Slurry Stones

About Our Slurry and Rub Stones:

 

If you are new to the world of straight razor honing, you might find yourself asking, "what exactly is a slurry stone, and why do I need one?"

 

We have specifically created this section to shed some light on the many benefits of these helpful stones, and to make sure you get the most out of your sharpening. 

 

First, and very importantly, Slurry Stones are accompanying stones, meant to be rubbed on your hone in order to create a slurry. Eventually, every hone will require some level of truing, and making sure to properly maintain your sharpening stone not only ensures you get the best sharpening experience possible, but helps you manage the wear of your stones after consistent use. 

 

When you sharpen your knife or straight razor, it is inevitable that some amount of carbon will be left behind; an unfortunate side-effect of honing that can plug up the pores in your sharpening stone, and making it considerably less effective. These slurry stones help remove that unwanted residue. By rubbing the top of your hone with a Slurry Stone or Diamond Card, you are essentially cleaning that stone in order to help bring new material to the surface. 

 

Slurry Stones also leave behind a Slurry; a useful puddle-of-mud solution. While not required, using one of these stones to create a slurry helps achieve a finer hone cut; effectively increasing cutting speed, and allowing an even finer polish on your razors edge. 

 

On top of that, slurry stones can change the functional Grit Value of the stone you are working with. For example, if you are using a 1000 Grit Sharpening Stone, and a 6000 Grit Slurry Stone, not only will you cut at the speed of the 1000 Grit, but you will be able to smooth out the grain in the steel with the level of the 6000 Grit. Keep in mind, however, that this concept can work against you if done improperly; for example, if you are using an 8000 Grit Sharpening Stone and a 1000 Grit Slurry Stone, because of the larger grain, the 1000 Grit can defeat the purpose of the 8000 Grit. So if you decide to clean your base sharpening stone with a lower grit slurry stone, make sure to wash off your slurry before honing!

 

In general, however, it never hurts to have a higher grit slurry stone, to take the guess work out of the process!

 

So take some time to play around with different set-ups; experimenting is the key to getting the results you want! We could go on forever about the many things you can do with the incredible slurry stones found in this section, but we truly believe that testing them out yourself is the best way to see exactly what works for you. 

 

 

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