Thread: been honing with Norton in hand

I'm pretty new to honing, i actually have only recently been able to consistently set a bevel properly and hone up through the different grit stones with success...

when i first started honing i was using lapping film on a small polished marble plate...i followed a video tutorial made by Slash McCoy and he always says that if you hold the plate in your hand while honing it helps to create a balance, and helps to keep the blade on the honing surface better...

well i was having a lot of trouble keeping my blade flat on my Norton 4k/8k and my Naniwa 12k...i was honing sitting down like Lynn does in his videos.....

so yesterday I decided to try holding the stone in my left hand and honing with my right hand... all I can say is "holy crap" I can't believe it worked...it felt comfortable, and very natural, and the blade just seem to melt into the stone never leaving the stone's surface... I just put the best edge on my blade that I have ever had and subsequently had the best shave I've ever had with a straight razor...

I suppose it's all about finding the best way to do things that work for you... and I'm happy to have found something that really works for me

I made the same transition to honing in hand, and I can't imagine doing it any other way now.

Originally Posted by Badgister

I made the same transition to honing in hand, and I can't imagine doing it any other way now.

That's exactly how I felt, it's like it was meant to be hah.

The first time is saw anyone holding a stone while honing was in a YouTube video of Mastro Livi and at the time I couldn't believe that he could just reach into the bucket of water, pull out a stone and give the razor a few laps...but last night that was EXACTLY what I found myself doing, and it was as natural as can be.

The Norton 8x3 is a chunk of stone. I have some smaller naturals, 5x2 1/2 that I will hone in hand, and it is pretty cool. I started out with the Nortons and Lynn's video. I hone standing at the kitchen counter, in front of the sink, and found that more comfortable, and efficient, for me than sitting down. I guess it is a matter of what you get used to. Whatever works best for you.

I definitely agree, it is a bit bulky to hold in hand, the Naniwa's seem a bit thinner and maybe easier to hold, do you know if they come out of the stand they're in?

That's funny because I also hone standing at the kitchen counter, I fill the smaller side of the sink with water and put my stones in there, fits perfectly...and put my DMT in the bigger side of the sink for lapping. It's nice because everything can get wet without damaging anything.

A lot of time I find it depends on the specific razor. The balance,? The size,?, the scales,? Some work better holding the stone; others on a table.

Originally Posted by Boarder277

I definitely agree, it is a bit bulky to hold in hand, the Naniwa's seem a bit thinner and maybe easier to hold, do you know if they come out of the stand they're in?

That's funny because I also hone standing at the kitchen counter, I fill the smaller side of the sink with water and put my stones in there, fits perfectly...and put my DMT in the bigger side of the sink for lapping. It's nice because everything can get wet without damaging anything.

From what I've heard taking the naniwa supers out of the base is a no go. OTOH, they make the same stone 10mm thick instead of 5mm with no base. Last I knew you had to order them from Germany or Japan. I had those for awhile but sold them. The 10mm stones are quite heavy though so that would sort of defeat the purpose if hand holding was the goal.

Honing at the kitchen sink is my preferred method for exactly the reasons you mention. Very convenient. Also, my arm kind of naturally hangs in a comfortable position to go through the stroke. If I'm sitting down I could never get my arm in a comfortable hang that felt "right."

I use the table & stone holders. I want the most consistency that I can get. I want to be able to rule out certain components one at a time when I'm having problems with a blade.

I watch all the Heat games, got my Norris Cole # 30 jersey in the mail last week, went to the court a day later wearing it, still missed the rim 8 out of 10 times, just can't figure it out.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

From what I've heard taking the naniwa supers out of the base is a no go. OTOH, they make the same stone 10mm thick instead of 5mm with no base. Last I knew you had to order them from Germany or Japan. I had those for awhile but sold them. The 10mm stones are quite heavy though so that would sort of defeat the purpose if hand holding was the goal.

Honing at the kitchen sink is my preferred method for exactly the reasons you mention. Very convenient. Also, my arm kind of naturally hangs in a comfortable position to go through the stroke. If I'm sitting down I could never get my arm in a comfortable hang that felt "right."

I had a feeling that was the case with the Naniwa stones in the stand. It looks like the stand might be light enough to hold the whole thing in one hand while honing. Does it seem like it's pretty light?

Originally Posted by Boarder277

I had a feeling that was the case with the Naniwa stones in the stand. It looks like the stand might be light enough to hold the whole thing in one hand while honing. Does it seem like it's pretty light?

I've never had the superstones in the base. I imagine they would be pretty light. The plastic base probably weighs next to nothing and the stone, being 5mm thick, is half the thickness of a Norton. Maybe give Don a call over at SRD and he could probably tell you definitely. The 12k superstone is one of the favored finishers, for the feel of the edge on skin ...... IME.