Not sure what I should do.

So far I have oredered:-

1/ Thiers-Issard Evide Sonnant Extra 5/8, sharpened by Lynn
2/ Tony Miller 3" Artisan Red Latigo Strop with handles + Practice Strop

Now I know I'm going to need to freshen up the blade at some point. The decision that is causing me problems is....

Should I buy a Norton 4000/8000 waterstone and start learning to hone?

OR

Is there a hone that I can use, that is relatively inexpensive, that would suffice just for a quick refresh?

I know the other option is a paddle with different pastes.

Thoughts gentlemen please. :shrug:

You will probably get a number of different responses to this question. You might want to read through the forums to see th pros and cons of the various solutions. If you're just going to be maintaining razors that were honed by a pro, the paddle strop or a finishing hone will keep you in the game for a long time.

If you want to do the whole honing "thing" and will be buying blades on ebay, etc. You might as well get the Norton and a couple of junkers to practice on. Enjoy! :)

Jordan

I think Jordan's advice has got you pretty well covered. Probably a Coticule would be a good edge refresher (an irregularly shaped one, a Bout, is generally cheaper) , or a barber's hone off ebay, or (if e.g. Kees still has them) a Thuringian, if you decide to go down the "refresh only" route.

But you may find, as time goes by, that you get interested in the razors and start getting a few old ones from here and there. Then something like a Norton is a great and versatile stone to have.

James.

All good advice so far and I am not condemning anything thats been said, but just for freshening a blade 2-3 times a year, just get a barber hone from ebay. That is the cheapest way to get started honing, then if you wish to increase your skills(expense) go for the higher end hones, couticles and etc.

Everyone has their favorite methods. I use a Norton 4K/8K for major refreshes. However, I have a couple of double sided paddles that have diamond paste from 3.0 micron down to 0.25 micron on them that will keep an edge in good shape for a long time. Generally, if a razor is pulling, I can refresh it with on the 0.5 micron and 0.25 micron paste. I have recently started adding some stropping on newspaper which is reported to be about the equivalent of 0.1 micron paste before finishing on the plain leather strop.

Recommend getting the 6/8.

Have fun.

Lynn

As stated, everyone has their methods. It seems that most get by with a pasted paddle strop. From what I have read, the chromium 0.5 is a better choice than the diamond...BUT I could be wrong.

OR you could go with the coticule, which can be harder to learn on, but give a better edge.

~Chris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cwrighta70

As stated, everyone has their methods. It seems that most get by with a pasted paddle strop. From what I have read, the chromium 0.5 is a better choice than the diamond...BUT I could be wrong.

OR you could go with the coticule, which can be harder to learn on, but give a better edge.

~Chris

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+1 :tu

* Good advice, Chris

Yeah - I've read that a lot of people prefer the Chrome Oxide paste over the diamond - the cutting particles are smoother which gives a smoother edge. I mean, once you start talking about 0.5 micron Chrome Oxide versus 0.25 micron diamond, you're in the 30K - 60K (Shapton) grit range anyway, so I'd think smoothness would be more of an issue than fineness at that point.

James.

Thanks for all the input guys.

I have pulled the trigger on the Norton 4000/8000 combi. I think that will cover the bases fairly well to start with and give me a great little starter setup with my Ti razor and TM strop. It must have something going for it as it seems very popular on the forum. :)