Best place to buy hones

[RazorFang]

Hi all,

Thanks to Maxi for sending me Micro Mesh. Now I'm well on my way to start restoring.

But I have a few questions about hones. My grandfather has a Arkinsol 8k hone. Does anyone know anything about them?

Secondly, my father has been shaving with his kropp for quite some time now, and he said that you have to keep the ridge of the razor flat on the stone to get the right angle when honing it. How much truth is in that, and wont it scratch your ridge like mad?

Thirdly, where is the best place to buy hones, and which brands should I look out for? (I live in SA, so the best hones we get here are chisle hones of about 200 grit).

I'm sorry if I'm repeating questions that have been posted before, I did search for a relevant topic, but couldnt exactly find it.

[AlanII]

Don't know that hone but, used properly, an 8k can give a good shave. Your father is right, you can protect the spine with tape if it bothers you but make sure you use the same type or thickness when you re-hone or you'll end up putting multiple bevels on a razor. There are many outlets for hones all over the internet (do a little reading in this part of the forum and you'll soon be spoiled for choice) and many types (ditto). Since you're going into restoration, you need at least a 1k for chip removal and bevel setting, after that, you can stay in the same system (eg Naniwa Superstones, Nortons) or branch out into naturals. Good luck.

[Sonny082]

You can go to sharpeningsupplies.com and check out the stones they have to sell there; they are new stones and fairly reasonable in price. I believe that they sell the Naniwa japanese natural stones and the norton stones as well; 1000 grit to repair nicks in the blade and set the bevels, 4000/8000 combination stone to sharpen and finish your blade and ready to strop. Check them out, that is the link, just type it in your computer's browser ( sharpeningsupplies.com ). It should get you to their web site and they have an 800 toll free phone number to call, I believe. You can always check on e-bay auction site ( e-bay.com ) for used barber hones. Happy Honing!!! Sonny082

[Sonny082]

Sorry, I forgot to tell you that it is necessary to keep the razor flat on the stone and yes, the razor spine or backbone does set proper angle to sharpen the razor and keeps it uniform. Also, you will want to make certain that any stone you use to sharpen your razor with is completely flat or lapped otherwise you will be sharpening your razor's blade unevenly which will wear away your razor and eventually ruin it. Good Luck!!! Happy Shaving!!! Do not become discouraged, there is a lot to learn, but it is worth the effort once you have learned. This is a great site to obtain information and help. Hang in there and just keep on keeping on!!! Sonny082

[RazorFang]

So I had a look at that website, AWESOME!

But now my question is, since I live in SA, and its ZAR 7 - ZAR 8 per USD, I wont be able to afford each and every grit. Which grits should I get?

[RazorFang]

Wow, a 30000 grit stone?

[mainaman]

Wow, a 30000 grit stone?

what are you talking about? Sahpton GS?

[zib]

We do have a member from So.Africa on here. He pops on every now and then. Leadingedge..Anyway, Here's a great post from one of our Mods called Gssixgun.
What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Read that, it should answer most of your questions, if you have more, just ask....

Cheers....

[RazorFang]

Yeah the Shapton Glass Stone