Thread: 8k progression??

Hi there, I've been honing my own razors for a couple of years now and am wondering what would be the best stone to go to after a norton 8k to finish on. I normally go to a crox strop and then 60 laps on a leather strop to finish and my razors always shave fine but it can take quite a while to 'dial in' the edge on the 8k to the point where I find it acceptable to progress to the crox. I haven't a big budget and was wondering what stone I should be looking for? Many thanks, rob.

Naniwa Super Stone 12000 (12K), 20 mm on base | EdenWebshops.co.uk

Originally Posted by Manchestertattoo

Hi there, I've been honing my own razors for a couple of years now and am wondering what would be the best stone to go to after a norton 8k to finish on. I normally go to a crox strop and then 60 laps on a leather strop to finish and my razors always shave fine but it can take quite a while to 'dial in' the edge on the 8k to the point where I find it acceptable to progress to the crox. I haven't a big budget and was wondering what stone I should be looking for? Many thanks, rob.

Naniwa 12k is great. You might want to consider 1 micron lapping film. Its inexpensive and each cut sheet will do 10 razors at least. You would just need a piece of glass or marble tile to put it on.

I very much like and finish on the Naniwa 12K, then onto my chromium pasted bench strop and then finally linen suede and leather.

Another vote for the Naniwa 12K. It is the absolute best solution available for this missing in between step. As a bonus it is very enjoyable to hone with. You might even try skipping the Crox and going straight to leather to see how you like the edge that way. 15-20 X strokes usually does the trick.

sorry was in a rush this morning. the website i posted is the cheapest in uk i think, definitely cheaper than the invisible edge at least. it may be expensive but should last you a lifetime unless you start honing 20 razors a day

No probs, well the naniwa 12k sounds to be the best option, I think I will have to make a purchase. Hopefully it will help with those razors that 'just' won't shave how I would like them to after the 8k and crox. Thanks for all your sound advice. Haven't been on srp for a few months, forgot how invaluable it was for great advice.

Manch, 'Seems like you've got it good here. My humble opinion is that the nani 12 is the biggest bargain on the planet in its grit range. Fast, smooth, not annoyingly thirsty. Almost any other 10-12k synthetic will be at least twice the price.
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Now one bit you mention is significant: "... but it can take quite a while to 'dial in' the edge on the 8k to the point ..."
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You rightly see this 8k level as critical (thank you again, Randydance). When you start on the 8k, does the blade leave gray metal streaks on the stone? 'Indicates the work on the prior stone wasn't finished (thank you Sham). Can you get a comfortable shave from your 8k w/out the pastes & sprays? If so, you'll *love* what the nani 12 brings to the party. If not, finding out why will likely do more for you than a higher grit stone.
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Pastes & sprays provide alot of camoflage for less then perfect stone work. I still use them for this purpose when I have a significantly warped or wavy blade. If the blade is mostly straight/symetric, I focus on how perfect I can get the bevel and low-grit edges. Then, the 8k work comes easily and higher grit stones can do their proper work.
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'Hope you get the joy - however you proceed.

Hi pinklather, yes, I can comfortably shave off my 8k, ie no pulling, razor burn and a nice close shave but from time to time I send a razor of two out to be 'professionally' honed to compare my usuals to and they always seem to shave a little 'smoother' if you understand me. I just thought an Inbetween stone after the 8k and before the crox would help me achieve this. I totally understand that it's the low end grit stones that set the blade up to be a good shaver which is why I always spend a lot of time on the 1k and 4k and sometimes I can even shave off those. Nearly always on full hollows, which is a shame because nearly all of my collection consists of Sheffield wedges!

Determining when its time to go to the next stone applies to any grit level. This is where performing the proper test really helps. Our WIKI section covers this well. I'm not sure about the streaks on a stone but it makes sense. When you are at a polishing level (8K and up) the amount of metal being removed should be very minor. Gray metal streaks indicate there are some rough spots on the edge that just shouldn't be there when you get to this stage. Eventually you will be able to know by feel (when honing and by thumb pad) when the razor is ready for the next higher grit.