Where to buy?

[jrward2]

This is a pretty basic question, but i'm looking into getting my first hone pretty soon, and I was trying to find a hone/stone vendor. I've searched all over the wiki and on the site, Straight Razor Place, and all over google, but I keep coming up short. So who do you guys buy from? Who is reputable and has good prices and service?

Thanks

 

[Gamma]

What kind of hone are you looking for?

 

[jrward2]

Well I was considering Norton 1k 4k 8k and I know I can get those on Amazon. But I was wanting to just kind of poke around and do a little "window shopping" so to speak. Is there a one stop shop where I can look at multiple brands, types, etc... maybe one with some strops and other things.

 

[cpcohen1945]

Three possibilities:

a) Straight Razor Designs www.straightrazordesigns.com

b) Rockler Woodworking -- www.rockler.com -- certainly has Norton stones, and maybe others

c) Lee Valley -- http://www.leevalley.com/us/ -- Norton stones, DMT diamond plates, and lots of other goodies.

. Charles

 

[Landri]

In a similar subject (and sorry for hijacking the thread), any opinions on Vintagestraightrazor.com?
They got some really sweet deals (almost to sweet to been real)
Cheers!

 

[jrward2]

Three possibilities:

a) Straight Razor Designs www.straightrazordesigns.com

Thanks for posting that. That is exactly what I was looking for.

What do yall think would be better--the Naniwa stones or the Norton? I'm looking at the Naniwa value pack which consists of 5k, 8k, and 12k. If I plan on trying my hand in restorations, would yall suggest picking up the 1k as well? Or should I go with the Norton 220/1k combo and 4k/8k combo?

Thanks.

 

[Neurotopia]

You'll probably be happy with either setup. You'll want something after the 8k, most likely though, and you'll need a DMT 325 plate to lap those suckers (or a flat surface and lots of sandpaper). I like the DMT because it is useful for other things.

The Naniwa setup you have doesn't specify a 1k-ish bevel setter, which is the most important stone. If your bevel sucks you have a crappy edge, period. The Norton setup may save space with the combo stones, but you'll likely still want a good finisher.

Have you considered the Shaptons as well? Lots of people like those. Just comes down to preference.

 

[Obiwan]

Any interest in natural stones? If so, a nice coticule can be had from Jarrod at www.thesuperiorshave.com

 

[jrward2]

Any interest in natural stones? If so, a nice coticule can be had from Jarrod at www.thesuperiorshave.com

This is another thing I just don't quite understand. Comparing a coticule to Norton or Naniwa:

1. Which would be better for a beginner--Coti or a Norton or Naniwa set
2. With a Coti is it necessary to have more than one stone? Can I set the bevel, sharpen, and finish all on one stone?
3. Which would last longer? Does a Coti require lapping? How often do you have to lap a Norton or Naniwa stone?
4. When considering sizes what would be a good size coticule?

I think this is all of my questions. I know the range of answers I get will vary, but I'm wanting to get into honing with stones and am putting together a list I might want for Christmas since I'm usually pretty hard to buy for.

 

[jrward2]

One more question. For razors that are in rough shape and need a lot of attention (rust, pitting, etc...) Coticule or waterstone?

 

[Doc226]

This is another thing I just don't quite understand. Comparing a coticule to Norton or Naniwa:

1. Which would be better for a beginner--Coti or a Norton or Naniwa set
2. With a Coti is it necessary to have more than one stone? Can I set the bevel, sharpen, and finish all on one stone?
3. Which would last longer? Does a Coti require lapping? How often do you have to lap a Norton or Naniwa stone?
4. When considering sizes what would be a good size coticule?

I think this is all of my questions. I know the range of answers I get will vary, but I'm wanting to get into honing with stones and am putting together a list I might want for Christmas since I'm usually pretty hard to buy for.

1. Matter of preference. I would suggest you try out an edge from each before committing to a system
2. Coticule with a slurry stone is all that is needed, you can set a bevel to finish with one stone
3. Naniwa and nortons require lapping before each use (At least I would recommend it), coticules do not need to be lapped as much, all depends on use.
4. the bigger the better

One more question. For razors that are in rough shape and need a lot of attention (rust, pitting, etc...) Coticule or waterstone?

You might need a coarser stone to remove chips. I use a DMT 325 or 600 depending on situation

For coticules check out the superior shave, great value on bouts

 

[rickboone1]

You need a few stones;

bevel setter... 1000, 1200 brands are Norton, Naniwa, King, Bester, Shapton

a 3000, 4000 or 5000 stone. Any of the above brands will be good.

An 8000 grit stone.

A 12,000 grit stone. Can be a Chinese 12K (C12k, CNAT) or other natural finisher such as coticule, slate stone. You could also use a 15,000 or 16,000 grit stone instead of a 12,000.

A 325 DMT lapping plate OR some equivalent in wet/ dry sand paper and a large flat tile of marble or granite.

Best thing is to find a set for sale in a classifieds/ bst on one of the forums. Recently a set of Shaptons sold on the BST here. You may have to wait around, but that's where the best deals can typically be had.

Choose one system. Meaning one stone from each grit. Stick to it. Buy nothing else until you get consistent results. Buying a new stone won't make you hone better.

 

[Wid]

I would recommend a Coticule with a bevel setter of your choice. Try to get one of the harder stones if you can.

 

[Gamma]

1k and a Coti can cover most of everything - at least to start with.
For a complete synth set-up, I'd choose a 1, 3, 5, 8, 12k Naniwa set.
Nortons will work, I got better results with the Nanis though.
In the end, for synths - I chose Choseras. They're harder than The SS series, a bit faster also.




Heavy work like removing large chips, cutting into new steel to get past micro pitting, etc - will require a coarser stone than a 1k. I personally don't like what diamond plates do to steel but I really don't like honing for hours to take out a 3/32" chip either.
Wiping the scratches from a 325x DMT isn't as easy as one might think, so the lowest I usually go is 600x.
But - most of the time, I'll choose a lower grit stone for that work - a 400x Chosera. I also have a 180x Nambutama, and I've used it to remove a lot of steel on a badly pitted bevel quickly - but I'd rather sneak up on the bevel most of the time.

 

[Krodor]

At the risk of sounding obnoxious, here's what I PM'ed someone the other day who asked. It might be fitting here:

-----------

Honing...well, if you go the hones route, you can expect to spend ~$150 bucks in all if you want to go from ebay-level to shave ready. What many folks will tell you is that since you have a razor that is shave ready, there is no need for the larger-grit stuff, and you can just start by buying a finisher. Chinese naturals do the job well enough, and they are fairly cheap. I got mine from this guy: <links here to ebay guy "openrazor">

You often end up having the answer be one of the following:

0) something to lap on (either DMT D8C or lots of wet-dry sandpaper and a very flat/smooth surface).

then one of the following three are the typical responses you'll get if you ask on an open forum:
1) Norton 4K/8K (very common on the straightrazorplace forum...<snip>). Nice and big, very consistent. Very common, so questions can be answered with confidence. I'm told that the 8K side used to be the normal "shave-ready" condition, and many people just have this hone in their arsenal, shaving off the 8K. No problem. You'll also see some of the folks on here dissing it as not good enough for them. Meh. it works. Problems with it: it goes out-of-flat very quickly and it is highly porous, so you have to soak it for 15 minutes before lapping it, then you can use it. Though I'd get laughed at, I often take my razors from bevel set through shave-sharp on this one rock (though the bevel set is a bit of work, but I don't have anything less than a 4K

2) Coticule (very common here). Natural stone, so right there you need to be aware that your stone is somewhat unlike every other stone around. The particulars about how yours would work is a little different than everyone elses. Some would say that it makes you love your stone after awhile, once you learn it's ins and outs. You'll find lots of guys buy tons of coticules ("cotis") because of the hunt for the perfect edge ("maybe *that* coti is better than the one I have?") and others just think they are pretty (which they are). The Norton route is more honing area per dollar, for sure. Cotis don't need as much lapping though, and don't need to be soaked...just splash and go. By adjusting how much slurry is on the stone, you can go from bevel set (with a lot of work) through shave ready, similar to the Norton (but the norton needs two sides to do it). this way will take some practice though, but know that you'll be using a method that's been sharpening razors for hundreds of years....I like that connection to the past.

3) Lapping films. This is the high-tech method. Someone somewhere discovered that by using the hyper-small grit sandpaper that they use to polish the ends of fiber-optic cables, you can "sand" your razor to shave sharpness. This is very cool. By purchasing a pack of assorted grit film (from 12 micron down to 1 micron) from someone like Raithskar(?) (not sure if he's still offering it...PM him...like 20 bucks) and find some very flat granite to put it on (check Lowes or home depot tile section...like 10-20 bucks or less), you can do it all for less than 50 bucks. It doesn't have "mojo" like Doc226 likes, but it works, is consistent, has a huge honing surface, and is cheap....just not something you can hand down to your offspring as a heirloom, you know? There are plenty of how-to's out there on how to use it...that or just pop Slash McCoy or Seraphim a PM and they'll dump loads of info on you (they are big proponents of this method).

One of those three methods might sound more interesting to you than the other. Whichever you think sounds good, go for it. It's quite enjoyable to shave with your own edge...very big feeling of empowerment over "The Man".

------------

 

[Krodor]

Re:
"but I don't have anything less than a 4K "

I see I lied. I do have the DMT (325 grit), but nothing between that and the 4K from a synthetic-rock point of view. Please forgive. It is still true tho, that I've bevel set many razors in the 4k side and finished on the 8k.