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Can you ever have enough whetstones?

I'm another one who came to straight razor shaving via stones.

As I grew my skills at sharpening kitchen knives and pocketknives, I came to realize that there are almost no situations in which a stone finer than 8K has any useful purpose for a knife, and those few situations where it applies, deburring tricks aside, do not apply to my purposes. I'm not going to be cutting my own sushi anytime soon.

Oh, you can use those fine finishing stones, that I could not let go of a fascination with, on a knife. "Look, the letters reflect off of my shiny bevel!" But while I have no criticism for those fascinated by such endeavors, for myself, I need a purpose to obtain any kind of pleasure and fulfillment.

I kept encountering statements like "of course, you don't need to be so careful, unless you're honing a razor." "this wonderful stone is too fine for knives, but would be good for someone honing a razor." "This stone is very hard and difficult to use, suitable only for razors."

OK. Fine. I resolved to start shaving with a straight razor, so I could participate in the most refined, most finicky, most challenging, level of sharpening.

Turns out that shaving with a straight razor is really wonderful, all on its own. It's really rewarding. But so is my collection of high-grit stones, because it has a purpose.
 
I'm another one who came to straight razor shaving via stones.

As I grew my skills at sharpening kitchen knives and pocketknives, I came to realize that there are almost no situations in which a stone finer than 8K has any useful purpose for a knife, and those few situations where it applies, deburring tricks aside, do not apply to my purposes. I'm not going to be cutting my own sushi anytime soon.

Oh, you can use those fine finishing stones, that I could not let go of a fascination with, on a knife. "Look, the letters reflect off of my shiny bevel!" But while I have no criticism for those fascinated by such endeavors, for myself, I need a purpose to obtain any kind of pleasure and fulfillment.

I kept encountering statements like "of course, you don't need to be so careful, unless you're honing a razor." "this wonderful stone is too fine for knives, but would be good for someone honing a razor." "This stone is very hard and difficult to use, suitable only for razors."

OK. Fine. I resolved to start shaving with a straight razor, so I could participate in the most refined, most finicky, most challenging, level of sharpening.

Turns out that shaving with a straight razor is really wonderful, all on its own. It's really rewarding. But so is my collection of high-grit stones, because it has a purpose.

I could almost copy this out word for word.

I did have some use for my high grit stones, as I have an similarly frivolous collection of old Yanagiba and do occasionally cut sashimi, but I certainly use them more now than before.

Not entirely sure how many stones I have, but it'd be about 80 I think. Which is a nice number, I'll probably move some on as I get new ones from here.
 
Yes, I have enough whetstones. Over the last few years I realized that I am a user, not a collector, and have adjusted my situation accordingly.
That said, I like to learn and experience new things to do with edges, tools, blades, and stones.
I hone daily, and experiment quite often. So new stones come in, some old stones go out.
I have 'enough' stones for sure. But I just bought a new one.
 
I ask this question almost everytime I get a new stone. I know I have enough already. I started limiting myself to one type of each stone to use, then one color, then one size of each.... I am happy with my Arkansas, thuringian, coticule, slates, synth waterstones, and barber hones. On those Ill only buy a real steal.

Id like to try one of each type of popular hone. I am still waiting to find a good full sized Jnat, ToS, Charnley, pdso, vosgienne or other french hones.
 

David

B&B’s Champion Corn Shucker
After a decade I still have a solid case of HAD. I do have quite a few very rare examples that I don't use, but I consider that less collecting and more along the lines of preserving them for my kids. Stones like salm coticules, Rosy Red Washitas, and NOS Nortons are hard to come by now, I can't imaging trying to find one 30 years from now. I just hope I live long enough to attend @timwcic estate sale. :lol:
 
I would like to try All The Things (and am missing plenty in the stone arena, <sob>) because why not? But hope I don't end up hoarding more than I can reasonably use. When I worry about how many razors are accumulating for example, I remind myself that many are Just Visiting.
 

timwcic

"Look what I found"
I don’t understand the concept “enough “. What does that mean. It depends on what the definition of “is” is

@David I am going to live forever. I read on the forums, and we all know everything on the internet is true, that if I drink dried J-Nat slurry mixed in green tea, that is the secret to forever life

I just hope I live long enough to attend @timwcic estate sale. :lol:

Between hones, cast iron cook wear, and long guns, it will be a Hootenanny
 
I don’t understand the concept “enough “. What does that mean. It depends on what the definition of “is” is

@David I am going to live forever. I read on the forums, and we all know everything on the internet is true, that if I drink dried J-Nat slurry mixed in green tea, that is the secret to forever life



Between hones, cast iron cook wear, and long guns, it will be a Hootenanny

Another cast iron fan here.
 
Yes, I have enough whetstones. Over the last few years I realized that I am a user, not a collector, and have adjusted my situation accordingly.
That said, I like to learn and experience new things to do with edges, tools, blades, and stones.
I hone daily, and experiment quite often. So new stones come in, some old stones go out.
I have 'enough' stones for sure. But I just bought a new one.
I feel like I'm that way too. I'm a user not a collector. Having labels are cool so the type of stone is confirmed by I'm far more concerned with performance of my stones on my knives/ razors/ tools that I use to make a living. I've bought pretty rocks in the past, my wife keeps them on her fingers, neck and ears. My stones are tools and tools that don't work are trash that one should be rid of. I like pretty hones too but if they don't cut steel I like them sitting in a flowerbed instead of my house.
 
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