Thread: Hones to start with?

Ok gents I know most will want to answer with learn to shave or learn to strop. I found both of those fairly easy to get the hang of. I have gone through my knife sharpening supplies and found Norton 1000k and a never used 8x2 Black Hard Arkansas I picked up from Dan's a few years ago.

I'm thinking about picking a Norton 4000/8000k.
My question: is the black Ark ok to use as a finishing stone? and is the Norton 4000/8000k the right way to go? also is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks John.

If your going to Start honing, the 4k/8k combo will get it done. The black arkie, you need to know if its a hard or soft as Dan has both. Id recomend a synthetic stone for finishing as naturals can be hard to learn. Others will chime in shortly. But thats a good start.

Originally Posted by Gasman

If your going to Start honing, the 4k/8k combo will get it done. The black arkie, you need to know if its a hard or soft as Dan has both. Id recommend a synthetic stone for finishing as naturals can be hard to learn. Others will chime in shortly. But thats a good start.

It is a Black Hard. Ultra fine if memory serves.

Hey John....I agree with Gasman. Since you are apparently shaving with your razor, I presume
that it is basically undamaged, and only needs maintenance. In that case, a 4k/8k combo stone
is probably all you may need in addition to what you already have. You can work with that.

After that, "Beyond here there be dragons." There's a danger of succumbing to H.A.D.: Hone Acquisition
Disorder. It's all too easy to chase the "perfect edge" by acquiring another, and yet another hone
in the process. I speak from personal experience.

If you acquire a Norton 4k/8k, you will have a basic set. If you have to use the 1K stone, the jump
to 4k/8k is OK, but you will have to spend enough time on the 4K to remove the 1K scratches before
moving on. But it won't take too long.

The jump from 8K to your black Arkie is OK, too. But again, be prepared to spend a good deal of time
to finish the edge. In my personal opinion, the edge that comes off of a black Arkie is hard to beat.
It may not be the keenest edge possible, but it is definitely smooth, if done properly.

The important thing is to use and learn the hones that you have. See what they can do. Practice.
Perfect your technique. Enjoy yourself.

After you've done all that, then you can go crazy.

Good luck.

If you have a Norton 1k then all you need is a medium stone and a finisher. The Norton 4/8 combo stone will work.

But, if you are not restoring or buying eBay razors, and just maintaining your razors you can and should start by learning to refresh your razors. A Naniwia Snow White 8k or a 12k Super Stone will easily refresh an edge as will the Norton 8k.

If you do get into full progression honing, you can still use those stone to finish on.

Do learn to hone on synthetics first. Once you can consistently produce a comfortable, keen shaving edge, then jump to Natural stones from at least an 8k finished bevel. Natural stones add a whole lot of variables into the equation, and you should try to minimize the number of variables at least when learning to hone and what to look for.

From a good 8k or 12k edge strop on pure Chrome Oxide and you will have a good shareable edge. Once you can produce a shaving edge from an already flat and meeting bevel, then try setting a bevel from scratch and go through a progression to a finished edge. At least you will know how an edge should end up.

Here is a good old post of a new honer learning to hone, he took great micrographs of his edges through the entire process. Get some good/decent magnification, (I use the Carson Micro-Brite, $10-15) and make your bevels and edges match the micrographs in the post at the various stages in the progression.

Then it is a matter of learning to strop.

Second Try at Honing

The advice I received when I got interested in honing was that a bevel doesn't need setting every time, in fact hardly ever unless a person either has damage or wants to add tape to a razor that was honed without it etc. so a 1k probably won't see much action.

If a razor that has been shaving well starts to tug a bit, a quick refresh on a 12k is all it needs. I was given a barbers hone that I used successfully, a person has to be careful with a barbers hone because they are quite fierce. I only used the barbers hone once before buying a complete Norton set,1k - 4k/8K and a 12K Naniwa.

I actually do reset the bevel every time I take my razors to the stones, not because they need it but as a learning opportunity. Obviously I won't continue bevel setting every time for ever.

Originally Posted by Audels1

Ok gents I know most will want to answer with learn to shave or learn to strop. I found both of those fairly easy to get the hang of. I have gone through my knife sharpening supplies and found Norton 1000k and a never used 8x2 Black Hard Arkansas I picked up from Dan's a few years ago.

I'm thinking about picking a Norton 4000/8000k.
My question: is the black Ark ok to use as a finishing stone? and is the Norton 4000/8000k the right way to go? also is there anything else I should be looking for?

Thanks John.

Uh you have no idea what I will say

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Uh you have no idea what I will say

I guess that groups you in with ''MOST''

No I’m pretty much in a group all by myself

Scroll back in the honing section of the forum. There has been a few good threads about Arkansas’s and using them as finishers for razors.

Not knowing what your budget is you can’t really go wrong with the Norton 4/8. In addition I would go with a naniwa 12k ss. Both of those are proven performer, both can get you a shaving edge. One much sharper than the other. One thing you can’t buy is the experience. Forget what you know about sharpening knives. The only real similarity is that you are creating an edge.

If the razor you have now is shave ready a finisher is most likely all you’ll need, depending on the speed of the hone. A burnished arky prepped for finishing a razor won’t do it unless you love honing and have lots of time. The naniwa 12k or chosera 10k, A sharpton 10k, etc would be a better fit if all you want to buy/can afford is a single stone.

Just keep asking questions, we can help.