Thread: From 6000 to stropping?

I need to buy some honing stones for a straight razor.
It seems there is a lot of difference in price between 6K and 8K grits. Is 8K really necessary?
Can I go 6K -> Clean strop ?
Or 6K -> Pasted strop -> Clean strop ?

I was thinking of buying this stone:
Buy King Ice Bear 6000 Grit Waterstone at Woodcraft.com

And this paste:
Buy Green Chrome Oxide Compound, 6 oz. at Woodcraft.com
They don't provide the micron size for this paste, or I have not found it.

What would be a good stone to go before 6K ?

Thanks.

How can I correct a spelling error in the subject line?

I have the King 1000/6000 hone and a Chinese natural hone that I picked up from Woodcraft. I can reset bevels and get a razor shave ready for myself with little problems ( unless it is a wedge). If you are looking for something to just clean up the edge and not really restore the edge I would go with either a barbers hone or the Chinese natural. If you are looking to take a ebay special and get it shave ready you will want a 1000 to set the bevel and then progress from there.. after a year with the 1000/6000 I am looking to upgrade as I have found the Kings to dish pretty quickly so I have to flatten them quite often but for personal use and starting out they are not bad.

Originally Posted by time2shave

How can I correct a spelling error in the subject line?

You can't only Mods can

Done !!!

Is this the natural stone you have?
Buy Natural Water Stone, 8" x 2-3/4" x 1-1/4" at Woodcraft.com

Is this the combination 1000/6000 stone?
2000242
Is 2" wide enough for you?

I will probably only use the stone for maintenance.

I have one that is about 800 grit, I am guessing. I can probably use it to set a bevel if I ever need it.

I guess what is comes down to, can I get away with spending $35 on a 6000, or do I need to spend $80-90 on a finer stone?

I am not counting the cost of the paste as I was going to get it anyway for other projects. Would not this paste (or some other paste if this one is not adequate) be "a finisher" after 6000?

Thanks.

1k -> 6k is a pretty big jump. I am sure you can make it work with lots of experimenting.

I have never used this setup, so I have no idea what to tell you to expect.

Originally Posted by time2shave

I guess what is comes down to, can I get away with spending $35 on a 6000, or do I need to spend $80-90 on a finer stone?

I guess you could "get away" with it, but you will not get as comfortable of a shave. Remember...you normally get what you pay for. If you are just looking for a cheap way out & not wanting to learn to hone, send your razor to a honemeister in the classified's & maintain the edge on a .5 micron strop & regular strop. Glen, gssixgun, did a test that he finally tired of after six months...razor's edge was maintained that long & could potentially go on forever.

I am not counting the cost of the paste as I was going to get it anyway for other projects. Would not this paste (or some other paste if this one is not adequate) be "a finisher" after 6000?

I personally only use .5 diamond, but that is probably more of a preference thing. I've tried other stuff and find the diamond less messy and more consistent. A paste is NOT a finisher, a stone is.

Thanks.

Your welcomed!
Scott

Originally Posted by time2shave

I guess what is comes down to, can I get away with spending $35 on a 6000, or do I need to spend $80-90 on a finer stone?

If money is your motivation for not getting a finishing stone, perhaps consider a chinese waterstone, they are much cheaper than this. (just checked ebay, seems you can get them for usd 24 including shipping).
I got one of those myself, it is my standard finishing hone and has served me well.

Has anyone done 6K -> paste -> strop ?