Thread: Need to buy hones

Ok guys, tell me what I need to buy. I'd like to be able to hone out chipped edges and do some regular honing with good blades. I think I need a 220/1000 and 4000/8000 Norton waterstone. Someone correct me if I am wrong or if there are better options.
P.S. Can I use this 220/1000? It seems inexpensive compared to other vendors. http://www.ptreeusa.com/norton_waterstone.htm

Those are the workhorses in my arsenal.

Are diamond stones recommended? Where can I purchase one, if so.

I wouldn't know, nor would I be certain that the person recommending them would know what they were doing.

Are you asking about diamond hones instead of the Nortons or in addition to the Nortons?

If you bought the set as shown in the link you'd certainly have a lot to work from.

To be honest a stone is a stone to me. The grit and knowledge to use it are far more important than the various stones themselves.

Thanks, I think I am going to order this kit.....It is $135 for everything. Just to be sure...these stones are good for razors, right? I assume they are the same, but it does say "woodworker" so I just want to make sure.

those are fine though the 220 grit may be too coarse for any kind of razor work

ShaveC,

Another couple of other places to check are:

http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vsho...me.php?cat=115 and
http://www.theperfectedge.com/norton.shtml

Both Jim Ayars of Vintage Blades and Howard Schechter of The Perfect Edge are contributors here and fine gentlemen to deal with, not to mention they are founts of advice.

Bruce

all stones that you need are
a diamond 1200
a norton 4000
a yellow coticule

Originally Posted by Yannis

all stones that you need are
a diamond 1200
a norton 4000
a yellow coticule

Actually, for maintaining a razor in good condition, or restoring an edge that is just dull, a norton 4/8 is all you need.
Or you can use just a coticule.
either one will do the job.

having a multiple of stones is nice (I have several myself) but not a requirement. several members here have over a thousand dollars in stones, but that does not mean their razors are sharper than mine.
It just means that they can pick a stone for each razor which they like best for that type of razor.

As for the 220/1000 I really advise you to learn using it on project razors that you don't care about.
Even with the 1000 you can really do a lot of damage in a single stroke if you don't know what you are doing.

The OP mentioned that he also wanted to hone out chipped edges.
So that pretty much dictates the use of a coarser hone such as the Norton 220/1000 or a DMT 1200.