Thread: If money was no object

Originally Posted by BertyBloggs

Was brought up to be a carpenter/cabinet
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I will be ordering a set of shapton ceramic stones as these look alot lighter than others which will make them easier for me. thanks again as I didn't know they exsisted. going to start my collection with 4k, 8k,16k and possibly 30k. unless I can find a second hand norton 4k, 8k in which case I will just get shapton 16k, 30k
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Skip the 30k shapton for now unless you get a bargain on a full kit.
It is a boat load of money and I doubt most will see the value.
If you skip the 30k or not do not skip the 1k and perhaps one slightly
coarser (500 grit). You will not use the 500 grit much but
if you need it you need it.

The Norton 4k/8k combo is a work horse and a lot of value for the
money but not the only choice. The norton 1000 grit works well when paired with
a large extra coarse DMT to keep it flat. A big DMT can be replaced with
a flat bit of steel or a granite tile and some 3M wet dry to lap on. Lapping
is often over done but has value.

Have glass surface protector for kitchen I use for lapping woodwoking hones with wet & dry I have meny for woodworking from 250 to 600 approx all oil stones. but feel sure with some brake cleaner to remove oil from blades and a good wash after these could be utilised on very damaged blades couldn't they ?
Also the rule I was told when lapping was to use wet & dry of half the value of the stone is this still a good rule of thumb for water stones ?

Originally Posted by BertyBloggs

If money was no object and you was going to buy new with the intention of takeing razors from a rusty Ebay bargin. Polishing it back to mirror finish. Then resetting the bevel removing a frown or chip etc through to shave ready what would be the best stones to buy and why ?

If money was no objection, how much cars would you buy for the purpose of driving?
If money was no objection, I would still have only the stones I have now to to the things you describe.
Sure, I might buy another finisher or try another brand of stone, but for the purpose of getting a job done, you really don't need that much to work with.

For restoration (which is what I do) you 'need' (to do it without undue effort) a flattening stone, a 1000K synthetic. A 4000/8000 synthetic or equivalent (which can be a coticule for example) and a finisher.

Getting more of each will not really improve what you are doing.

EDIT:
Also, if you are learning how to hone, skip the 30K and even the 16K for now. If you cannot get a comfortable shave off an 8K stone, then there is no point in going higher.

Originally Posted by BertyBloggs

Have glass surface protector for kitchen I use for lapping woodwoking hones with wet & dry I have meny for woodworking from 250 to 600 approx all oil stones. but feel sure with some brake cleaner to remove oil from blades and a good wash after these could be utilised on very damaged blades couldn't they ?
Also the rule I was told when lapping was to use wet & dry of half the value of the stone is this still a good rule of thumb for water stones ?

Since we recommend oiling razors to protect from rust do not
worry about oil from your oil stones. Wipe with a shop rag, papertowel
or tissue paper and you are fine. Even common soap and water is OK.

90+% of the reason to lap is to flatten the hone.

After removing about half a sheet of paper thickness
I am good to go most days. On my fine grit hones I often
reach for the manufacturers rubbing stone or a smaller old
well worn DMT to soften the surface. The little credit card
size DMTs are good for this and less expensive than the
large DMT that makes "flat" possible.

Most water stones are a lot softer than other hones. After lapping,
if you are concerned in less than 30 seconds a small bar of common
normal steel you can worry away any lumps and bumps left from lapping
and begin breaking the slurry down for the razor.

Back to "brake cleaner": removing all the surface oil
will invite rust. Same for alcohol and other disinfectant
solutions. Always rinse the razor clean and lightly
oil before storage. Other tricks are possible but
you get the idea: do not hand sand and polish for a week,
hone, strop then three days later find a red/ black rusty mess.

I'm lucky money is an object, i think i already have shares with Max and Alex

But if money was no object i would still have what i have now and i love me Shapton glass stones... But i would have one hell of a nice jnat finisher, maybe something with a little Karasu. But its nice to dream about the things we want

I'd buy what I use now:

• DMT XX 120 - for lapping and knife, almost never used for a razor.
• DMT X 325 - fine lapping and heavy work on razors.
• DMT E 1200 - setting razor edges, fine wood working tools.
• DMT EE 8000 - razors and the finest wood tools (like cross-cutting softwood); on knives only to show off.
• A barber hone or Shapton 16 - finishing a razor edge. I usually prefer a Frictionite 00 barber hone over the Shapton for ease of use.

If all I sharpened was razors, I could get by with 1k, 8k, and a barber hone or CrOx.

Originally Posted by EisenFaust

A full set of Shapton GlassStones!

Amen...
Stingray

I have all the Shapton stones and love them but have recently discovered the welch purple slate stones and they are quite nice and I use them often (my favorite is a 8"x4"and is nearly 2 inches thick...it weighs about 5 pounds). I also have a coticule and a set of Nortons but I have used the DMT 1200 to set a bevel and clean up chips frowns and smiles with great success.

I have Naniwa SS, Norton, and Shapton sets. Very few razors can handle the 30K, lets say about 1%. My "go-to" recipe is Chosera 1K, Shapton GS 2,4,8,16, followed by Escher.

I do think I'm going to piece together a Chosera set as I love the 1K.

If money was no object I'd wouldn't buy any stones. I'd buy a new razor and have it sharpened by a honemeister and when it got dull I'd just throw it away and buy another.