Thread: Different stones for different metals

I have good success using either JNats, Coticules or Shapton stones finishing on my Zulu Grey when honing carbon steel. Recently I was trying to hone a wootz steel and just could not get a shave ready edge on my Coticule or Shapton's. I went to the JNat using the slurry technique then to my Zulu Grey, linen then Mastro Livi leather loom strop. The edge was very sharp, polished and smooth shaving. It occurred to me that some metals in razors take better to one stone over another. I know technique and experience factor into this. I have damascus steel razors that really hone great with coticule, 12k Shapton then Zulu Grey stones. I am curious to know if others have found this with their stones and razors.

Only at the bevel stage. For very hard steels I use a 6 micron (4k equivalent) DMT to set the bevels. Then back to whatever I'm using. I hone to feedback. So when the surfaces "mate" I get that stickiness. And it always shows eventually. And that's when I know I'm done. I typically use jnats.

Yes but you are really splitting atoms on this

After so many years and so many razors, I have directions I will head because I have had so many different people tell me about the edges

But Honestly, I could pick any finisher and get good shaves for the rest of my life on any decent razor...

If you want to pick nits Yes I might want to choose a certain finisher on certain steels to get the minute difference

I've noticed that some steels take a little longer than others but not significantly.

Now, knives made with some of the newer supersteels are another story.

When you look at different razor steels, you have to consider the alloy composition, forging and tempering processes. Of course, in most cases, we do not have the necessary specifications unless you forge your own razors.

When honing, you may find that different razors respond better to a different hone, or even to differences in techniques when using the same hone(s). It would be wonderful if you could use the same hone sequence and the same honing technique on every blade, but unfortunately, it does not works that way. You may find that similar blades, such as many Solingen blades, tend to respond similarly on the hones, but when you start branching out to other steels, you may need some experimentation to learn what works best. Honing is as much art as science.

That is curious but I am wondering if the op would have had a longer go of it on his Shaptons if he would have gotten his wootz razor as he wants it. I do not use Jnats or coticules and I am able to hone my wootz razor to my satisfaction. Just saying. I use my 1K King, 5k, 8k Shaptons and Arks finishing on CRox by the way. I aso have used my Norton combination 4/8k with success.


Mike

Haven’t met a razor yet Wootz included that didn’t hone up just right with my good ole Nani 12 k. Sheffield , German , Spanish , French or custom from 02 to Timahagne. Every blade may be different but a quality stone cuts them and that’s honing

it's an interesting idea. I would totally agree that a skilled should be able to get a high quality edge off of any high quality hone, but maybe more interesting to consider is simply whether certain steels respond in a better or worse ways to certain hones. I immediately think of the tam o'shanter's reputation as a great hone for blades prone to microchipping. Now, I have neither a tam o'shanter nor any blades that this is a problem for so I can't confirm if this is true, but it certainly does have that reputation and, if so, it would seem to be an example of where a certain kind of blade might respond better to a particular hone. Likewise (and another controversial issue), if we overhoning is a potential issue, some hones are less prone to this (many, for instance, say one cannot overhone on a coticule) while the experience of some would seem to suggest that some blades are more easily overhoned.

Maybe the more interesting question here, then, is whether anyone has a razor that they feel responds well to a given hone. I, for instance, really enjoy the effect dovo pastes seem to have on a few of my sheffield blades; whether it's my imagination or not, I feel like the dovo pastes don't work quite as well for harder steel blades, like some of my american made ones.

Anyhow, interesting thread and just wanted to throw some of my thoughts and experiences out there.

Originally Posted by ppetresen

it's an interesting idea.
.....
Anyhow, interesting thread and just wanted to throw some of my thoughts and experiences out there.

It is interesting that glass, quartz and steel are central in the geologists view of hardness (scratch) Mohs scale of hardness.
Thus in the world of natural abrasives there is a mix of abrasion and plastic deformation as qualities.

Modern man made hones are all harder than any pure carbon steel. Carbide rich steels are another tangle but the better
modern hones are fine with carbide rich steel.

Abrasive density in a hone is another thing to look at. A bed of nails does not break the skin because the pressure is spread
to so many points (pounds per square inch and all). As Arkansas rocks get denser the effective number of nails goes up but
the abrasive is still quartz.
Coticles have garnets that are harder than steel but not carbides. Garnet crushes nicely in a slurry and cuts finer and finer as it
is diluted. Slurry works wonders if done correctly.

Binder and the previous hone impacts self slurry of all hones. Steel with scratches will self slurry any hone a bit. No need to make a slurry
on most man made hones. Bigger jumps in grit perhaps are improved with a slurry.

With the exception of finishers try and stick with the same brand of hones. But mixing and matching can work so love the ones you are with.