Thread: Saving for some hones - thoughts/suggestions/advice?

As the name states, I'm looking at buying myself some hones, as sending a razor away to be honed is expensive and slow for me, way down here in New Zealand. Being a student, I'm trying to do this for cheap, which means no fancy Asagi, DMT, Shapton 30K or Nakayama hones for me. Instead, I need some cheap, simple hones that will do the job fast and well. Having been on here a wee while now, I think I know what I'm going to need (feel free to correct me if I'm sadly mistaken), but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts as to my proposed purchases.

Bevel-setting: The ubiquitous Norton 4/8K (I've found it at Woodcraft for 80USD - does anyone know of anywhere cheaper?)

Polishing: Chinese 12K (aka People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit)

Loupe: a 30x loupe for edge inspection - $8 pp from a site that slips my mind right now

Questions:
- I know 1k stones are used by a lot of the honemeisters here, but are they really necessary for bevel setting, or will my 4/8K be enough for that? If a 1k is needed, which would you recommend, and where's the cheapest to purchase said 1k from?

- I'm after a polishing stone that doesn't require a ridiculous number of laps to put that final edge on my razor - is there something faster than a C12K out there that will put a comparable edge on a razor? And if so, how much more cash am I going to be looking at shelling out for that hone, compared to the 20USD for the C12K? Alternatively, would buying one of the C12K slurry stones from the SRP classifieds be a good way to make the hone cut faster and put a good final edge on a razor?

- Am I able to lap with just basic 3M Wet/Dry sandpaper in a range of grits? I see people talking about using special films or lapping plates, but am worried about having to shell out heaps of cash for these necessities (just checked the price on a DMT lapping plate and had to have a wee sit-down!).

Thanks in advance for the replies which I anticipate will simply flood in for this extremely exciting topic.

Lapping plate. Go to your local kitchen worktop place usualy they have plenty of granite offcuts in the skip and probably will cost you nothing. Few 3m wet/dry papers for proper lapping of your stones.
Why not to buy Norton set from amazon it is about $120 and you will have covered most for your needs.
Then a piece of balsa from local model&craft shop . Slap some CRO on it and you should be on the way.
Finish can be done with a clear strop made out of newspapers, or a piece of leather from saddlery glued on plank of wood or made into hanging strop.

Tough questions to answer.
i say always if you need to do something you will need to have tools for it.
In your case i would recommend go head try barber hones.
There is a problem with barber hones .you need to know them very well.In the other hand good barber hones are not cheap ether.

go with
1k norton
4/8 k norton
chromium o2 balsa strop.
strop.
hope this helps.
if you are really in trouble and need your razor sharpen now i can sharpen 2 of them for You
This is all i can help.

Is 1K necessary? It depends on the blade and its state.

I have spent close to a week trying to get a dull Grelot sharp enough to shave arm hair, but failed. One night I went back down to a 800 grit sheet of sandpaper, then back up to BBW/coticule and I was able to shave with it on the same night.

If you just need to perform edge maintenance, 4K/8K is probably enough for now. If you need to correct/reset bevels, a stone around 1K is nice to have.

The 1k stone is mighty good to have to set the bevel. It will save you a lot of time. The Norton 4/8 is a real workhorse and was the standby for razor honing on SRP for a long time before some of the more exotic hones came along. I would get the 1k and the 4/8 combo before worrying about a higher grit stone. Nothing wrong with a shave off of the 4/8 ... not on my beard anyhow. Treat yourself to a higher grit finisher down the road once your doing well with the other stones. Just my 2 bits.

Originally Posted by adrspach

Lapping plate. Go to your local kitchen worktop place usualy they have plenty of granite offcuts in the skip and probably will cost you nothing. Few 3m wet/dry papers for proper lapping of your stones.
Why not to buy Norton set from amazon it is about $120 and you will have covered most for your needs.

So just a slab of granite with some decent wet-dry should lap hones fine? Awesome. I considered getting the Norton set, but didn't really want to buy it unless a 1k hone was absolutely necessary, and they may very well not ship to New Zealand [EDIT: They don't]. I may have to look at buying that now, perhaps Woodcraft have it as well so I can combine it with my C12K to save on shipping.

ETA: What are King Brand hones like? They have a very reasonably priced 1K at Woodcraft that I may add to the list if it's agreed it's not rubbish, since combined shipping to New Zealand is definitely the way to go if I can help it.

Originally Posted by mosley59

ETA: What are King Brand hones like?

IIRC member JimR in Japan has a King 1k ? Shoot him a PM and ask him. Also you could inquire about Naniwa Superstones. I have the 20mm thick version without the base and they are all I have been using lately. They load up fairly quickly but they cut fast and I find I like them very much. Do a google on those, if you could get them you would be doing fine.

I do not know what $5 means to ya but I have been eyeballing this one.
VintageÂBladesÂLLCÂ::...
$75 here

Originally Posted by mosley59

As the name states, I'm looking at buying myself some hones, as sending a razor away to be honed is expensive and slow for me, way down here in New Zealand. Being a student, I'm trying to do this for cheap, which means no fancy Asagi, DMT, Shapton 30K or Nakayama hones for me. Instead, I need some cheap, simple hones that will do the job fast and well. Having been on here a wee while now, I think I know what I'm going to need (feel free to correct me if I'm sadly mistaken), but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts as to my proposed purchases.

Bevel-setting: The ubiquitous Norton 4/8K (I've found it at Woodcraft for 80USD - does anyone know of anywhere cheaper?)

Polishing: Chinese 12K (aka People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit)

Loupe: a 30x loupe for edge inspection - $8 pp from a site that slips my mind right now

Questions:
- I know 1k stones are used by a lot of the honemeisters here, but are they really necessary for bevel setting, or will my 4/8K be enough for that? If a 1k is needed, which would you recommend, and where's the cheapest to purchase said 1k from?

- I'm after a polishing stone that doesn't require a ridiculous number of laps to put that final edge on my razor - is there something faster than a C12K out there that will put a comparable edge on a razor? And if so, how much more cash am I going to be looking at shelling out for that hone, compared to the 20USD for the C12K? Alternatively, would buying one of the C12K slurry stones from the SRP classifieds be a good way to make the hone cut faster and put a good final edge on a razor?

- Am I able to lap with just basic 3M Wet/Dry sandpaper in a range of grits? I see people talking about using special films or lapping plates, but am worried about having to shell out heaps of cash for these necessities (just checked the price on a DMT lapping plate and had to have a wee sit-down!).

Thanks in advance for the replies which I anticipate will simply flood in for this extremely exciting topic.

I noticed that Norton literally yesterday as I was browsing and wondering what the next thing to take my money would be. I'd like to buy from there, but they don't sell the other hone that I want to buy as well, so rather than pay two lots of international shipping, I'll spend the extra $5 on the hone and save on the shipping.

Amazon.com: Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone: Home Improvement

Norton 220/1000, 4000/8000, lapping plate and stone holder/stand

~$120USD

Free shipping