Thread: Sharping hone(stone)

Hello all I am very new to all of this straight razor stuff,but I really like it.I know that I will need to hone my razor and I want a good sharping hone(stone).I founf this one at a good price,but is it good to use?Do I need a hone(stone) jsut for razors?The one I found is this one( Arkansas Tri-Hone Knife Sharpener Stone 8 Inch 3 Stone) .It has a ruff grade,med and fine is this god to use one my razors??Please help me out.
Pete.

welcome pete

i would say the answer is 'no'.

Hi Pete, welcome to SRP. Here is the SRP Wiki section on razor hones. The 'What Hone Do I Need ?' is a good place to start. Also see the beginner's guide here.

Fine grade probably means ~ 600-700grit US.

You CAN shave off that. It's in the general range of 3500-4500grit Mesh. Most recommend ~8k min for a shave-ready edge. If you get that you'd probably want a surgical black, translucent, 8k norton, 4k king, etc as a finisher.

I personally would rely on more common stones for newbies.
The norton 4k/8k has been discussed a million times
and a large number of people can help you with this stone,
if help is needed

Thank you all for the info.It seems that the norton is the way to go,but they sure are alot of money.I have been trying to get some old honing stones from e-bay,but out bidded most times.I guess I will have to keep trying.I really never knew that there were some many people .Using straight razors still.I just belived that my barbber and a few out there still use it.I am very proud to be using a straight razor.I got a nice one for twenty bucks.It needs to be cleaned.It is a Kropp with a nice handly and blade.I am glad that there is someplace that I can go to get good info.
Thank you all so much

If you buy all your razors shave ready (Or send them to a classifieds honer before use) you only need one stone for touching up the edge. That is an 8k+ There are MANY options.

Coticule, escher, 4k king, 6k king, 8k norton, 8/10/12k naniwa/others any of a number of barber hones (make sure it's MARKED as a barber hone or a known brand of hone, as many ebay sellers list any small whetstone as a barber hone), China 12k natural, etc.


Cheapest option will be eBay'ed barber hone ~$15-40
6x2" china 12k $20 + shipping (Woodcraft.com)
6k king ~$27 + shipping (also Woodcraft.com)

I've finished razors on the 4k king. It works but I wouldn't buy it specifically for that purpose, and I dont know if any/many have had experience with the 6k for that purpose so I'd recommend the China 12k. It's slow, but for a beginner, that may be a good thing.

Zeepk Sharpening Stone Hone Barber .Is what i got when lookng on ebay.Is this a good stone to use?

The general opinion here is that zeepk is the worst possible everything ever.

I wouldn't bother with their hones.

Welcome, Pete! The tri-hone would work just fine. To get a really nice polished edge after using the hard Arkansas stone, you can strop the razor on a canvas strop if you have one, or if not then get some polishing compound (aluminum oxide, jeweller's rouge, Flitz or MAAS polish, etc.) And put a little on some cardboard and strop the razor on it about 12 strokes or so, then strop on the leather. In fact, unless your razor is very dull, you will probably only need to do the stropping, and not need the stone for a long time.

Best wishes,
Jeff