Thread: Synthetic Hones Designed For Straight Razors ?

I know very little about metallurgy and I don't know anything about chisels neither American nor Japanese. It seems that the synthetic hones are made primarily with those who sharpen tools as the target market. Anyone know what A2 is comparable to in straight razors ? Blue steel, white steel ? I guess I just wonder how optimal Shaptons, Nortons, Naniwas are for razors. I know they are very good but if they were to design hones targeting straight razors I wonder if the binder/abrasive would be any different ?

The Norton 4/8K would be a 6" x 2" combo.... perfect!

Thanks but the Norton was designed for tools. Hard edges like chisels and plane blades. The question is what would the nature of the synthetic hone be if it had been designed for straight razors ? Not for touching them up like barber hones but for honing them to a shaving edge.

I know that the Nortons, Shaptons etcetera work since I use them but I am just wondering if something engineered for straights would be better.

If I am not mistaken, most vintage coticules are water stones (like the Nortons), about 6” long and were not only used for touch-up, but also for getting a razor back to a shaving edge.
I thought all straights have hard edge… maybe a lot thinner than chisels and plain blades but just as hard.
I believe there is such a wide variety synthetic hones to sharpen all kinds of tools that there has to be one that will do for razors even if it was not meant for such… only difference would be the size, because many will want to hold the hone in there hands… difficult with a Norton.

This has me thinking to hard

Let me see if I have this straight, Your looking for a synthetic stone where the abrasive and binders are geared to the geometry and makeup of the average straight razor?

I may be off here but I would think that the plane blade and a straight razor where after the same level of polish.

I know that white steel and blue steels have a slight difference in feel on some stones. The more additives the steel has, tward the dreaded stainless, more wear resistance and reactive qualities some stones display. Glasing of a King 6k happens FAST when any stainless blade is used on them. But a white or blue steel blade can go hondreds of laps with no glasing. I find that shapton GS stones glase over with different carbon steels rather quickly. Even with straight razors this has been a problem for me at times.

So far the only thing I have found usefull in a synthetic is mostly size vs target item and will it work best with carbon or stainless.

I'm still testing out all these things as well and I guess I always will be, unless I get filthy rich enough to afford all the stones and all the makes of steel

What tools are the higher grit stones marketed towards?

The naniwa stones seem almost too soft for tools.

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

This has me thinking to hard

Let me see if I have this straight, Your looking for a synthetic stone where the abrasive and binders are geared to the geometry and makeup of the average straight razor?

I may be off here but I would think that the plane blade and a straight razor where after the same level of polish.

I know that white steel and blue steels have a slight difference in feel on some stones. The more additives the steel has, tward the dreaded stainless, more wear resistance and reactive qualities some stones display. Glasing of a King 6k happens FAST when any stainless blade is used on them. But a white or blue steel blade can go hondreds of laps with no glasing. I find that shapton GS stones glase over with different carbon steels rather quickly. Even with straight razors this has been a problem for me at times.

So far the only thing I have found usefull in a synthetic is mostly size vs target item and will it work best with carbon or stainless.

I'm still testing out all these things as well and I guess I always will be, unless I get filthy rich enough to afford all the stones and all the makes of steel

What do you mean by glazing here. I can't seem to get it as the stone is creating slurry 1;5;8 at least. Completely covered in black steel; yup, but not really glazed like an old Ark stone.