Thread: I have two (2) elementary honing questions, please?

(1) I have an 8k hone that I purchased recently. I wanted to practice putting an edge on a gold dollar. progress has been minimal. Is this because the 8k hone is for "polishing"?

(2) Surfing the web I see much less available on hones than I do straights. Is it possible that SR lovers are more attached to their hones than they are to their razors?

thanks!

I don't know what the edge on your razor was like before you started, but a typical honing progression with synthetic stones is to start with a 1k to set the bevel, then move to a 3-5k, then an 8kish, and then a finisher if you so choose. The 8k certainly won't remove much steel quickly, so unless the edge is already close to shave ready you'll be spending quite a fair bit of time on the 8k.

Imagine that your stone grits are exactly like sandpaper. The lower the grit, the wider and deeper the scratches. Your job as the honer, is to progressively move through series of stones that will reduce the breadth and depth of the scratches. At the 8K level you're moving into the "shave ready" category, everything else being equal before it.

I believe the consensus of opinion is that they are pretty near or slightly in the "do not buy" category. As far as how sharp it is, well, I'm still in the "learning my experience" stage of development.

Get a Norton 4k single grit or a naniwa 5k. If you want a 1k the chosera is my favorite although there are cheaper alternatives. Work on getting good edges off of the hones up to 8k and when you accomplish that start looking for a higher grit finisher if you want icing on the cake. Just IMHO.

It depends on the condition of your blade, and your skill level. An 8k is polisher. Your blade may need more than you can get out of it. If you plan on maintaining your own blades, you will need a 1k, and 4 or 5k. As far as hones to blades on the net, Hones are always scarse, and blades are always plentiful, or more available, that's just how it is....especially with rare or vintage hones, like Escher, Charnley, Thuringian. There's plenty of new stuff, Chosera, Norton, Naniwa, Shapton, and even Coticules....