Thread: Japanese King Waterstones

I hope that this doesn't sound like a really stupid question but I bought a set of Japanese King Waterstones in 800, 1,200 and 6,000 grit along with a Nagura stone (6,000) and a stone holder. I bought these for my Japanese Hattori HD kitchen knives. The 800 and 1,600 each measure 207x66x34mm (8.1"x2.5"x1.3") and the 6,000 is a little smaller at 185x62x19mm (7.2"x2.4"x0.75")

Would they also be suitable for honing my razor when the time comes? I haven't needed to use them for my knives yet so they are still in their boxes untouched. I have to say that I will probably send it off to Neil at the Strop Shop but it would be nice to know if I could do it myself without buying a bunch of new stuff.

Advice would be appreciated.

David

Having just discovered the Wiki entry "What hone(s), paste(s), or spray(s) do I need?," I can see that the first two are probably too coarse to be usable and the last one may be OK to start with but that I would need at least one much finer grit to hone a razor. Makes sense I suppose!

David

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...ml#post1148199


There is the newest version of that article.. the stones you have should work just fine, the 800-1200 are a bit redundant in the bevel setting arena, but I could work with them or just one..
IMHO you will need something higher after the 6k, what "that" is opens the door to the whole wide world of Finishing

I never tried to 800, but the 1200 is a very nice bevel setter; maybe a little slow, but a nice usable stone that doesn't cost a fortune.

The 800 would add a little speed for the removal of chips. For basic bevel set on a healthy edge the 1200 is all you need.
FYI. They both "cut" faster with slurry. I always liked the 4k after the 1200 & found the 6 k a little redundant before the 8k but as a minimalist progression it sounds ok.
Agree with Glen, a finisher will be "desirable"

I haven't used my Belgian coticule bout yet but wouldn't that make a nice finisher with just water alone for you?, i think that's your best bet especially for razors.

Originally Posted by msimon

I haven't used my Belgian coticule bout yet but wouldn't that make a nice finisher with just water alone for you?, i think that's your best bet especially for razors.

It may but compared to synthetics of known action , YMMV. If you read posts about guys having trouble with a coticule you will see there are more factors to consider than with synthetics..
Don't buy into the "All coticules are perfect for razor finishing" hype. The same could be said for all natural stones.