Thread: After the 8K...

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, seeing as how you are a greenhorn at this my suggestion is to not worry about what comes after the 8K and just get into the mindset that the 8K is the final hone and best hone in the world. Once you've managed to extract every bit of keeness out of it and thoroughly mastered it then start to think about the coticule or a 12K hone.

Why is that? I'm just learning to hone, so I'm just speculating, but since coticules are slower than Norton 8Ks and are less likely to result in over-honed edges, it seems like they're great stones for beginners (their cost notwithstanding).

Originally Posted by SteveS

Why is that? I'm just learning to hone, so I'm just speculating, but since coticules are slower than Norton 8Ks and are less likely to result in over-honed edges, it seems like they're great stones for beginners (their cost notwithstanding).

Cost is usually the variable for a beginner tbh. Yes you are correct that a slower cutting hone would possibly prevent over honing by the beginner but you could also say that a faster cutting equivalent would need less passes and prevent the beginner giving up on it.

thebigspendur is right in a way. You must get to a stage with the 8k that gives the desired result. This period of learning on the Norton will help when you pass to the finer hones with their more subtle feedback. You have to understand what your doing and what to look for, so that you can progress, the Norton would give you this.

PuFF

Steve, I subscribe to the theory that slower hones are good for beginners. This idea is advocated in the old barber manual that I have, and it just makes sense.

There’s a caveat, though. The student barbers were starting with a shave-ready razor that was just starting to dull. In that case, a coticule or slow barber hone would quickly restore the fading edge.

If money were no object, I’d recommend that beginners get a shave-ready razor and a coticule. They could keep the razor going indefinitely with this setup, and I think it would be easy for a beginner to get the hang of doing touchups on a coticule.

Later, you could add a Norton 4/8K or a DMT and Belgian blue for doing heavy-duty honing on eBay specials. It’s possible to hone eBay razors with just a coticule, but I think it would be frustrating for a beginner to learn this way.

If funds are limited, the Norton is the most versatile hone for the price. You can do restoration work on it, and the 8K provides an adequate shaving edge for most guys.

Whatever tool you get, there will be a learning curve. It’s best to get one tool and really learn it than to jump around to different hones like I did.

Good luck,
Josh

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Well, seeing as how you are a greenhorn at this my suggestion is to not worry about what comes after the 8K and just get into the mindset that the 8K is the final hone and best hone in the world. Once you've managed to extract every bit of keeness out of it and thoroughly mastered it then start to think about the coticule or a 12K hone.

Most will tell you that the 8K is really all you ever need anyway. Of course most of us go further but you should be able to get an excellent shave out of any razor honed on the 8K. It also goes without saying that you should master the 4K in similar fashion before worrying about the 1K.

Being a beginner like Dennis, I read this post with interest (and a bit of I-read-that-in-other-posts-too familiarity) until I got to the end ... I thought a 1k wold be too coarse for a razor, except an e-Bay special with significant damage??

You're right on, Doc. Dropping below 4K is only necessary if you're fixing a badly screwed-up edge. You could extrapolate from thebigspendur's comment, "Don't take on a major edge restoration until you can keep a sharp razor shaving."

I didn't take that advice. Wish I had.

Josh

I have gotten extremely sharp razors with just the norton 4/8.
You should only use the 1K on good razors if you know what you are doing, and if you have good control over your strokes because otherwise you can do a lot of irrepairable damage really fast.