Thread: What after the 4/8K ?

This is a question for the real honemeisters out there.

After the 4/8K Nortons what is the best single stone to use. I don't want to get a collection of coticules / belgians etc as I've no idea how to use them all...yet.
Alternately do I need another paddle style with some wierd colour paste ?.

So which one device will get a nice smoother edge after the Nortons.

I do have a double sided paddle from Tony. 1 & 0.5 micron and I'm currently using a 6000 Jap waterstone.

Help please...

Gary

I'm not a real honemeister, but what's wrong with the paddle you have?

Originally Posted by mparker762

I'm not a real honemeister, but what's wrong with the paddle you have?

I'm not a honemeister either so I'm not sure. I believe the guys that can hone real well use something other than a paddle and the paddle is used to touch up an already honed blade. I'm guessing.

Gary

Originally Posted by mparker762

I'm not a real honemeister, but what's wrong with the paddle you have?

Umm, what's wrong with the strop you have?

what's wrong with the brush you have?

what's wrong with the razor you have?

what's wrong with the mug you have?

Nothing, nothing, nothing........just like most of us he simply "needs" somethng else <g>

For 200 years men have shaved with a single razor, stone and strop quietly by themselves, saying nothing to their peers. It is us, modern day men in our quest to simplify our lives, and stop wasting money on blades who have let this distraction overun our lives and then we come here and tell all <g>.

Tony (who needs nothing but buys everything) Miller

Well said Tony,

The strop and paddle strop from you are perfect.

Unfortunately I only have a 6000 jap waterstone so I'm looking to combine a purchase of an 4/8k Norton plus a finishing stone or something. I need expert imput to buy the right thing first time.
As I'm a relatively crappy honer I don't think the jap stone is doing me any favours yet so I want the right tools for the job.
I'm sure my technique is ok.

Help....someone...please...

Gary

One of the real honemeisters will no doubt be by here in a bit, but since I'm here I'll toss in my two cents. It's good for my post count :-)

The norton plus your existing paddle should work extremely well. The 8k->1 micron progression is a nice logical step (1 micron diamond is about 15k grit), and .5 micron diamond leaves a very refined edge, and cuts fast enough that it's good for quick refreshes as well. Paddles aren't just for touch-up (though they're great for that), they also allow you to use much finer grits than you can get from a hone unless you're willing to pony up $600 for the 30k shapton.

I use different hones for different razors, but my hardest razors go 4k->8k->boron carbide->chromium oxide. The 1 micron diamond is similar to BC; I use BC because some of my razors stop at that grit and I prefer the feel of BC to 1 micron diamond. But this is a personal preference.

Paddles are also cheap, my boron carbide paddle is a 3" wide slat of poplar, lapped flat on 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and smeared with a little blob of BC from a $10 tube from handamerican.

So if I just get a Norton 4/8K I should be set ?.

Yes. The 8k will get the blade good enough to shave with, and several members here do just that. You don't really "need" anything else. Everything beyond that is just extra polishing, which a paddle does cheaply, flexibly, and effectively. You want to experiment with different abrasives, maybe go extreme and try the .25 micron diamond? Scrub off the old abrasive with saddle soap and smear the new stuff on. The big knock against the Norton is when it comes to touch-ups, because you have to soak it for 10-30 minutes before using it. You can't just whip it out for a couple of laps if you discover while standing at the sink that the blade is just a titch too dull (unless you keep it in a bucket of water, which some guys do...)

Thanks MParker for all of your assistance,

I've just ordered a 4000/8000 from Classic Shaving.

Gary

Gary,

I only have 2 shave ready razors and I only use a coticule (for my Friodur) and a Thuringer (for my grandfather's razor). I started off with Arkansas stones in the 80's because those were advertised by the retailer for their ability to sharpen a razor.

I do not have a Norton nor any other stone in the 1-8K range and I am fine with them. Even a fairly blunt razor I do get sharp with my Thuringer eventually.

You do not need all the gear.

I feel many members here have a lot of gear due to their acquisition disorder. The more one visits this forum the more likely one develops an acquisition disorder.

Of course, if you want to restore rusty chipped razors you may want one or two coarser stones to speed the process up. But my coticule with a good slurry is a fast cutter! I have got it now a couple of weeks and have checked its edge under the computer for a while but after every honing session there's fewer microscopic chips than ever before.

Another thing: every hone requires its own, slightly different technique. The more hones you acquire the more techniques you have to teach yourself, the more time it takes to learn to use them and to correct wrong usage.

My message would be: stick w/ what you got, perfect your technique with 2 or 3 stones and stick w/ them.

My mother's uncle (the only man I know who never switched to disposables) only had 2 razors and a plain leather loom strop. He had his honing done by a barber.

He was a contented man!