Thread: Bevel setting. Naniwa 1k/3k

I have a King 1k/6k which I use for setting the bevel at the moment. I wonder if the Naniwa 1k / 3k is better or worse for bevel setting. Any people experienced with the Naniwa combo stone.

The 1/3 is their ceramic stone isn't it? I think most here use the Naniwa pro or the specialty stones. If you're looking for a not too expensive bevel setter, I'm gonna borrow Lynn's suggestion and say try out the Naniwa Traditional 1K.

Edit: I suspect the reason I don't see many people using the line the 1/3 comes from is because they leave a more coarse edge than the other Naniwa offers.

Do you think it will be better as the King 1k which I use now for bevel setting

Originally Posted by HiFuMi

I have a King 1k/6k which I use for setting the bevel at the moment. I wonder if the Naniwa 1k / 3k is better or worse for bevel setting. Any people experienced with the Naniwa combo stone.

I have a complete set of Naniwa sharpening stones (the new 3/4: thick superstones. For restoration, I have sometimes gone back to the 220 or 400 grit if I needed to remove a lot of metal. I can shave arm hair off the 220 grit stone, but I would not try it on my face.

The 1K Naniwa is great for setting bevels on most razors. The King 1K will do the job, as will a 1K Norton and many other stones. Any stone that is approximately 1K can get the job done, but some will take longer than others. The key is insuring that you get the bevel set from heel to toe on both sides of the blade before moving on to other stones.

After that, you are just trying to remove the scratches left by the previous hone. If you jump from a King 1K to a King 6K, it is going to take a lot of work to remove all the 1K scratches. You might even be polishing over top of the deeper scratches without removing them. Thus, it is better to have at least one other stone in the 2-4K range to remove the 1K scratches.

Although it is certainly not necessary to use every hone, I normally progress from a Naniwa 1K to a 2K, 3K, 5K, 8K, 10K and 12K in series. I only do enough strokes on each hone to remove the scratches from the previous hone. Normally, that will be 10-15 laps. I have some razors that finish well on the Naniwa 12K, but others benefit from a natural stone either after the 12K, or in lieu of the 12K.

What works best for you will depend upon the type of steel in your razor, the condition of your beard and the sensitivity of your face. I have a tough, fast-growing beard and sensitive skin, so I am always trying to achieve a very sharp, yet smooth edge on my blades. On some razors, I can achieve that fairly easily; others razors have proven to be a real challenge.

What are you hoping to gain by changing hones?

Bob

Thanks. This helps. I do not jump straight to 6k. I do Coticule with slurry between 1k and 6k and are now going to experiment with BBW in between.

I thought maybe Nanniwa 1k to be better than King 1k as that is a rather cheaper stone

Originally Posted by HiFuMi

I thought maybe Nanniwa 1k to be better than King 1k as that is a rather cheaper stone

Well that sort of doesn't really answer it. Better in what way?

I imagine any 1K that is really a 1K will set a bevel, some faster than others.

I use a Naniwa Super Stone progression if 1K, 3K, 8K and 12K followed by some laps on a hanging felt strop sprayed with crox. You seem to be using a mixture of naturals and synthetic hones. I think you get more consistently repeatable results with a totally synthetic set of hones. Are you dissatisfied with the results you are getting now, are they inconsistent? If so, it might partially due to the hodge podge mix of hones you are using.

Bob

This might help but it is now 6 years old so it doesn't include all the newer hones

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

Originally Posted by gssixgun

This might help but it is now 6 years old so it doesn't include all the newer hones

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

I remember reading that when I had burned through my Norton combination hones and was trying to figure out what to replace them with. Seeing the Norton 1K referred to as 'the 30-06 of bevel setters' was a big part of making the decision to replace the combination hones with a set of single grit Norton hones. They've grown on me, I'm quite happy with them.

Edit - On topic: The only thing you have to gain with (some) 1Ks over a King is speed, and maybe better feeling feedback. You can slurry up the King to speed it up a bit if that's a concern. Might be worth trying before spending money on a different hone. Unless you're constantly restoring razors and needing to set the bevel it might be a bit of a waste to throw down a lot of money on a 1K hone. Most of my razors are in maintenance mode and won't see the face of a stone below 4000 grit anytime in the foreseeable future.