Noob looking for hone advice

[Perdition]

I'm pretty new to SR shaving and to SRP so if I am posting this in the wrong place by all means let me know. As I said I am a beginner but in the future I plan on honing my own razors. I won't need to hone for at least a couple of months but I am doing some preliminary research and have a couple of questions concerning what type of equipment I may need. I will be honing as a matter of regular maintenance and to keep the edge, I don't plan on doing any heavy restoration or repair of chips or otherwise damaged edges (I hope, crossing my fingers).

From what I have read a lot of people recommend the Norton 4k/8k, and I have been leaning toward that, but I have read some information that suggests for simple upkeep a Naniwa 12k may be more appropriate. So I would appreciate any opinions or other suggestions.

Another question I had was concerning what to use to finish the blade. I have read a lot about CroOx and other pastes, like the red and green pastes or diamond pastes, used on paddle or hanging strops. Also I have heard some people use barber stones or coticule stones for finishing purposes. Again any advice on what you guys find works the best or what you think may be best for someone just starting out is much appreciated.

Anything you guys could add would be very helpful, there seem to be a lot of options out there and I would just like to get some opinions of those who have far more experience that I.

Thank you all,

Jon

[JimmyHAD]

I like that Norton 4/8. You never know when you may want something a little coarser than the 12k and you can shave nicely off of the 8k. Eventually you'll probably add the 12k anyhow. Just IMO.

[Perdition]

Yeah, like I said I have been leaning toward the norton. It seems like it is what a lot of people use. What would you suggest after the norton to finish the edge?

[mrsell63]

Nortons are a good choice and then you might want to add an inexpensive but time consuming Chinese 12,000 grit (Ch 12k) or a Naniwa 12k.
OR if money isn't an issue, try to acquire a vintage Escher or a 16k Shapton glass stone and maybe you might like to go "ape" and get a Nakayama Maruichi or Asagi etc as many of us have done. Here we are talking megabucks so you have many options from which to choose later on.

Keep reading past posts about hones and don't make any snap decisions as to which finisher you want. Be patient. Honing is learned over a period of years. JERRY




SRP members hone more razors by 9:00 AM than the Pakistanis hone in a month !

[BHChieftain]

Norton 4k/8k seems to be the best place to start as a foundation hone, and Lynn has posted a really good method based on that hone in the wiki.

For the finishers, you'll need to decide between synthetics and naturals.

An alternative to the norton as a base hone is a yellow coticule, or a yellow coticule + Belgian Blue Whetstone. You can find these separately, or in a natural combination where the bottom layer is a BBW and the top layer is a yellow coti. The nice thing about the coticule is that it can be used with just water as a finisher (ie, after using the norton), or used with a slurry for more aggressive honing (ie, instead of the norton), so if you wanted only a single hone this would be a good choice.

Bart has an article in the Wiki on how to hone using the yellow coticule + BBW. You can also just use the yellow coticule by itself by slowly dilluting the slurry, that procedue can be found at www.coticule.be.

The "issue" with naturals like the coticule is that every stone is different, so it takes some getting used to for best results if you are using it for anything besides a finisher (ie, using a slurry instead of just water). The nice thing I hear about the nortons is they are all the same, so if you are learning to hone, it takes some variables out of the equation.

I started with just the coticule, but it took me awhile to figure it out. If I were to do it all over again, I would start with the norton, then add a coticule as a finisher, then later figure out how to use just the coticule.

So many different choices, and the only way to tell what you like is to try 'em out... but the good news is hones sell really fast on the classified section here, so say you invested in a hone and didn't like it, you could unload it pretty quickly.

-Chief

[Whiskers]

+1 for the Chieftan. Norton 4k/8k + coticule = winning combo.

[mosley59]

+1 for BHChieftain as well - Cotis can be used for everything from bevel setting up, but require a bit of learning before you can get it right. Using something reliable and synthetic like the 4/8K to get the basics down then adding in the Coti at a later point is probably the easiest way to go.

Naniwa stones are well-thought-of synthetic stones, but would cost a wee bit to get a good progression - probably around 2-3 hundred. SRD has the full set for sale for $359 (add a bit more to get a lapping stone, as Naniwas are soft, so could dish from inexpert (read: n00bish) honing). However, if money is an issue, I see 2 options.
1. Just buy a coti - they're versatile enough to do everything and you can get a great edge off a coti alone, although as mentioned the learning curve is a bit steep at first.If you want to supplement the coti and speed up the honing progress, 1K stones are plentiful and generally cheap.
2. Norton set, from 220grit up to 8K with a flattening stone from Amazon - the set's cheap, comprehensive (breadknife out frowns/nicks on the 220, set the bevel with the 1K, then progress up to 8K with the 4/8K pyramid) well-though of, and is a synthetic hone like the Naniwa, so no quirks or individual foibles like you'd get with a natural stone like a J-Nat or Coti.

[mitchshrader]

I'd agree the BBW/Coticule will teach you more about honing than you know now, and the Norton isn't as educational. The Norton is less expensive as well.

I can't even promise you that you'll find a good combination stone, they're rare and especially so for the larger sizes.

Start trying. Norton is always there if and when you want it. For all that I've recommended Norton stones for knives, your face deserves the coticule. You won't be sorry you made the investment, and I certainly havn't been.