Thread: What's your favorite last stone?

Haven't had a lot of luck with the naturals myself, so...

• Shapton GS 30K -- initial or full honing progression
• Spyderco UF (lapped) -- touch ups

My PayPal account just tipped over the edge for
a Shapton GS 30k, so I've got that on the way
now.

I have tried the lapped Spyderco (well, partially
lapped -- as best I could get with the D8C) and
always got good results from that as well. I did
give up on the stone since I couldn't get it totally
lapped though.

- Scott

I have a lapped Spyderco UF. I lapped it with a DMT XXC and it took several hours (just one side). I followed up with a couple grades of wet-dry (up to 600 grit) on a granite tile. Honing on the UF now feels like honing on slick glass. It is so smooth that I'm not sure that it does anything, I'm still testing.

I also have a Naniwa Superstone in 10K and a GlassStones in 16K. I had these stones and many others before ever starting with straights due to knife sharpening addiction (largely brought on by reading DaveMartell posts at KnifeForums). Moving to straights was an obvious "next goal".

The SS10K and the GS16K seem similar. I think the GS16K cuts a little faster based on the swarf output. I generally will try each and see which one seems to leave the best edge. After several honing sessions on fleamarket razors, I'm still not sure there is clear advantage to one ot the other.

I strop with CrO on paper mounted on glass before going to hanging strops in linen and leather. I couldn't swear that the CrO is doing anything. My edges will usually pass the HHT with coarse hair but not fine hair. When I run my edges over arm hair they treetop the hair in a snag and pop manner. I have never had an edge that would topple a hair by touch only. I have 9 razors and the sharpest one is a Le Grelot that came that way (thanks Martin at RasurPur).

The last two razors I honed I went onto the Shapton M15 series 12k which is a natural/synthetic stone mix and I'm liking it. This stone has been in and out of my knife sharpening kit for a couple of years now but it's never really stuck with me, let's see how that goes with the razors.

Oh BTW, I'm getting some Choseras to play with which likely means a whole new level to go to. Can anyone say Chosera 10k?

Stones? Stones?? I'm trying mparker's routine of endless stropping on linen. I can't say that it's working marvelously well, but it seems to be working somewhat and my shoulder which used to crunch is now only creaking. So the technique has merit.

I am overhoned, but that is quantity not quality. Tho' I'll be working on that too, as soon as I give a razor or two a Bart with my favorite coticule.

Bruce,
This just in. mparker is loading his linen paddle strops with white paste now.

http://www.shavemyface.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37528