What razor hone grits to use

[Joejeep]

Hi,
When it's time to hone my razor can you use 1000/4000 and 8000 grit or just 4000/8000? Thanks Joe

 

[Mike H]

Unless you damaged the edge bumping it against the sink, you should not need to go down to 1000. I would suggest getting a second razor to practice your honing. It does take some practice to get an edge to shave ready condition.

 

[fast14riot]

+1 to the above, but I would suggest starting at the 8K level and possibly 12K. I reset my bevels with 2500# paper and then go straight to CrOx and 1um diamond paste, then strop on plain leather and newsprint paper.


-Xander

 

[Kentos]

Hi,
When it's time to hone my razor can you use 1000/4000 and 8000 grit or just 4000/8000? Thanks Joe

If you can touch it before it gets dull a few laps on an abrasive like crox or diamond or CBN should keep you going for a good while.

Once you get into the dull stage anything from laps on a 12k, to laps on a 4k all the way to a bevel reset on a 1k might be warranted. It's a learning process, and the razor you learn on will show those scars .

 

[Fast Eddie]

I would recommend starting with the 12k and then test shave a small area. If it doesn't suit you, go back to the 8k, then test shave a small area. If that suits you, do a few on the 12k and you are done. If the 8k doesn't suit you, go back to the 4k and proceed normally up through the 12k.

FAST

 

[SliceOfLife]

Touching up requires virtually no heavy work as long as you haven't damaged the edge somehow. Generally the finer your touch up hone the better. The absolute slowest hones I've ever worked with were reputed to require 50-100 laps (the horror!) to touch up a razor.

 

[rickboone1]

i pretty much always have to go back to 1k for some reason, even if just for a few small laps. seems to work great for me.

 

[Krodor]

The absolute slowest hones I've ever worked with were reputed to require 50-100 laps (the horror!) to touch up a razor.

hee hee! maybe it's just me, but I like slow hones. My C12K and Surgical Black Arkansas are darn slow. I like to hone, so its nice to sit there for 100+ laps and know I'm not kicking the snot out of the steel.

Anyway...to the OP: the Norton 4k/8k should get you everything you need (note, not want necessarily.). In fact, though it might take you longer, the 4K can set bevels, and the 8K is shaveable, so that is often the rock that folks suggest to start with. Thats what I did. I never use it now (I hate taking 20 mins to soak them first, and they need lapping so often), but it worked for me.

 

[fccexpert]

I only use 8K to hone my razors. I have coarser and finer stones, but find that they have no real value in maintaining the edge on the razors. I suppose if I were faced with a very dull razor (as opposed to one that just needs freshening due to use) I would have a need for the coarser stones.

 

[SliceOfLife]

Yeah the parenthesis was tongue in cheek. Someone who had to touch up every month on the same hone would quickly be doing 100 laps on a handheld barber hone in under a minute, so people fretting how "slow" they were seemed hilarious to me.

I won't say that I LIKE slow hones. I will say that they have their merits for sure, especially if as you mention, you enjoy taking your time doing a lot of passes and knowing you're not exactly wearing down the razor.


Your sig makes me curious if there's a Barbie forum somewhere. "Barbie of the day" thread.

Today I played with Malibu barbie and Street Thug Ken. They're a mismatched pair but they make it work somehow. Street thug ken plans to make it big in the Parkour world and buy Malibu Barbie her Dream house some day.

 

[AKSHAVER]

for a quick touch up i just use a swaty 3 line barbers hone. i use a 1k and or the norton 4/8k on the ebay buys depending on bevel and edge.