Thread: Starting hones....

Hello all,

For a beginner would a 1000/6000 Japanese wet stone suffice?

"Deluxe Combination Waterstones are fired from aluminum oxide abrasive and carefully screened for consistant size mixed into a clay matrix."

Only concern I have is that it just 2" wide. They also have Norton 1000/4000 stones available (3" wide) but are over 2x the price!

Alternatively I can also get 800/8000 Ceramic hones......

Yes that stone can be used... However I wouldn't want to shave off a 6k edge. Sure it's low cost is attractive but an 8k finish stone would be advisable. I feel 8k is the starting point for a shave ready edge, 10k would be better but that gets into fuzzy areas that only your style of honing and the final finishing you want to get into .

Originally Posted by DwarvenChef

Yes that stone can be used... However I wouldn't want to shave off a 6k edge. Sure it's low cost is attractive but an 8k finish stone would be advisable. I feel 8k is the starting point for a shave ready edge, 10k would be better but that gets into fuzzy areas that only your style of honing and the final finishing you want to get into .

+1

The most common work horse hone is a Norton 4k/8K combo.
Lots of folk go from the Norton 8K to the strop and get great shaves.

Many people that go with the Norton 4K/8K then add a finishing
hone. Some are finding the Chinese 12K to be a good value.

I recently saw a 5K, 8K, 12K hone set that got my HAD in
a bunch. A good bit more than the double sided Norton but
worth a good solid look.

Because the price of high end 10K+ finishing hones can get up there
some folk work with a CrOx balsa hone or pasted paddle
strop for a year or two.

Another good strategy to keep the budget in hand is to invest in
a fine strop and send the razor out for a touch up a couple
times while you decide on the set of hones you want.

It depends what you want to do. 1k is a bevel setter. 6k is in the middle...
Are you looking to maintain your razor? The Naniwa line is fantastic, No soaking, fast cutters. A 12k will keep your blade up to snuff. The 5k, and 8k will help when you need to do more aggresive work. The 1k and 6k Japanese hones are fine stones I'm sure, but you'll just wind up dulling your blade on them....

I recommend the Naniwa 12k over the Chinese 12k due to speed. The C12k can take up to 100 lapps to refresh your edge, That's a lot of lapps if your new, too much margine for error. The Naniwa, while more expensive, is quite fast, and a superior cutter IMO.

Originally Posted by zib

It depends what you want to do.
.....snip...

+1 it depends....

One side note: I mentioned a Norton and in the same post made
reference to some Japanese water hones. It is important
for a beginner to know that there are multiple standards organizations
that come to play in the hone specification game.

A US manufactured 8K Norton and a Japanese manufactured 8K
hone are not going to be equal because they make reference
to different abrasive standards. Add to that they are often
made with different abrasives and bonded with different compounds
so even if the grit size was equal they may hone differently.
Last I looked there are three perhaps five "standards".

There is a good reason that the Norton 4/8K combo is considered a
work horse. Also there is a reason that some of our sponsors
sell water hone sets as a set.

Hi Tolo, just another perspective, your question was will a 1/6k Japanese water stone suffice and the answer is that it probably would but it may not be ideal. One of the advantages of buying something like the norton waterstone set is that with the 220/1k and 4/8k you can go from setting a bevel to sharpening and finishing a razor to shave ready. An 8k is enough to get smooth and close shaves with. Add a balsa hone with chrom ox or diamond paste for icing on the cake or a Chinese 12k for around thirty bucks and you've got a high grit finisher. If you can afford it the 12k naniwa is a great stone IME but it is more money. The norton lapping plate isn't as good as a DMT D8C but it comes with the set and it does work. Just don't do barber hones or very coarse stones on it and it will last.

Best of all there is a large amount of documentation in the SRP Wiki on honing with these stones and they are known to many members if you have questions as you learn. If you were to ask me about the 1/6 you referred to I have no personal experience with the stone. So it is a question of saving a bit or spending a bit more and having a setup that will be more efficient in achieving your goal of a shave ready razor. That is worth the extra $ if you have it to spend. Just IMO.

Thanks all for the advice! I'm not looking to restore or take out large dings etc. It would primarily for edge maintenance and minor touchups. Would therefore a Chinese 12K suffice?

Originally Posted by Tolo

Thanks all for the advice! I'm not looking to restore or take out large dings etc. It would primarily for edge maintenance and minor touchups. Would therefore a Chinese 12K suffice?

At the price of an 8x2 from woodcraft why not pick one up and see if it does. Worse comes to worse if you do need something else you have a number of choices. Depending on the variables with your razors, shave and stropping technique it might be just fine. Buy the 8" and cut off a 1" piece for a slurry stone. A hacksaw will do it. That will give you a bit faster cutting if you need it.

Sorry slightly confused....which grit for the 8x2? And is woodcraft an American site? (Shipping to Canada may kill any savings from sourcing local).

Originally Posted by Tolo

Sorry slightly confused....which grit for the 8x2? And is woodcraft an American site? (Shipping to Canada may kill any savings from sourcing local).

The chinese stone is referred to as a 12k. Being a natural stone that is an estimate. They have a reputation for being a fine slow cutting finisher. Not the best out there but good bang for the buck. Woodcraft in the USA carries it in an 8"x2" and in an 8"x3". The 3' wide is around ten dollars more. I don't know who carries it in Canada but I would bet that it can be found up your way.