Thread: The Stones needed...

Fellas, I've got a Welsh slate stone (8-10k) in the mail and am looking to get a stone for setting the bevel. Now my question is: what kind of stone, be it combination or 1 grit, is the "best" to start of with. TIA john

Hello John,

Well, as generic advice I'd first say that you should think about what your short to medium term goal is in terms of honing. If you just intend to refresh already honed edges for a while while you get the shave technique down pat, then I'd say don't worry about lower grit stones for a while and to consider something like a pasted strop for after the Welsh stone.

If on the other hand you want to jump straight into full-blown honing, which it sounds like you do, then you will certainly need a 1K and I would suggest also a 4K to bridge the gap to the Welsh stone. You might even need something more specifically around the 8K if it turns out the Welsh is more toward the higher end of the grit range - I don't know a lot about the Welsh stones, but I do know the naturals can vary in terms of speed and fineness from their nominal designation.

For bevel setters and lower grit stones, I'd recommend a synthetic stone. Lots of people like the Choseras, and I believe Naniwa also has the superstones variant. There's also Shapton ceramic on glass, and Norton make a 1K. So you are not short of choice.

James.

Thanks for the quick reply James, indeed I'm trying to get from seeing the bevel to the finished , shave ready razor. I bought me a gold dollar/ monkey razor and it needs some love and attention. And instead of buying everything on the market ( which the wife won't agree to, sadly ) I figured you guys can provide me with all the info needed.. so I take it , after reading your piece, a combo stone like 1k/3k is a good starter? John

Yes, a combo stone would certainly be an option since, IMO, you are going to need something(s) between the 1K and the Welsh stone.

But do some research, because it may well be that you can get two stones (1K and 4K, say) for cheaper than a single combo stone. It's been ages since I needed to buy stones in that range, so I'm not up on current market prices I'm afraid. Maybe people with more recent experience will chime in later.

James.

I'll have a look see on eBay then! There are some nice taidea stones I fancy. Thank you both for the advice!

Ha ha! My indecision pays off. I looked into a combo 3/8 naniwa ss, it was slightly more expensive than buying the two 10mm stones seperately, even with the postage, the naniwas are available through 330_mate on eBay. I was told to consider whether I would be using the stones on a table or in my hand as this would help to decide whether a plastic based version was better or a stone only was better.

Sorry to clarify the dual grit was not available from 330_mate, only.the individual stones.the combo was from a seller in Germany who's name eludes me, but I could find out for you.

Another reservation I had with the dual grit is that if I dropped it, I would lose both.

gssixguns has the perfect thread that breaks down the pros/cons of the most popular bevel setting stones.

I just can't seem to find the thread. If I do, I'll repost it here. I found it helpful. Very helpful.

I got the combo 3/8k coming. If worse comes to worse, I can always buy that stone holder thingy. If not, it will sit on a towel and be just fine.

Originally Posted by Siguy

gssixguns has the perfect thread that breaks down the pros/cons of the most popular bevel setting stones.

I just can't seem to find the thread. If I do, I'll repost it here. I found it helpful. Very helpful.

I believe you were looking for this one

http://straightrazorpalace.com/hones...l-setting.html

Originally Posted by Siguy

I got the combo 3/8k coming. If worse comes to worse, I can always buy that stone holder thingy. If not, it will sit on a towel and be just fine.

Yeah, I just plop my slates straight on the desk, but I am not too fussed about waterspots on it, you could also get a bit of non slip mat if it's an issue. I think only the thin (10mm) stones would be hard to use directly off the table due to the low clearance for fingers etc. Even a block of wood about the size.of the hone would do.