I've been honing my own razors and the occasional razor as a PIF folks for about the last 2 years. I also do some restoration work on the side for a few gentlemen around the local area here.
Although I'm sure I'll continue to be intrigued and most likely buy some more hones, I can say with reasonable certainty that I've found my minimalist honing kit. I was waiting for the right middle stone and our very kind Scott (life2short) was able to help me out with a coti that fit the bill just right. Thanks Scott!!
I find this setup very versatile, it allows me to tackle everything from minor touchup's to restoring old chipped ebay specials.
Bevel repair & setting. Chosera 1K
I really can't say enough about this hone. It's expensive for a 1K but worth every penny in comparison to other stones I've tried. With slurry it makes short work of problem razors, chips and almost anything else you can throw at it without having to go to a super low grit stone. It turns light bevel setting into a breeze & it leaves a nice uniform scratch pattern which hones out really easily on the next stone in the progression. It's 8x3 so there is plenty of real estate to hone on.
Sharpening & Refinement: Fast Vintage Coti
Up until recently I've been using a very fast but small bout for this job, I was a bit frustrated at the small size so I went on the lookout for a suitable Coti to replace my bout without breaking the bank. Thankfully Scott came to the rescue. As he warned me this stone isn't the best for finishing on, but it's a fast cutter and a good size for my use. I use a full dulicot on this stone to refine and bring the razor to an almost shave ready state.
It's a beautiful colour, very smooth feedback and still has the original stamp although I'm sure it's going to be worn off soon.
Final refinement & polishing: Ozuku JNAT
The stone that changed everything for me. I had my biggest jump in performance after buying this off another member second hand. Mastering this stone has allowed me to permanently retire the pasted strops for getting just the right amount of sharpness while keeping an ultra smooth shave. I use a full tomo slurry dilution, I start with a fairly thick muddy slurry and dilute until water. Near the end the slurry actually starts changing from a olive green to a rusty yellow colour, it's very cool. I know it's about done when the razor sticks so much that I start to have trouble running it across the stone.
Shown here with matching tomo nagura.
Anyway as we all know YMMV but I'm in full HAD decline as of now.
Although I'm sure I'll continue to be intrigued and most likely buy some more hones, I can say with reasonable certainty that I've found my minimalist honing kit. I was waiting for the right middle stone and our very kind Scott (life2short) was able to help me out with a coti that fit the bill just right. Thanks Scott!!
I find this setup very versatile, it allows me to tackle everything from minor touchup's to restoring old chipped ebay specials.
Bevel repair & setting. Chosera 1K
I really can't say enough about this hone. It's expensive for a 1K but worth every penny in comparison to other stones I've tried. With slurry it makes short work of problem razors, chips and almost anything else you can throw at it without having to go to a super low grit stone. It turns light bevel setting into a breeze & it leaves a nice uniform scratch pattern which hones out really easily on the next stone in the progression. It's 8x3 so there is plenty of real estate to hone on.
Sharpening & Refinement: Fast Vintage Coti
Up until recently I've been using a very fast but small bout for this job, I was a bit frustrated at the small size so I went on the lookout for a suitable Coti to replace my bout without breaking the bank. Thankfully Scott came to the rescue. As he warned me this stone isn't the best for finishing on, but it's a fast cutter and a good size for my use. I use a full dulicot on this stone to refine and bring the razor to an almost shave ready state.
It's a beautiful colour, very smooth feedback and still has the original stamp although I'm sure it's going to be worn off soon.
Final refinement & polishing: Ozuku JNAT
The stone that changed everything for me. I had my biggest jump in performance after buying this off another member second hand. Mastering this stone has allowed me to permanently retire the pasted strops for getting just the right amount of sharpness while keeping an ultra smooth shave. I use a full tomo slurry dilution, I start with a fairly thick muddy slurry and dilute until water. Near the end the slurry actually starts changing from a olive green to a rusty yellow colour, it's very cool. I know it's about done when the razor sticks so much that I start to have trouble running it across the stone.
Shown here with matching tomo nagura.
Anyway as we all know YMMV but I'm in full HAD decline as of now.
