Thread: Help with honing.

Hi all,

I'm interested in starting to learn to hone my razors. I have a $200 budget. I know that a single stone can go north of $200. I know I'll need, likely, several stones.

On a $200 budget what would you recommend starting with? All the information I've been reading is pretty daunting.

Thanks for any help.

Look around at some of the shaving sites. You can get a very nice set of Synthetic bench stones for under 200$

Look at norton 4000/8000 and naniwa.


Michael

I would get a dmt1200 diamond plate for quick and easy bevel setting..and a nice combo coticule (these do everything).

I'd get a Norton, 4/8k, and spend the rest on gas to meet up with another member that hones.

I agree with AFDavis11. The Norton 4/8 is the best bang for the buck. You can comfortably shave off the 8K. In the future you can add more if you want, but to start that's all you need. That or the Naniwa system which is similar.

Lets assume that I want to build a set of stones and necessary accessories. What would that laundry list be?

I'm surfing a lot of craigslist for shapton stones. What should I look for or be wary of in used stones?

1k..sets bevels
4k/8k..sharpen/polish
12k..finisher

1k..sets bevels
4k/8k..sharpen/polish
12k..finisher

Originally Posted by fifthmanstanding

Lets assume that I want to build a set of stones and necessary accessories. What would that laundry list be?

I'm surfing a lot of craigslist for shapton stones. What should I look for or be wary of in used stones?

Your list would totally be dependent on your needs. Are you planning to restore edges eg eBay purchases or just touch up already sharp razors ?

Shapton stones are more exe than the oft recommended Nortons & it may probably take some time for you to tell the difference.

It's often advised to simply start by learning to keep a razor sharp rather than trying to build an edge from scratch. In which case then you only need a finishing stone in the system you wish to build. If you're keen on the Shapton GS stones, an 8k & maybe a 16k would be all you need then work your way down when you feel like the challenge.

Stones don't suffer from many issues to watch for in 2nd hand buys so as long as they're not worn out or cracked they should be good to go.

Originally Posted by smalltank

1k..sets bevels
4k/8k..sharpen/polish
12k..finisher

Plus a DMT 325 plate for lapping and heavy restoration work.

If I was forced to sell off all but the essential hones, this would be the remaining set.