Help in choosing stones

[Raymondmillbrae]

Hey, folks...just purchased my first SR.

It has not arrived yet...but any day now.

Anyhoo, I need some guidance on choosing two good stones to purchase for honing the SR.

Just general maintenance, as it is arriving “shave ready

Im thinking a 10,000 and a 13,000.

I’m just not sure.

If you were to choose two sharpening stones to upkeep/maintain your straight razors, what would you choose?

Can y’all provide specific names, and preferably links to the stones.

Good prices or sales would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

[ajduplessis]

I order to sharpen, correct and maintain a SR you will require more stones/abrasives. Secondly 10k/13k is very close in term of grit. 6-8k/13k might be a better choice. Those 2 stone would enable you to maintain an already shave ready edge, not sharpening dull or chipped razors edges.

I would also suggest looking at film. Film is like sandpaper, its cheap and comes in all the grit options needed to sharpen SR.

Typically honers have a progression of stones/film. The following is an example: 1k, 4k, 8k, 12/13k and then finishers such as 20k or natural stones like coticule, arkansas or jnats. You dont need natural stones, many finish on film (synthetic) that is a lot finer than 20-30k.

Before going out to buy stones do more research. Also search for “the method”, its a very well documented process using film and loaded balsa strops for this purpose.

 

[Ssandstorms]

If I was you I wouldn't bother with both a 10 and 13k stone. An 1k/6k king hone (or 8k Naniwa) and a 12k Naniwa would be great stones.

If you're looking for a great finisher stone most here would recommend a coticule stone. They are a little more costly, but have a great edge. Arks are smoother but slower to achieve that edge. 12k and C-nat stones are both cheap and great starters. I can't say much on Jnats but have heard MANY great things. Slightly more difficult finding a good Jnat vs coticule or ark.

"The method" works as well but you need the razor at a 12k or 1u (micron) edge before you can begin pasting. The process is good once you get it there.

I was going to sell a beginner set of hones on the BST here. A diamond F/EF and EE, and a C-nat. That would cover a full honing process from 600/1200 to 8k and comes with an ok finisher. Message me if interested.

Welcome to the SR rabbit hole

 

[SliceOfLife]

To maintain an edge you don't need two stones, just a single finisher.

Thuri's are consistent and easy to use. Same goes for most Synths in the 10k+ range. Thuri will probably give you better shaves starting out though. I'd recommend you buy from a reputable source/BST here, or get a labeled escher/celebrated razor hone. There's a lot of fraud on places like eBay and even some online shops with Thuri's.

 

[Tomo]

+1 for ‘The Method’. Cheap, easy and very effective. This is a good place to start as you get the full suite of grits for not much money. Stock up more on the finer grits. You shouldn’t need to use the course ones very often.

 

[gary haywood]

Google dr matts 2 stone method to keep your razors going for ever it’s a really good video and it’s all you will ever need he uses a 8 k and a IRL natural stone

 

[GreazyThumbs]

For maintenance for a beginner, I would recommend Naniwa SS 8k / 12k stones. I also recommend that you send your razors out to be honed while you are still learning to shave.

Sent from my VS996 using Tapatalk

 

[RenoRichard]

There's a lot of good advice above. If you can get a good Thuringian, they make excellent maintenance hones. I have a few, one is a little Escher and I've kept razors in my rotation going for a long time using it every so often with leftover lather. But, the little Celebrated Water Hone ~1" x 5" seem to go for almost $100 now. And, the little ones do require a bit of skill/practice to use, as they're used in your palm/hand. The edges off these are usually quite nice and shave dependably well. If you decide to go this route, I suggest you post on the B/S/T forum here looking for one. The larger ones, if labelled, from what I have seen recently have become truly pricey- many hundreds.

Coticules are really nice, but the variation in stones is large. Some are fast, some are slow, some seem finer, some seem coarser. Large ones are expensive, but smaller, useable bouts are usually not. They are also a lot of fun to use. They can be used with water, oil, running water, dish soap, or lather- whatever you choose. Many do take the edge off a coticule and then do more to it. But, a good coticule edge usually gives a nice shave. Again, if you decide on one of these, I'd post on the B/S/T. You are far more likely to get a good stone, with some instruction as to that particular stone from a member here, as opposed to buying at random out in the world.

Some use a Chinese natural stone, referred to as a CNAT, PHIG, and some other acronyms. If you can get a good one, they're usable. Not really the best, but you can get a reasonably good edge. My experience with these has been mixed. I have one, out of the many I have tried, that is capable of giving a pleasant shaving edge. The biggest plus is that the price is reasonable. These stones are usually slow though, so high lap counts should be expected.

In synthetic stones, the Naniwa Superstone 10K or 12K, are a good, safe choice- they're ~$75-$90. The edges are quite shaveable, although some, me included, prefer the shave off a natural. But, I have shaved off my Naniwa 10K with some good stropping and have gotten nice, comfortable shaves. These may be the easiest stones to master. They are faster, with good feedback, are splash and go, and user friendly. They're also consistent, being manufactured, so one is the same as another.

For simply maintenance, a pasted balsa strop may be all you need. I don't use this method, but many here do with apparently excellent success. And, this would be a cost effective solution. Diamond spray at .25 or .5 micron should maintain a blade well.

Some here also really favor lapping films for honing, which is actually just another form of synthetics. For the price, lapping film appears to be a bargain. I recently ordered some to try, but just received the package. It was ~$25 on the Bay for a set of seven 3m 8.5" x 11" sheets from 30 to .3 micron. The 1.5 and .3 micron would be for maintaining/finishing. You cut the sheets and use them on a flat base. I'll probably use a 3" x 8" CNAT as a base, once I make sure it's good and flat.

I've just started playing with a translucent Arkansas, so I can't comment yet on the potential. There are many here with experience with these. But, these too have become somewhat pricey.

Best of luck, Richard

 

[Steve56]

Well,.....

Naniwa Super Stones (Sharpening Stone): Relatively cheap, good quality, sound choice, tend to warp when wet/drying, so lap in the condition that you hone in. Available in 10mm and 20mm thicknesses. Resin based, softer than the Chosera. Prone to loading up with swarf.

Naniwa Chosera (Professional): Expensive, harder ceramic base. The finer ones, 5k and above are prone to cracking. the 10k Chosera is something like $275, and someone tried to sell one with the typical cracking, couldn’t get a bite at under $100 for a full thickness stone. The coarser ones don’t seem to crack, I have a 600 and 1k, both fine. the 1k is considered by many to be the gold standard of SR bevel setters. Tends to glaze, which makes them act finer, use the ‘brown brick’ dressing stone to restore the surface. The highly respected 8k Snow White is one of these and also is prone to cracking.

Shapton Pro: Best bang for the buck. Ceramic, harder, relatively cheap. They make deeper scratches which stay all the way to finish even if you finish on naturals. Doesn’t seem to affect the razor shaving edge at all.

Shapton Glass HR: The white ones. Fixed to glass so they don’t warp. Ceramic base. Blazing fast, doesn’t leave deep scratches, designed to cut hard, wear-resistant stainless and semi-stainless steels, specifically Lie-Nielsen semi-stainless plane steel. They save a lot of time if you’re accomplished at honing, they can wreck a razor with wear if you aren’t. 5mm thick, except a 10mm thick version is available in t00 grit.

Shapton Glass Hc: The grey ones. Ceramic, but feels softer like the Naniwa SS. Fixed to glass so they don’t warp. Harder than the HR, but feels softer and smoother. Designed for high carbon steels as the HC name implies. The 8k HC is the only 8k razor finisher that i like the edge from. 5mm thick.

Shapton M series: Older version, softer, available in 5mm (M5) and 7mm (M7). Pass on these except for knives and tools if you can get them cheap. Sellers try to pass them off as the far more expensive glass stones because they’re on a ceramic base.

King: Cheap and they work, best choice if you‘re cheap. Mostly soakers, they work fine but need lapping often as they’re pretty soft. Good knife hones.

Film: Cheap entry price though maybe more expensive than a good stone in the long run. Needs a flat base, so most folks have as many flat bases as grits to avoid changing film, therefore no better than stones space wise. Fun to play with though. You can try film out on the back of a Shapton Glass Stone.

Natural stones: Expensive these days! Boy howdy. No really good coarse or medium grit options except Arkansas oil stones. Most folks who have been around a while use natural finishers to make the final razor edge. Pay your money and take your choice, lol.

 

[Ssandstorms]

Well,.....

Naniwa Super Stones (Sharpening Stone): Relatively cheap, good quality, sound choice, tend to warp when wet/drying, so lap in the condition that you hone in. Available in 10mm and 20mm thicknesses. Resin based, softer than the Chosera. Prone to loading up with swarf.

Naniwa Chosera (Professional): Expensive, harder ceramic base. The finer ones, 5k and above are prone to cracking. the 10k Chosera is something like $275, and someone tried to sell one with the typical cracking, couldn’t get a bite at under $100 for a full thickness stone. The coarser ones don’t seem to crack, I have a 600 and 1k, both fine. the 1k is considered by many to be the gold standard of SR bevel setters. Tends to glaze, which makes them act finer, use the ‘brown brick’ dressing stone to restore the surface. The highly respected 8k Snow White is one of these and also is prone to cracking.

Shapton Pro: Best bang for the buck. Ceramic, harder, relatively cheap. They make deeper scratches which stay all the way to finish even if you finish on naturals. Doesn’t seem to affect the razor shaving edge at all.

Shapton Glass HR: The white ones. Fixed to glass so they don’t warp. Ceramic base. Blazing fast, doesn’t leave deep scratches, designed to cut hard, wear-resistant stainless and semi-stainless steels, specifically Lie-Nielsen semi-stainless plane steel. They save a lot of time if you’re accomplished at honing, they can wreck a razor with wear if you aren’t. 5mm thick, except a 10mm thick version is available in t00 grit.

Shapton Glass Hc: The grey ones. Ceramic, but feels softer like the Naniwa SS. Fixed to glass so they don’t warp. Harder than the HR, but feels softer and smoother. Designed for high carbon steels as the HC name implies. The 8k HC is the only 8k razor finisher that i like the edge from. 5mm thick.

Shapton M series: Older version, softer, available in 5mm (M5) and 7mm (M7). Pass on these except for knives and tools if you can get them cheap. Sellers try to pass them off as the far more expensive glass stones because they’re on a ceramic base.

King: Cheap and they work, best choice if you‘re cheap. Mostly soakers, they work fine but need lapping often as they’re pretty soft. Good knife hones.

Film: Cheap entry price though maybe more expensive than a good stone in the long run. Needs a flat base, so most folks have as many flat bases as grits to avoid changing film, therefore no better than stones space wise. Fun to play with though. You can try film out on the back of a Shapton Glass Stone.

Natural stones: Expensive these days! Boy howdy. No really good coarse or medium grit options except Arkansas oil stones. Most folks who have been around a while use natural finishers to make the final razor edge. Pay your money and take your choice, lol.

Great overview Steve! I'd like to add to this and say that most people on here have a mixture of all the above. Typically people hone on synthetics/films and move to naturals for the finisher. A few go all natural but that I know of it's not common and is typically slower.

Another group of Hones are Diamond DMT and the like. Set on heavy steel and can't warp. Offer a faster cutting compared to synths but can "rust" so drying is a key factor in maintenance. The EF (1200 GRIT) makes for an excellent bevel setting stone and the EE (8K) can be used to progress keep edges. It's very possible to completely hone with just these 2 stones, but most use a finisher after this for a better edge.

 

[Dagabose]

Shapton Pro: Best bang for the buck. Ceramic, harder, relatively cheap. They make deeper scratches which stay all the way to finish even if you finish on naturals. Doesn’t seem to affect the razor shaving edge at all.

I really like theses, and they come with a holder. The holders are stackable, and make it easier to neatly store them.

 

[Steve56]

Yepper

 

[Ssandstorms]

I really like theses, and they come with a holder. The holders are stackable, and make it easier to neatly store them.

My Naniwa set (1,5,8,12) came in stands but you have to look for it

 

[HVenture138]

The easiest and as cheap as anything way to keep a straight razor going is a pasted strop. Heirloomrazorstrop carries linen strops and so does thesuperiorshave in addition to abrasive pastes. Also linen strops and abrasives are all over Etsy.

If you want to learn to hone on wet stones you should not do it with the razor you are shaving with every day.

 

[KrstGor]

I'm in the same boat as you are... waiting for my very first SR to arrive. So, it goes w/o saying I'm no expert

What gave me a LOT of trouble and caused a lot of confusion in the begging was the misunderstanding of the process.

If your razor arrives truly shave ready (many will argue this is never the case) than all you NEED to maintain it shave ready is a leather stop. It will take 50-60 shaves before it requires a "touch-up". For touch up you can use a linen strop with CrOx and/or a 12K wet stone, like Naniwa Super stone and that is all.

So, maintaining sharpness is done by STROPPING.

Honing is a whole different ballgame altogether and probably smth. you'll never need to do.

Me, I got a 12K Naniwa, a faux linen strop and CrOx and that's that.

Cheers

 

[KrstGor]

Google dr matts 2 stone method to keep your razors going for ever it’s a really good video and it’s all you will ever need he uses a 8 k and a IRL natural stone

+1 I love the guy, he's great and what he says and does simply works.

 

[Ssandstorms]

I'm in the same boat as you are... waiting for my very first SR to arrive. So, it goes w/o saying I'm no expert

What gave me a LOT of trouble and caused a lot of confusion in the begging was the misunderstanding of the process.

If your razor arrives truly shave ready (many will argue this is never the case) than all you NEED to maintain it shave ready is a leather stop. It will take 50-60 shaves before it requires a "touch-up". For touch up you can use a linen strop with CrOx and/or a 12K wet stone, like Naniwa Super stone and that is all.

So, maintaining sharpness is done by STROPPING.

Honing is a whole different ballgame altogether and probably smth. you'll never need to do.

Me, I got a 12K Naniwa, a faux linen strop and CrOx and that's that.

Cheers

While you only would need a 12k and strop to maintain an edge that's already shave ready it goes without saying that you will more than likely roll your edge from incorrect stropping techniques when you are first starting. That requires more stones to correct (probably a 5-ish k and the 12k at a bare minimum). It happened with my SR and I went ahead and did a full progression (1,5,8,12k) on the blade. Partially because I wanted it set without tape but also to make sure my edge would be good.

Additionally the finishing stone in your honing process will leave the edge for your razor. A 12k is a notable edge but lots of shavers on here take it to another stone. Coticule, Arkansas, JNAT, thuringian, and sometimes diamond (0.5, 0.25, 0 1 micron) pastes are all used as finishers. That doesn't mean you can't use a 12k, it would absolutely work for your shaves.

 

[Biglo13]

Film and diamond pasted balsa!