Need a point in right direction

[Robert1988]

Hi all,

right now I have 4 stones in my progression. Naniwa 1000/3000 combo, King 6000, Chinese 12k and unidentified small "bathroom touch up hone" http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ification.html, which I used extensively to keep my razors sharp before I purchased Chinese 12k.

I really seem to miss something in between King and C12k.

Would Yellow Coticule be a good choice?

Bear in mind that I was out of straight razor circles for some time and that I am crawling back slowly into it.

Cheers,

Rob

[pinklather]

From your description, its hard to say what's missing. The bathroom touch-up stone seems to be in the ballpark between the king & c12k, so the pursuit is not clear for me. If you can shave comfortably w/ the bathroom stone the only thing another version will provide is a bit more surface size to work with.

[Robert1988]

A bit more working surface would be great.

Well, I really wasn't using the small stone for nothing other than bathroom touch ups as it is really small and it is almost impossible to use it in normal rotation on hard surface (table).

It proved itself great for few quick laps/circles prior to stropping.

What am I really after is something that will require a bit less time on C12k as my arm is falling off after jump from 6000 to 12000.

Cheers,

Rob

[zib]

The obvious answer would be an 8k or a 10k perhaps.

You could use a Coticule on it's own, and finish up on your 12k. (Depending on the Coticule you get) Some people really like the edge from a Coticule. The problem with them is there's too much variance between them. It's like that line in the movie "Forest Gump" They're like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.

if I were to buy one now, I'd look for a vintage one, or find somebody's who selling one that I like. I don't like any one the new stones being sold, especially the pale colored, or green looking stones. That's me.

I have several, and have been using them for years, so I know what each one is capable of. I still use them on a occasion, but they're not my first choice, and would not be my first recomendation to someone. You may have to go through several of them before you find one that suits your needs.

I would stay with the synthetic's for now, and maybe buy a Coticule down the road to play with.

[Proinsias]

Have you tried a little slurry on the Chinese 12K?

I have two and don't find the jump between the King 6K and the Chinese hones to be an issue. If I want to speed things up a little I'll start with a slurry on the Chinese hone and dilute to water to finish.

Practical advice would be to work with what you have. Do a shave test and make sure you are getting the best edge possible at the King 6k level with a good stropping. After a good 6k edge has been established try going directly to the mystery hone, directly to the Chinese hone and then one after the other.
With a 1k>3k>6k Chinese hone, mystery hone and Cro ox I'll think you're pretty well set for getting nice edges.

Having said that a coticule would make a lovely fifth hone.

[Robert1988]

Thanks for all the answers.

It seems after all I was on a wild goose chase.

I'll try c12k with slurry then...

Cheers,

Rob

[ScottGoodman]

Hi all,

right now I have 4 stones in my progression. Naniwa 1000/3000 combo, King 6000, Chinese 12k and unidentified small "bathroom touch up hone" http://straightrazorpalace.com/honin...ification.html, which I used extensively to keep my razors sharp before I purchased Chinese 12k.

I really seem to miss something in between King and C12k.

Would Yellow Coticule be a good choice?

Bear in mind that I was out of straight razor circles for some time and that I am crawling back slowly into it.

Cheers,

Rob

You ask a lot here. First, I would stay with the basics and get back into a routine of honing. This is why I would not recommend a coticule for you at this time. A personal opinion is that Kings are just ok and C12K's are all over the place on quality. My recommendation to you to have a complete top notch set would be to add a Naniwa 8 & 12K stone. Then your stones would be just as good as anyone else's and you could ask questions we could directly answer. We can't answer a question in regards to your C12k as it could be about the same grit as your King, could have inclusions, the list goes on. You should be able to get a good shave off of the Naniwa 8K every time & the 12K would just make it smoother.

[Robert1988]

Well, I had in mind something around 8k to put between King 6k and Chinese 12k.

But I will try to hone a razor or two to get back into the game and I will report back.

Cheers,

Rob

[Havachat45]

G'Day Rob,
My suggestion would be that you have a look at gssixgun's 'one stone honing' video on the PHIG and adapt it to fit into your progression.
It can't hurt and it may save you the cost of another hone.

[mjsorkin]

If you go with naniwa 8k then you could just skip the king 6k. I agree with shooter, that adding more naniwa is your best bet. You can still finish on the cnat after the naniwa progression.