Moving From Stone to Stone

[leadduck]

There is an antique shop that I stop into occasionally, near where I work. They don't have razors all that often, but I hae bought a few there. I haven't gone in for a while but lately, it's been calling my name. Like Ulysses' sirens, each time I walk by it bekons me, taunts me, promising that there's a fine razor within. Yesterday, I gave in. I walked in, started down the aisle and there in the second case, was a nice little razor, just as promised. The sales were clean and uncracked from what I could see and the spine showed virtually no wear. When the salesgirl took it out of the case and I opened it, my heart jumped. It was a Dubl Duck in great shape, clean, no rust, no pits. The only thing I could find wrong was the presence of some very fine nicks on the edge. I'm sure they'll hone out but with my lack of experience, I thought I'd seek the wisdom of those more practiced than myself at the art of honing. My plan is to start with a 1,200K, move to 4,000 and finish with 8,000. My question is, how do I know when to move on to the next stone? Do I need to have all the nicks removed before going to the 4,000? I think this can be a great little blade if I can manage to not ruin it.