Thread: Triple Stone Set?

I am a professional chef and have a large triple-stone sharpening stone w/ a coarse, medium, and fine (red Norton IM-9) stone, although I am unsure of the grits. They are all bathed in natural honing oil. I am wondering if the red stone would work for honing my razors. Anyone have any ideas?

maybe as a bevel setter, if its dished you'd want to lap it first.

No, it's not dished, and the razor is just in need of honing, not beveling. I looked up the specs, and it seems I probably need to get a 4000/8000 waterstone. BTW, what's the difference between using a water- or oil-based stone?
The reason for this post is that I sent off my razor to be honed on a coticule and it came back AWESOME!!! But, that only lasted about a week or two. I'm sure it's probably my stropping technique, but stropping seems kind of easy to me since I have been working with sharpening and honing knives and sharp objects for about 25 years. Now my razor is pulling and tugging where I used to get BBS results. I have read the FAQ's, but need more precise information. Any help is very welcome.

Originally Posted by SkinnyChef

I am a professional chef and have a large triple-stone sharpening stone w/ a coarse, medium, and fine (red Norton IM-9) stone, although I am unsure of the grits. They are all bathed in natural honing oil. I am wondering if the red stone would work for honing my razors. Anyone have any ideas?

I have one too. I would not chance it. I sharpen knives every day and honing a SR is a completely different animal. Also if you are just starting out those thinner stones can be a little harder to learn on. The Norton 4k/8k is awesome and all you will ever need, everything else is just the icing on top. I love mine.

So then, can you explain to me about this whole slurry thing? Do I need an extra brick or something? I saw one "mentioned" on the Norton webpage, but couldn't find one in the catalog. And what is the slurry's purpose? Sorry for so many questions, but I have one more: When I sharpen my culinary knives, I always wipe off the stone to remove the excess oil...is that wrong? I don't completely dry it off, I just run my finger over it to make it not-so-messy. The Norton webpage says that I'm supposed to sharpen my "edged tools" until I see a wire edge, and THEN move to the next finer stone, but everyone here says that's a no-no. Just trying to separate fact from "friction".LOL
Thank you very much for the clarification above, and if you can help with the above conundrums I would be very appreciative.

Originally Posted by SkinnyChef

So then, can you explain to me about this whole slurry thing? Do I need an extra brick or something? I saw one "mentioned" on the Norton webpage, but couldn't find one in the catalog. And what is the slurry's purpose? Sorry for so many questions, but I have one more: When I sharpen my culinary knives, I always wipe off the stone to remove the excess oil...is that wrong? I don't completely dry it off, I just run my finger over it to make it not-so-messy. The Norton webpage says that I'm supposed to sharpen my "edged tools" until I see a wire edge, and THEN move to the next finer stone, but everyone here says that's a no-no. Just trying to separate fact from "friction".LOL
Thank you very much for the clarification above, and if you can help with the above conundrums I would be very appreciative.

Slurries are a personal preference thing. Some use them some don't and they are not necessary. They can help cut faster and some say give the edge a little more smoothness. Forget what you read on the Norton webpage about anything to do with sharpening tools. Go to youtube and search for videos by Gssixgun and Lynn Abrams about honing a straight razor. There is a wealth of info in those videos. Also use the search function in the top right corner and search JaNorton. These should answer most of your questions. What kind of razor do you have? Also I sent you a PM.

I have a Dovo Bismarck with bone scales which is gorgeous but for some reason the spike-point is always seemingly falling apart, barely noticeable to the naked eye. Even leaves a tiny scratch in my strop that I can rub out with my hand. But the whole spike seems more bevelled than the rest of the edge and that seems to be where the problem usually originates. I'm thinking about sending it to someone who will scope it for me to ensure no abnormalities are in the blade after it's been honed. I first bought it from Vintage Blades and it came with a sticker claiming it was honed by The Man Lynn Abrams Hisself. But that damned spike has always been a problem for me. I used to think it was just technique when it would draw line after line of blood down my face, but then I noticed a slight curl in the spike (which admittedly was my fault...sink encounter). I sent it to someone else for repair and rehone on a coticule and it was awesome at first. I don't let it anywhere NEAR the sink anymore, but the spike is up to the same old tricks, only I don't feel a curl or burr, but I can see...something...at the spike that makes me think part or flake of the blade broke off. Does that sound as weird to anyone else as it does to me?

Originally Posted by SkinnyChef

I have a Dovo Bismarck with bone scales which is gorgeous but for some reason the spike-point is always seemingly falling apart, barely noticeable to the naked eye. Even leaves a tiny scratch in my strop that I can rub out with my hand. But the whole spike seems more bevelled than the rest of the edge and that seems to be where the problem usually originates. I'm thinking about sending it to someone who will scope it for me to ensure no abnormalities are in the blade after it's been honed. I first bought it from Vintage Blades and it came with a sticker claiming it was honed by The Man Lynn Abrams Hisself. But that damned spike has always been a problem for me. I used to think it was just technique when it would draw line after line of blood down my face, but then I noticed a slight curl in the spike (which admittedly was my fault...sink encounter). I sent it to someone else for repair and rehone on a coticule and it was awesome at first. I don't let it anywhere NEAR the sink anymore, but the spike is up to the same old tricks, only I don't feel a curl or burr, but I can see...something...at the spike that makes me think part or flake of the blade broke off. Does that sound as weird to anyone else as it does to me?

I have a Bismark too from VB llc. It did come honed by Lynn himself and is an awesome razor. I had problems with scratches on my strop at first but it was my technique. I no longer had that problem. Some pictures may be helpful if you can get them close enough. If its warped slightly it could also cause this problem and I would suggest sending it back to VB and see if they can fix it. Some guys with more experience can help steer you in the right direction with that.

Too coarse, you better not use it for honing razors. Oil stones are not the best choice to hne razors, because they are really slow with razor pressure.