Thread: help with honing stones

my razor seems quite dull, doesn't even shave off hair when i tested on my leg. the last time i used it, which was maybe a month ago, it seemed all right. my razor came pre-honed. so my question is what sort of stones will i need to get back its original sharpness? 1k, 4k, 8k, ... so on? what are some good whetstones? i am in japan, fukuoka. if anybody knows some place where i can get it honed, preferably in fukuoka, but even if i can send it off somewhere in japan that would be fine. i have never honed myself and am afraid to damage my razor from lack of knowledge/experience, so a better option for me would be to get a pro to do it.
thanks.

Why don't you send a PM to JimR ? He is in Japan and at the very least can steer you in the right direction. I am not sure where he is in relation to your location but he can certainly give you info if not more.

aye I did send him a message just waiting to hear back from him. how about some gen info like what grit stones should I get for resharpening a good blade?

For all around I like a norton 4/8. If I lived in Japan I would go with a naniwa superstone 3k, 5k, and 8k.

i've been looking at this one, is this what you're talking about?

Amazon.co.jpF ƒiƒjƒ ƒX[ƒp[“uÎ IN-2050 S5000: DIYEH‹ï

Man, if I lived in Japan I would get a small army of mercenaries together and storm every mine I could find!!

James.

haha. maybe i should, maybe i should.

Originally Posted by m147

i've been looking at this one, is this what you're talking about?

I can't tell from the photo and I'm a bit challenged by the text.

here's the translation of the text:

Naniwa super whetstone

With units.
Molten alumina.



Amazon.co.jp PRODUCTS
Without superficial ●, blade is excellent with good
Product Description
Applications: for finishing grinding wheel # 5000. The grinding wheel of wind and natural tasting finish Features] [Applications.

and yes i know it makes little sense, but that's google non-human translation for you.

Well a 5k is good but I would recommend a 3k as well. You can shave off of the 5k but the 8k would be nicer. If you get the three grits you'll be good to go IME. A chosera 1k or naniwa 1k would also be a good thing for bevel setting but you could get by with the 3k. When I had them I did 3k/5k pyramids the same as with a norton 4/8. Lynn and Dylan preferred the 5k/8k but that is the way this stuff is. Why God made apples and oranges. You'll have to lap them too. A diamond plate is your best choice but 325 grit wet&dry sandpaper will work if you want to keep the initial cost down.