What's your best LOOKING finisher?

[gumbo]

After a lot of work at honing I can finally say I'm very happy with the edges I can put on with a few different stones. I have successfully achieved 2 or 3-pass BBS shaves with a number of finishers, including several different coticules, a couple different Thuringians, a Charnley, a Tam O'Shanter, and several different barber hones (with the Frictionite 00 and Lakeside being my favorite).

Now, even though I prefer my Charnley edges to others that I have done, I still use the others stones often just for enjoyment or aesthetic purposes. So that got me thinking about how if I can get acceptable or even good edges out of a bunch of different stones, then the visual appearance of a stone really starts to matter (at least to me). My question is this: If we were to define a finisher as anything that improves the edge of a Norton 8k, what is your best LOOKING finishing stone? I would love to see some images of real beauties and exemplars from a lot of you, and if you're like me I know you have some pride in the stones you have collected, harbored, and maintained and many have considered this question before.

Then maybe we can have a poll for who owns the "Helen of Troy" finishing stone. Oh, and Seraphim if you want to post some of your gorgeous "lapping film"...go ahead

My best looking finishing stone is my Tam O'Shanter (yes, it's a finisher).

 

[Krodor]

I love the look of my CNAT:

and I don't know if you can see this very well, but there is a beauty in a surgical black with oil on it. It's what I think of when I read of Vetinari's* stygium signet ring. It's like it goes through black and out the other side.

*nod to Pratchett fans everywhere.

 

[gumbo]

Awesome, the CNAT's lines are striking...and just having the word "surgical" makes it bad-***.

 

[Doc226]

Gamma is going to win this thread.

nice clouds

Dry

 

[gumbo]

Doc what is that? A JNat of some sort?

 

[Doc226]

Doc what is that? A JNat of some sort?

Yes its an Ozuko Asagi.

I have to post pics of my Nakayama Suita

 

[Bayamontate]

 

[gumbo]

Ohhhh I feel like maybe I've been underestimating JNats...

 

[Doc226]

Ohhhh I feel like maybe I've been underestimating JNats...

Wait until Gamma weighs in with his cafe late stones. Gorgeous.

 

[Disburden]

Beautiful. Looks like birds flying over a beach on a grey afternoon.

After a lot of work at honing I can finally say I'm very happy with the edges I can put on with a few different stones. I have successfully achieved 2 or 3-pass BBS shaves with a number of finishers, including several different coticules, a couple different Thuringians, a Charnley, a Tam O'Shanter, and several different barber hones (with the Frictionite 00 and Lakeside being my favorite).

Now, even though I prefer my Charnley edges to others that I have done, I still use the others stones often just for enjoyment or aesthetic purposes. So that got me thinking about how if I can get acceptable or even good edges out of a bunch of different stones, then the visual appearance of a stone really starts to matter (at least to me). My question is this: If we were to define a finisher as anything that improves the edge of a Norton 8k, what is your best LOOKING finishing stone? I would love to see some images of real beauties and exemplars from a lot of you, and if you're like me I know you have some pride in the stones you have collected, harbored, and maintained and many have considered this question before.

Then maybe we can have a poll for who owns the "Helen of Troy" finishing stone. Oh, and Seraphim if you want to post some of your gorgeous "lapping film"...go ahead

My best looking finishing stone is my Tam O'Shanter (yes, it's a finisher).

View attachment 292715

 

[Gamma]

I don't know that this is actually the 'best looking' finisher.
Plus - it's a well rounded stone so it's not 'just' a finisher.
But - it kicks *** from A-Z so...

Ozuku and friends

Possibly prettier - beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. Again- not purely a 'finisher'. Okudo Suita & Tomo

 

[Legion]

Bad photo, but I've got a very green, fossil filled La Verte I quite like the look of.

 

[gumbo]

I don't know that this is actually the 'best looking' finisher.
Plus - it's a well rounded stone so it's not 'just' a finisher.
But - it kicks *** from A-Z so...

Ozuku and friends

Possibly prettier - beauty is in the eye of the beholder though. Again- not purely a 'finisher'. Okudo Suita & Tomo

Wow, that Okudo Suita is just stunning. It belongs on the planet Arakis...it looks like spice melange "He who controls the spice, controls the universe".

 

[Doc226]

That's the one-love the look of that one.

 

[chuckr9]

It was a little difficult to get bevel set with this one, probably should have lapped it first!

 

[Gamma]

I love that one - I'm glad she went to a good home.

Bad photo, but I've got a very green, fossil filled La Verte I quite like the look of.

 

[Gamma]

Very cool Karasu

View attachment 292741View attachment 292735

 

[raccoonandbrush]

Very cool stones everyone.

 

[BakerAndBadger]

Don't want to seem narcissistic but I think I'm my best looking finisher!

gamma, your second jnat looks like a huge block of nougat.... Beautiful.

Ok here's mine, the one in the middle.

 

[gumbo]

Awesome cotis, I'm assuming that's a La Veinette in the middle? Love me some manganese.