What Natural Finisher Do You Like?

[Frank Shaves]

Anyone familiar with Vermont Green Slate Whetstones?

Griffith has them for a very nice price in 8x3-3/4 and they are up in 10-12k grit area. I saw a fellow on YouTube who was a big proponent of them, but not many other mentions of this finisher.

Vermont Green Slate Whetstone 8x3in. x 3/4in. thick - Very Fine Water Razor Knife Hone Sharpening Stone - Finisher

These are newly quarried and finished green slate hones manufactured by a quarry in the traditional quarrying area in western Vermont near the New York border. Vermont slates were once used commonly as honing stones and these examples have been tested thoroughly and are very fine stones (think...

www.griffithshavinggoods.com

Yes. I have a few and do enjoy using them. They are good finishers but not as good as an excellent Coticule, a Dan's hard Ark or a hard, fine Nakayama JNAT in my opinion.

 

[Tomo]

Cool - good stuff. I will make sure to work the corners down as stated. I like the old metal file idea for knocking off the immediate edge and then moving to wet / dry sandpaper. Would SIC powered also work for finishing edges off (i.e., slab of glass and polishing them out a bit)? Next steps I'm currently researching are which grit to finish the stone on. Opinions seem to vary but general consensus is that anywhere in the ball park between 400 to 1,000 will work with experimentation and personal preference in mind.

The Japanese Naturals sound like a whole separate (fun) rabbit hole to dive down in the future as well as Coticules. Is it bad that I want to try them all? Ha. It is cool to see Dan's Surgical Black Ark's get lots of love and support here.

Knocking the corners off is quick and easy. I wouldn’t bother with sic powder for that. If you use a hard surface under your sandpaper you will get a straighter chamfers and a better looking stone. Final rounding can be free hand. Go slow and aim for even chamfers. They only need to be small.

I’ve played around with surface prep and found 600-800 to be the sweet spot. 400 with a light touch will work perfectly fine. 1000 is ok but it’s started to get over polished for me at that stage. I would just use the lapping plate you have for surface prep. Further work on an unverified surface will risk bringing your stone out of flat. Glass is not as flat as some people imagine.

 

[Frank Shaves]

A lot of guys use diamond plates (like Atoma) to chamfer the edges of stones. Not sure why, but I do better holding a small piece of wet/dry sandpaper (e.g., 240 and 400) with my hand.

 

[Mr Kooby Shemayrew]

Surface prep on a hard Ark will have people falling into one of two groups: people who burnish the surface, and people who are wrong.

Seriously though, the good thing about a Dan’s Ark is that you will get two very usable working surfaces. Everyone is different so prep them different ways and try them all. Many of us maintain a different finish on each side.

The big reason why Dan’s is getting repped so much in this thread is consistency. With experience, there are many other finishing options that cost less than a Dan’s stone. The chance of a new honer picking one on the first try isn’t very good. To the inexperienced, you’ll pay a little more, but a Dan’s is a guaranteed high level finisher that leaves no doubt as to the performance of the stone. That’s really important when you’re starting out. It will also last you a lifetime and they consistently increase in value.

My two points of recommendation. 1) I recommend to call Dan’s and let them know the size of stone you are looking for , maybe your price range, and that you want the best finisher for a straight razor. People into knives also like Arks but the desired toothy finish for a knife is not the same desire for a straight razor. Asking Dan’s on the phone will at least get some amount of pre-selection for the best razor option. 2) I would ask if they have any colorful “True Hard” that would be excellent razor finishers. These generally aren’t posted on their site. The coloring can be rare and very beautiful but it must be confirmed as the right consistency for finishing a razor. These are usually around the same price range as Dan’s surgical black.

 

[joamo]

One of my favorites are pink quartzites. Lapping one of those makes a trans Ark feel like a walk in a park.

 

[Saloogie]

Yes. I have a few and do enjoy using them. They are good finishers but not as good as an excellent Coticule, a Dan's hard Ark or a hard, fine Nakayama JNAT in my opinion.

Thanks, I might go for this stone.

I seem to be stuck on it. While I know there could be better stones out there like an Ark, I'm kind of drawn to this stone. The price is right, the size is right and it does finish well. We'll see, I'm still trying to get it all figured out.

 

[Frank Shaves]

^
Go for what you want. Vermont slates are cool and produce good edges. I use oil with my Vermont slates.

 

[A_Shaves_91]

Dan’s Surgical Black Ark (6x2) incoming. As if I needed any more convincing… Ha. Thanks again Gents.

 

[Gamma]

If I liked the edges I was getting from a 12k I wouldn't go looking for something else unless I was able to conclusively describe what was missing from what I already had. Main reason I bought my first Coticule bout was because I didn't like the face feel from the 12k Super Stone edges. Didn't like the honing feedback feel of the Super Stone either. And so it goes.

Something to ponder....many, many, many, people chase finishers when they should be chasing better bevel set skills. Improve the bevel, improve the edge. No one wants to hear their skills can be improved upon but it's the truth.

As for what finish I like, it depends on the blade and how the ground-midrange work was done. Also depends on how I feel that day. I often choose progressions or approaches based on mood.

As for what others like, meh. For any possible stone choice there are armies for it and against it.
If you're interested in different finishes, have some razors honed by guys known for working well on specific stones you are interested in. Then you will know what's what.
Learn first. Spend later. It saves grief and money.

 

[JPO]

Dan’s Surgical Black Ark (6x2) incoming. As if I needed any more convincing… Ha. Thanks again Gents.

I am no Arkansas stone expert. However, I have been playing with these stones allot lately. With these stones I get quite different results depending on what I used as the last step before the Arkansas stone.
So far I get the 'best' results if I use it after a slate or a coticule.
Lalune to Ark also gave an interesting edge.
I have not been that impressed with edges I get if I use it after an 8k or 12k synthetic stone.
My only regret is that I didn't start playing with these stones sooner.

 

[Saloogie]

^
Go for what you want. Vermont slates are cool and produce good edges. I use oil with my Vermont slates.

Well, I just pulled the trigger on the Vermont Slate from Griffiths.

I emailed Matt at Griffiths and he confirmed what I was thinking, that the green Vermont's are great finishers. I feel comfortable purchasing from this store.

Vermont Green Slate Whetstone 8x3in. x 3/4in. thick - Very Fine Water Razor Knife Hone Sharpening Stone - Finisher

These are newly quarried and finished green slate hones manufactured by a quarry in the traditional quarrying area in western Vermont near the New York border. Vermont slates were once used commonly as honing stones and these examples have been tested thoroughly and are very fine stones (think...

www.griffithshavinggoods.com

 

[Frank Shaves]

Matt at GSG is a reputable seller who really knows his stuff. Looking forward to hearing what you think about the stone. I live on the east coast of the US and have spent a lot of time in Vermont. It's pretty cool that you can shave off a stone that was quarried locally.

 

[Saloogie]

Matt at GSG is a reputable seller who really knows his stuff. Looking forward to hearing what you think about the stone. I live on the east coast of the US and have spent a lot of time in Vermont. It's pretty cool that you can shave off a stone that was quarried locally.

Yes, while I was strongly leaning towards this slate, Matt pushed me the extra inch I needed to go for it. He did seem like quite the expert!

Actually, those quarries aren't to far from NYC and I think they also have quarries for this stone in upstate NY, on the border of Vermont. So they are pretty local. Beautiful country up there.

I'll let you know how it goes when I get it. Thanks!

 

[Saloogie]

Looking forward to hearing what you think about the stone.

So I've honed two razors, one from 3000 grit, then onto an 8000 grit, then onto a hard Ark and finished them with the Vermont Slate, both with slurry and clean, and I'll say they both came out very well. I'm really pleased with the edge I'm getting out of this slate. But I don't have enough experience to say it's the best finishing stone around yet.

I'd like to someday get a translucent ark to compare the two, but a decent sized one can run some bucks. My real need first however is to get some better lower grit stones, as the ones I'm using are from a cheapish Amazon box set. They did the job I guess, but I know I can do better. I'm not sure what to look for there, maybe a soft Ark? I don't know yet.

 

[Frank Shaves]

What do you want to use the lower grit stones for?

1k, 3k, 8k and a finisher or two is all that you should need for most razors. I also have a 500-grit Shapton HR for removing chips. If you want to use natural stones instead of the 1k, 3k and 8k then you are getting into a whole other perfectly legitimate but different space.

 

[A_Shaves_91]

So I've honed two razors, one from 3000 grit, then onto an 8000 grit, then onto a hard Ark and finished them with the Vermont Slate, both with slurry and clean, and I'll say they both came out very well. I'm really pleased with the edge I'm getting out of this slate. But I don't have enough experience to say it's the best finishing stone around yet.

I'd like to someday get a translucent ark to compare the two, but a decent sized one can run some bucks. My real need first however is to get some better lower grit stones, as the ones I'm using are from a cheapish Amazon box set. They did the job I guess, but I know I can do better. I'm not sure what to look for there, maybe a soft Ark? I don't know yet.

For your lower synthetic grit stones, there are a ton of great options. I might consider the Shapton Pro stones. I have only the 8k currently (and really like it) but have also considered the lower grit ranges as well to round out my set. They are affordable, nice quality and easy to use. If you want to take a step up in price, also consider the Shapton Glass stones. I don't have any experience with them but have heard and read here on the forum that they are very nice.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Saloogie]

What do you want to use the lower grit stones for?

1k, 3k, 8k and a finisher or two is all that you should need for most razors. I also have a 500-grit Shapton HR for removing chips. If you want to use natural stones instead of the 1k, 3k and 8k then you are getting into a whole other perfectly legitimate but different space.

I want the lower grit stones to set my razor up better for finishing. I have the 1,3 and 8k stones, but I'm sure I can do better in quality than what I have now. I've used these whetstone's in the past on knives and they do well there, but I'm not so sure they're really the best for razors. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[Saloogie]

For your lower synthetic grit stones, there are a ton of great options. I might consider the Shapton Pro stones. I have only the 8k currently (and really like it) but have also considered the lower grit ranges as well to round out my set. They are affordable, nice quality and easy to use. If you want to take a step up in price, also consider the Shapton Glass stones. I don't have any experience with them but have heard and read here on the forum that they are very nice.

Good luck in your search.

I will definitely look into these Shapton Pro Stones. I've seen the glass and they're a bit pricey.

Thanks!

 

[Wid]

I will definitely look into these Shapton Pro Stones. I've seen the glass and they're a bit pricey.

Thanks!

I prefer the Naniwa over the Shapton

There are a couple nice synthetic stones on BST right now. A good way to pick up some good priced stones.

 

[Saloogie]

I prefer the Naniwa over the Shapton

There are a couple nice synthetic stones on BST right now. A good way to pick up some good priced stones.

Thanks, I'd like to check them out, but who is BST?