I have a an old purple slate castoff that measures ~2-1/2" x ~3-1/2". Used with light slurry to water finish, it is capable of coming close to coticule smoothness but with a bit more shaving closeness for my relatively tough beard. Used with oil, it yields a very close shave, at the cost of slight keen/harshness. Wanting to max out the light slurry to water finish (or maybe lather), I am thinking about using it this way as a travel stone; and following this, I wondering about a two-step synth progression that might precede if the occasion arises. Traditional, long-soak synths are a problem in travelling, so I am thinking more towards splash-and-go. Problem here is that these hones tend to be huge, for bench or professional use. From what seems to be available, I've sort of settled on the new, baseless, Naniwa Super Stone line at ~3/8" thick. These measure ~2-3/4" x ~8-1/4" as sold, so I'm thinking to cut them in half, to arrive at ~2-3/4" x ~4-3/32" (width of blade subtracted here). From this, either I can glue them back to back to arrive at ~3/4" thick, or glue different grits back to back to arrive at a combo stone.
I try to avoid assigning JIS grit ratings to natural stones. Yet I know this slate is a little bit higher on the totem pole than the average coticule. 1k JIS > 3k JIS > coticule normally suits me fine, so here, I am tempted by 2k > 5k. Nobody seems to use a 2k stone much on the razor forums though, so maybe it might be better to go 1k > 5k? And for those who have used it, is the new Naniwa Super Stone really splash and go? What is the drying time for these stones after a honing session? The traditional stones can take weeks to really dry out.
Edit: it occurs to me that the synth stones may be way softer than the slate, so perhaps a harder option may be desirable.
Cutting Naniwa Specialty Stones in Half
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