TSD gang, I am interested to know what sharpening stones do you use to hone your straights? Also, what grit are they? How many shaves do you get from a honing job before you need to do it again? thanks Frank
The first part is easy to answer. 1K Chosera, Norton 4/8, then either a 10 or 12K Naniwa, and finish with a natural. I have quite a few naturals and they which one I use is mostly mood dependant. Once a razor has had a full hone, it never really gets a full hone again, unless something bad happens. There are many methods to refreshing your razors to keep it shaving. They vary from an abrasive strop used daily, to abrasive strops used less frequently, and then there is Barber hones that can be used weekly or monthly, and then there is high grit hones like the Naniwa 12 that can be used monthly. The most common method for keeping a blade shaving is to develop a routine to refresh the edge just a little but frenquently. Stropping skills and the power of good stropping can not be emphasized enough.
Frank, I use a variety of stones depending upon the razor. Some use is by experimentation, some based upon the recommendation from experienced honers. How often do they need re-honing? Some razors require a little touch-up on a high-grit stone, but most last a good long time so long as they are properly maintained (stropping, cleaning, drying thoroughly.) **No actual grit rating on the Naturals, just 'estimates' for comparison sake only. Bevel set: (both synthetics) Chosera Pro 1ooo Naniwa SuperStone 1ooo Sharpening (pre-finishing): Synthetics Naniwa SS 3000 Naniwa SS 5000 Naniwa SS 8000 Naturals Apache Red (4-6ooo) Okuda Suita (4-8000) Ardennes Coticule (Select) (6-8000) Zulu Silkvein (5-8ooo) Finishing/Polishing: Synthetics Naniwa SuperStone 10,000 Naniwa SuperStone 12,0oo Naturals Apache Strata (8-10,000) Ardennes Coticule (Select) (6-8ooo) Vintage Escher Waterstone (10,000) Zulu Grey (8-10,000) Shobudani Asagi (+tomo nagura) (10-12,000) Mikawa Shiro Nagura
In a Rotation I Don't Need to Take a Razor Back to a Hone for a Refresh for a Year or a Lot Longer..I Just give them a Zip Up with aHand Full of Strokes on 0.5 Chro/Ox Paste Every Now & Again to Keep them Sharp..My Motto is..Keep them Sharp Rather then Let them Dull..Works for Me.. Billy..
I heard almost the same years ago when it comes to edge maintenance "It is much easier to keep a knife sharp than to sharpen a knife" ~ unknown
Well, I ended up grabbing a 400, 1000, 5000 Naniwa Chosera set from chefknivestogo.com for my kitchen set which are screaming to be done. Once I get good with them, I think I will get a 8000 and 12000 or so to see if I can do straights but that will be in the future. Thanks for the suggestions. I am learning a lot. Frank
Looking at breaking out the 12 SS Naniwa. Wish me lunch. I recall some videos on how to do it. Need to go find them.
