May have made an uneducated choice

[Caber]

Once I do this then I'm good to start trying my hand at touching up my straight ? could I use a cutting board as my flat surface ?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Once I do this then I'm good to start trying my hand at touching up my straight ? could I use a cutting board as my flat surface ?

A cutting board? OH, THE HUMANITY! OH, THE PAIN!!! Nah. Not flat enough. Talking machinist flat, ideally. Just get a 12x12x1 piece of acrylic. It will literally last forever. In fact you can even cheat a little and go 12x9-1/2x1" and save half a buck.Or go 3/4" thick but I would not go thinner. Trust me, there is NOTHING that has not been tried, and what is commonly used is what has been found to work out of all the kadazzledillions of things that do not. Compromise on your tools, materials, and methods, and you will be compromising on your results. But do it like you feel it. Your razors.

 

[DaveHStone]

I just ordered a Norton 4k/8k wet stone. I am not necessarily wanting to hone my razor but rather touch it up because it has gotten a bit dull. I thought the 8k side of the Norton would be perfect but after doing some reading on here I have discovered that a stone with 10k-12k would be a much better rout to go. What would you guys recommend that I do?

Nothing to worry about. Norton 4k-8k is a good stone, a reliable "workhorse". Some people would shave off of 8k w/o a problem (I wouldn't) and some would go to a finisher like Jnat, Coti or Black Ark from the 8k.

I'd get a Naniwa 12K SS if you prefer a no-brainer, easy to work with, synthetic finisher or any natural stone, if that's your thing.

 

[Caber]

A cutting board? OH, THE HUMANITY! OH, THE PAIN!!! Nah. Not flat enough. Talking machinist flat, ideally. Just get a 12x12x1 piece of acrylic. It will literally last forever. In fact you can even cheat a little and go 12x9-1/2x1" and save half a buck.Or go 3/4" thick but I would not go thinner. Trust me, there is NOTHING that has not been tried, and what is commonly used is what has been found to work out of all the kadazzledillions of things that do not. Compromise on your tools, materials, and methods, and you will be compromising on your results. But do it like you feel it. Your razors.

Any Idea wher to by a 12x12x1 piece of acrylic ? and do I need to keep this under the stone every time I use it too?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Any Idea wher to by a 12x12x1 piece of acrylic ? and do I need to keep this under the stone every time I use it too?

TAP Plastics is one source.

 

[Caber]

Would a hardware store have some?

 

[Slash McCoy]

Would a hardware store have some?

If it were my hardware store, quite possibly. I can tell you for a fact that the local Home Depot doesn't have any over 1/4" thick. Just order from TAP Plastics is my advice.

 

[Alum of Potash]

As has been written above, the Norton 4k/8k combo is a time-honored hone for razor sharpening. To lap it, using 320x-400x 9"x12" sheets of wet/dry sandpaper torn in half along the vertical axis, and used wet, have a local glass cutter cut you a sheet of 1/4" thick plate glass cut to 6"x14" to use as a flat support. Off the Norton 8k, you could use the Naniwa 12k as mentioned, a coticule, or a number of other stones. You could also use pasted strops, the Solingen red and black crayon pastes on small loom strops or paddle strops making for a nice sequence in lieu of the final finishing stones--i.e., after the Norton 8k or a coticule used with water only after the Norton 4k.