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Apologies for a beginner's question. One of the Wiki honing articles recommends using a DMT-E diamond hone. DMT does not appear to currently sell such a stone. Or perhaps I'm missing something. Could someone clarify which DMT product this is? Thanks.
Pat
I believe DMT uses one E for fine and EE for their newer 8k stone.
Yes they go Fine, then E fine and the EE fine for 8k. The E is 1.2K grit
Kingfish is right on.
I'm not sure which article you are reading, but most of us DO NOT recommend using diamond stones for honing. Most of us use diamond stones for razor repair, lapping stones, & generating slurry. Diamond stones are prone to cause micro-chipping to the bevel that you are trying to set. Waterstones , naturals & synthetic, is all I & most others use when it comes to honing.
The E is supposed to be Extra Fine, which is DMTs #1.200.
They carry extra extra coarse (EEC), extra coarse (EC), coarse (C), fine (F), extra fine (EF), extra extra fine (EEF)
As already mentioned the DMTs are workhorses and leave an agressive finish and scratch pattern for their respective grit.
This of course can be advantageous if much work needs to be done, like repair of major nicks and damage.
The DMT up to the Fine can be used for lapping Waterstones of higher or equal grit to 1.000 (coarser, or extremely hard Waterstones may destroy the DMT)
Thanks for all the comments. I think I'll stick to my 1000/4000 waterstone!
A 1.000/4.000 combination stone of good quality will do the job for a bevelset, but you will not be able to shave off it comfortably.
Why donīt you say what you are going to do with your stones, what are you trying to accomplish?
What brand is your 1k/4k stone and what else do you have?
My current 1k/4k is a Lee Valley Japanese waterstone, about 10 yrs old. I'm hoping that using it, in combination with a strop (w/ one side w/ strop paste--something like the Razor Strop Paste from Thiers-Issard) will do the trick. I failed to note that I'm simply trying to get a sharp enough straight edge to shave comfortably.
Here's a question: after using the 1k/4k stone, should I polish the edge with a 12k stone before stropping? Or will the Thiers-Issard do it?
Well, I donīt know your stone. If it is that old, maybe you should post a picture of it.
It is especially important that the stone is quite flat.
If your 1k/4k is of very good quality, then you might be able to shave off the 4k side of your stone with a TI pasted strop afterwards.
But this is a very low standart.
Usually it is preferred to go up to 8.000 and sometimes even surpass it to 12.000.
FYI if youīre eyeing with the Chinese 12k or PHIG you will definitely need a stone in between 4k and PHIG.
A recommended system is Norton 1k, 4k/8k and a finishing stone ~12k or a pasted strop
Thanks again. Sounds like I need to pick up an 8,000 and then finish with the TI paste. So much to learn!
Well you probably should pick up a 8.000. But again, you can not use any 1k/4k combination stone for sharpening razors.
If this is your stone, than it looks very much like a King brand combination stone.
These are usable but again at a rather low standart. Do you know how to flatten your stone?
Yes, I'd say that's the stone--I have the smaller of the two. Flattening the stone--? I've never done so. I've seen Norton (and "Japanese") flattening stones advertised. They seem to run about $45-60. After examining my stone a few minutes ago, I'd say it's relatively flat, but not super flat. And I'm slowly becoming concerned about trying to sharpen a nice straight edge using it. Your word "usable" about the stone concerns me. I'm getting the sense that I should invest in a new suite of stones, which, of course, I've been resisting because of the cost. Yet like all of us I want razors that are super sharp and excellent shavers. Unfortunately, I suspect that 'you get what you pay for' applies here as well as elsewhere, and I need to grit my teeth and buy the best. :-)
Hello pcg,
you obviously have a lot to learn before you can begin sharpening your daily razor.
I would recommend you send your razor to one of our honemeisters to get it in tip top condition again.
This way you will know how it is supposed to be. Then I suggest you buy a halfway decent razor on ebay, or our classifields
and learn how to sharpen not on your daily razor but another one. Learning to sharpen can be difficult and you will not always get satisfactory results
wich is not good if your experimenting on your only razor.
The King brand 1k/4k is not the best stone out there, it is the lowest quality I could recommend to anyone who really is on a budget
or wants to start learning with minimum of investment. Like mentioned above, the most common and recommended sharpening systems is Naniwa (Superstones), Norton and Shapton (Glasstones as well as Professional Stones)
These are highly regarded among sharpeners worldwide. Btw. the 1.000 side of your king stone is considered to be absolutely fine for razors,
itīs merely the 4.000 side that is below averagre quality.
Flattening a stone every now and then is an important factor in the game.
Especially old stones and soft stones like King brand need flattening.
There is a section in the Wiki regarding this subject.
All you need to know is here:
Hone Lapping 101 - Straight Razor Place Wiki
Thatīs absolutely true, but it wonīt be necessary to go as far as we crazy people do.Quote:
you get what you pay for
You can get perfectly fine results with a good foundation, a 8.000 finish and a nice polishing compound
like TI-paste, 0.5ĩm diamond on felt, 0.5ĩm chromium oxide or the quite new 0.5ĩm CBN
Thanks to you both for the good advice. Nothing offered that isn't excellent advice. You guys are great!
As a followup, I did order a Norton 3k/8k stone last night. That, combined with the King 1k, should do it! I'll then strop w/ the TI-paste. Whew.
if you ordered the norton 4/8 it will need to be lapped they arent usable until you lap them.
Hello pcg, and welcome to the world of honing! If someone else suggested this, silly me... but you should also pick up a 325-grit DMT for flattening your other stones. It's also nice to have if you've got a really ratty blade that needs some aggressive reshaping or pit removal.
Take advantage of the first chance you get to go to an SRP meetup. The best way to learn honing is to see it done. There are lots of videos on the site, too... give 'em a watch.
Good luck and best wishes.
Yes, looking forward to a meetup! Nothing beats a show & tell. I'm in the Boston area, so will have to see if anything local is in the works. From checking geographic locations, I note there are a bunch of SRP members in this area!