Thread: 3 hone enough?

Hey there, Iahev read What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

But what i was wondering is would a 1k a 6 k and a C12k be enough to restore a blade?
or would i need 1k/4k/8k/10k? as the wiki says?

Its quite a big jump from 1k to 6k to 12k, but you do have the bases covered for bevel setting, sharpening and finishing stones.

The benefit of more hones (other than satisfying your HAD! ) is that you spend less time on each one. You'll find that you have to spend a fair amount of time on the 6k to remove the scratches from the 1k, and spend a fair amount of time on the 12k to smooth the edge out from the 6k.

Thats not to say you could jump from a 1k to a 12k, but as long as you have some sort of bevel setter, a sharpener and a finisher then hopefully you have enough bases covered to get the results you want. But as I say, you will probably have to spend a reasonable amount of time on each stone to properly refine the edge before moving on to the next stone.

I've not tried larger shifts in grit size like this, so the only thing I can recommend is to give it a try and see how you go! If it works, then great, but if you find its taking ages to get your edge then you might want to add more stones.

When you start honing, just be sure to keep the pressure light and make sure the razor is making good contact with the stone. This will ensure you get an even sharpness along the edge and dont put un-necessary wear on the razor.

Hopefully one of the pro's will chime in with some more advice as well..!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Originally Posted by Stubear

Its quite a big jump from 1k to 6k to 12k, but you do have the bases covered for bevel setting, sharpening and finishing stones.

Stubear, i've been wondering about this scratches thing for a while. What exactly is the reason people focus on this? Because you need some easy way to tell when you have completed a stage (like going from horizontal to vertical scratchmarks when sanding a razor tells you when one stage is complete, has covered the whole surface)? And it is easier, or maybe more precise, than shave and hair tests? Maybe I've been making my life much harder than necessary, but never look at the blade while I'm honing, except during the bevel-establishing stage to see that I have a good solid bevel along the entire edge on both sides.

And are you looking at the bevel face or the spine? Presumably it doesnt make a difference. Though on full-hollows both can be quite thin.

Thanks.

BigIan,

How about a 1k, Norton 4/8k combo & the 12k Chinese ?

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ

Originally Posted by Mijbil

Stubear, i've been wondering about this scratches thing for a while. What exactly is the reason people focus on this? Because you need some easy way to tell when you have completed a stage (like going from horizontal to vertical scratchmarks when sanding a razor tells you when one stage is complete, has covered the whole surface)? And it is easier, or maybe more precise, than shave and hair tests? Maybe I've been making my life much harder than necessary, but never look at the blade while I'm honing, except during the bevel-establishing stage to see that I have a good solid bevel along the entire edge on both sides.

And are you looking at the bevel face or the spine? Presumably it doesnt make a difference. Though on full-hollows both can be quite thin.

Thanks.

I guess looking at the edge is just another way of examining how an edge is progressing.

Under my little loupe I can see the edge becoming more polished as I move up the stones. So I use the loupe to check that the bevel is even and well formed along the blade, as you say, but then also to make sure that I'm getting good and even coverage with the finer stones after the bevel is set.

I only look at the edge as I tape the spine. And the edge is the important bit as well..!

You can see KenRup examining edges in Jockeys videos in the Videos section. He describes the edge as he moves up the stones and what to look for, its definately worth a watch!

Originally Posted by BigIan

Hey there, Iahev read What hone(s) do I need? - Straight Razor Place Wiki

But what i was wondering is would a 1k a 6 k and a C12k be enough to restore a blade?
or would i need 1k/4k/8k/10k? as the wiki says?

I use exactly that progression, but I do wish I had an intermediate stop between the 1k and the 6k.

Originally Posted by stimpy52

I use exactly that progression, but I do wish I had an intermediate stop between the 1k and the 6k.

Yea i`m on a budget. and i`ve found a 1k/6k hone going cheap so thought i`d give it a bash if it would work. I plan on building up tp more hones but thought thse 3 would be a good starting set up.

now i just need to convince the Mrs that i need 35 quid!

Originally Posted by BigIan

Yea i`m on a budget. and i`ve found a 1k/6k hone going cheap so thought i`d give it a bash if it would work. I plan on building up tp more hones but thought thse 3 would be a good starting set up.

now i just need to convince the Mrs that i need 35 quid!

Like they say... Time is money. You should be able to get a shave ready razor from that setup, but I haven't tried it. The more time you spend on the 6k and 12k the better your results will be if you set the bevel on the 1k properly and sharp. Be sure to use circles or back strokes to prevent wire edge. I would suggest circles on the 6k to remove the scratch patterns of the 1k and not develop the wire edge. Once you get to the 12k with a fine sharp edge x strokes, and lots of them will tune the edge for a smooth shave. The edge needs to be popping arm hairs off the 1k though. If not you will be spending even more time on the 6k.

Enjoy and have fun!

Originally Posted by Joed

Like they say... Time is money. You should be able to get a shave ready razor from that setup, but I haven't tried it. The more time you spend on the 6k and 12k the better your results will be if you set the bevel on the 1k properly and sharp. Be sure to use circles or back strokes to prevent wire edge. I would suggest circles on the 6k to remove the scratch patterns of the 1k and not develop the wire edge. Once you get to the 12k with a fine sharp edge x strokes, and lots of them will tune the edge for a smooth shave. The edge needs to be popping arm hairs off the 1k though. If not you will be spending even more time on the 6k.

Enjoy and have fun!

what he said.

Get a bevel setter (1k) and a Combination Coticule. There's your 4 hones

1) set the bevel on 1k

2) Coti w/ slurry

3) BBW w/ slurry to keen the edge up

4) Coti w/ water

Then strop and shave