Honing setup in a budget

[KarNau]

Hello honers! I currently own 1K and 6K King deluxe stone and Chinese 12K quarter stone from Larry @whippeddog.

I am looking to add something between 1K and 6K and maybe between 6K and 12K. what about Naniwa multistone 1K/3k?

I am kinda on a budget, but any offers would be appretitated. BTW, I am based in EU, which makes it a bit more complicated (Maybe any 1 of you knows good EU based shop for hones?)

Thanks and stay safe and sharp!

 

[Slash McCoy]

I like the Naniwa Superstones except for the 3k. It loads and glazes very quickly for some reason. I do not think much of combo stones because the two different stones sometimes swell and shrink at different rates when soaking or drying, causing all sorts of issues. Actually I don't really like the King stones, separately or glued together. I guess by now you have figured out that there are a lot of things I don't like. But, on a budget, one thing I definitely like is lapping film. You can have a very cheap but very effective setup for the cost of one good stone, by ordering a 3" x 12" x 1" or thicker cast acrylic from TAP Plastics or since you are in EU, an EU source. Then get 3M or NanoLapTech lapping film, PLAIN BACK, full size sheets. A good progression is 30µ, 15µ, 9µ, 3µ, and 1µ. See the lapping film thread. Read it end to end. Do it the right way and you will get great results. Compromise on some detail that seems too difficult or seems not important, and your results will probably not be very impressive. To up your game even more, check out the pasted balsa thread. Again, do it right or don't bother, because you probably will be unimpressed.

 

[StupidBatsy]

what do you feel is missing in ur honing? how is that 12k stone compering to the Naniwa 12k? im using the king 1k/6k + the Naniwa 12k and i dont think you need more... (maybe extra finish with a 0.3 micron lapping film / Oxide Paste on Denim...

 

[buca3152]

Imo I would stay where your at. You can definitely do a 1 to 6k. Now you mentioned a budget. So if the cost is a concern I would do nothing. If you feel like dropping some cash there are many many choices.

 

[Legion]

I’m thinking the most cost effective way to plug those two gaps would be the Norton 4/8k. An added bonus is the are about the same hardness as the king 1k, so you can rub them together to keep them flat. I did that for quite a while before I got into natural stones.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

The King 1 to 6k is an easy jump, especially if you max out the 1k. Wash and do a quick re-lap of the 1k. Joint and strop the blade on linen, then do 20-40 X finish laps with lite pressure on the 1k.

Make sure that you are honing to the edge all the way across the whole bevel and have a fully set bevel from heel to toe. Then just remove the all the 1k stria with a clean 6k with a little slurry. Finish on the 6k the same as the 1k.

When you look at the edge at 6 and 8k the edge is very different. The edge will not get perfectly straight until after an 8k edge. This is likely your problem.

The Chinese “12K” is not 12k, some may finish, but they are not 12k. If you get a good 8k that will give you a finished edge, that may polish further with the Chinese stone, but likely not. You will need to experiment.

A Naniwia 12k is another inexpensive alternative. The 12k Superstone is/can be aggressive with slurry and polish to very keen straight edge.

The problem with the 12k super stone is, they load up. But a quick lap with a diamond plate will clean it up. If you get a 12k super stone, compare the stria and edge to your Chinese and you will see how far from 12k it is.

8or 12k stropped on Chrome Oxide or CBN is a great shaving edge.

 

[GreazyThumbs]

If I were to start over I would pick up a coticule and a rub stone for most early and mid range work. If your lucky enough to find a good coti you might also be able to finish with it. One really versatile stone in your arsenal can replace a bunch of synthetics. Learning curve it a little bit steeper, but work the effort IMO.

 

[KW Driver]

film was the cheapest, easiest, most repeatable method to get a good edge for me starting out. I still have a king 1/3k and I didn't find it very impressive. I got faster, better results on 1k wet/dry sandpaper, when wetted. bunches cheaper too.

bare bones cheapest, most reliable system I think is film/pasted diamond on balsa that @Slash McCoy champions. once I tried one of his .1 diamond on balsa? seriously impressed with the smooth keenness of it. diamond/CBN was smoother on my face than CrOx/FeOx. on film, I quit at 1 micron, because finer than that was harsh feeling the first several shaves/strops. until I tried a .1 micron diamond on balsa. want to just work film? to smooth out the edge, do 1 micron film, then put a piece of wet printer/copier paper under the film and do that to slightly convex the edge.

or... learn to work and master the stones you have. plenty of guys shave happily off synth edges to 12-20k+.

something else I did was to send out razors to good known honers to compare my progress against.

Coticule edges done well? sublimely comfortable and smooth feeling, absolutely keen enough, and the hardest stone I've ever tried to get repeatable edges from.

slates? can often mimic a dialed in Coticule edge for smoothness.

Jants? superbly sharp and often quite smooth when done right in the right hands.

eshers/arks? always felt a bit toothy/tuggy on my face. both mine and other's hone work.

 

[EspressoAndAftershave]

I'd also recommend the lapping film. I don't even bother pulling the rocks out, anymore.

 

[Alum of Potash]

I agree with the others that say to stay with what you have, if you like it. The only thing I might add would be an Ice Bear artificial nagura stone to clear the 1k sign from swarf and possibly help serve as a bridge to the 6k.

That said, a Suehiro 1k/3k is a great combo hone from my experience, and inexpensive. Dictum sells it (under the name Cerax) and other hones in the EU. Dieter Schmid Fine Tools also has a number of hones available on its site. Both are located in Germany. Knives and Tools, based in the Netherlands, also has a number of hones. In particular, their Skerper waterstone line has an inexpensive 1k, 2k, and 5k series that have worked quite well for me when I'm in France.