Thread: New hone question

I would target more in the 8k- 10k range more of a polisher rather than a finisher.... IME you can do way more with it, given Time, Experience, and a way to make a slurry I can sharpen quite a range of edges on a 8k (range) stone/hone of any kind...

We have this trend here to think that unless you are above 8k the shave isn't smooth,and that if you want only one stone it has to be a Coticule,and both just are not true...

Originally Posted by dave5225

With all due respect , I must disagree with this statement . As long as you touch up your edge when it's needed , and don't wait until the shave it's giving you is terrible . You only need a high grit finishing hone , in the 8k-16k range .

Originally Posted by onimaru55

+1 ...Most high grit finishers are very fast cutters & perfectly capable of maintaining your razor a loooong time.

Not trying to argue here...but by that logic then all a person should ever need is a high grit or barbers hone? Why would a barber eventully have to go down to a lower grit hone then?

I can tell you this, for a while, a year or so, I would hit each razor in rotation with 3 lapps on a Swaty, like a pm...(Preventative Maintenance) They remained shave ready for year. The only reason I stopped was because I missed honing, really. (Yes, I realize 3 lapps on a Swaty is honing, but you know what I mean....)

With that being said, You can get The Norton combo pack at Sharpening Supplies.
They sell a 220/1k, 4/8k and the lapping plate, You get that and add a finisher of your choice, even a Chinese 12k. The C12k is a great hone, they're natural, so some are better than others. You get those, and you'll never need anything else. If your going to stay in this hobby and buy razors it makes sense to have these....

I agree with ZIB completely, good advice, but just for now, you can pick up a Swaty hone on E-bay for about $20 tp $30 and if the seller say's he laped it for you your ahead of the game, then start saving up 'yer schillings or whatever currency you use and but the outfit[rig] of your choice, ZIB's suggestion is a really good outfit. IMHO.

tinkersd of SRP, one more time.

Honestly, just get whichever appeals to you. It really doesn't matter all that much...

Originally Posted by Catrentshaving

Not trying to argue here...but by that logic then all a person should ever need is a high grit or barbers hone? Why would a barber eventully have to go down to a lower grit hone then?

That's about right as I see it. SRP member Utopian has maintained a set of razors for 7 or 8 years with just a barber hone, IIRC.

A lower grit would of course be needed in cases of damage.

You guys are going to hate this, but I have been playing around with creating a heavy slurry on a couple of my barber hones and then working to medium slurry and the light slurry to water. Guess what........you can actually do some honing with these guys. The size makes for a few more circles and I am not to a point of great consistency yet, but it do has some possibilities........

Some of you HAD gentleman's should play around with this for some grins.

The first one I tried it on was my Swaty as it is a little longer than the rest of mine, but strange as it may seem, it actually worked. I shaved off it and it was pretty good. I just used that little generic Nagura, but would love to try it with the 3 Japanese Naguras. I put the barber hones on a couple of bench biscuits as they are so small and I wanted to start off with some pressure with the thick slurry. It is weird for me to use the little stones for a full honing regiment, but it can be done.

Have fun,

Lynn

OK Lynn, I am going to have to try this for grins, since I dont have a Nagura I will probably use an Escher. Thanks for the idea!

I always used the synthetic Nagura on my Kings from 800 - 8k & have tried it on J-nats & the ubiquitous C12k. It seems to increase the cutting ability of any stone you use it on.

Lynn drops a grenade in the imagination - very cool.

Nun2sharp mentioned using an escher slurry stone. I imagine a coti slurry would work also. Any other candidates for a slurry stone? I would think it needs to be of the donor variety of slurry stone, rather than one intended to raise slurry only by abrading the main stone.

I've used a ruby stone (synth ruby) to raise slurry on the c12k, but that just abrades the c12k.

'Sounds like several have posted about the hone as a platform for other abrasion media. Spyderco with diamond spray, c12k w/ slurry from other rocks, etc. So not every experiment will yield nuggets, but it's very cool to press for the discoveries.

Onimaru, is there a grit range for the synthetic nagura you would recommend?