on balsa.

I’m not very scientific about it, but the Sheffield steels seem to really like the coticules.