Thread: What stone to get for a quik touch up

What is a good stone or what is a good grit to use to put a nice sharp edge back on the blade? I bought the 12000 grit Naniwa stone and I cant get the razor super sharp like the way I got it/

I'm wondering the exact same thing! Thanks for the question.

Sometimes Diamond paste/spray in addition to your stone will take your blade to the next level.

The 12 K is a great hone for what you want to do. You could go finer or you could add pastes/sprays to your arsenal. Also, there are naturals that would probably get you a better edge than the 12K.

Unfortunately, the only sure answer is practice and continued learning. The learning you can accomplish here on SRP. The practice can be a lot of fun, particularly if you just have a few razors to keep sharp.

So, what's my recommendation for additional equipment...I would get a modular paddle and some diamond spray and some CrOx spray.

12K is for polishing up a razor's edge and making it smoother to shave with...it's not for "sharpening". It helps to "smooth" the edge. You may try what Zib mentioned with a pasted strop, but without seeing the razor it's hard to diagnose. Was it pulling? If so, it may need to go back to a more aggressive stone like 5K Naniwa, followed by the 8 & 12K if by chance you rolled the edge when stropping.

Three choices:

1)Franz Swaty Razor Hone
2)Swaty Barber Hone
3)Swaty 3 Line Hone

Ha ha, 2 are the same.

I would'nt be shavin straight without one.

Just a little pointer. It will take a while before you can get an edge to the same level as your razor was originally, if as I assume it was done by a honemeister; regardless of whether you are using the same stone.

Could you get the same lap time as a top Formula 1 driver, if you had the same car? Could you even get close even if you were the same weight had the same exteranal temperature and all other variables the same?

Any art takes time to master, honing is no exception.

When I got my first Escher, I thought I'd be able to achieve the same edges as Steve over at the Invisible Edge who finished on a Naniwa 12K. Even with a Charnley, my edges are very good but not quite as good as Steve's. I imagine it will take me a while, and I've been at this for 2 years.

Originally Posted by Andrevs20

What is a good stone or what is a good grit to use to put a nice sharp edge back on the blade? I bought the 12000 grit Naniwa stone and I cant get the razor super sharp like the way I got it/

There is not enough info here to even attempt an answer..

Your not giving us the starting point of the razor, we are assuming that you mean touching up a razor that has just started to slip from shave ready... From a professional honing...
And even with that assumtion we don't know how far you let it slip...

12K naniwas are a final step usually used to polish and refine an already sharp edge. Get a 5K naniwa. 4 to 5 strokes on a 5k should do it. If you're looking to have it refreshed.

You'd need to have a finer grit stone than the 5k though. You could get a shave out of the razor after that stone, and some of the really good honers can get a comfortable shave from that stone, but most of us would probably like something a little bit finer!

If you do get the 5k, which is really a sharpening stone, you'll need to add at least an 8k and maybe a 10k or 12k as well.