Thread: first hone

Well, here I am again. I've been shaving with the TI I purchased since last November, and thanks to all the good advice from here things are going well. I'm still learning but can consistently shave comfortably with no nicks or cuts, and it's pretty close.

But now I feel like the edge is starting to deteriorate (2-3 shaves a week, for 6 months), and it could use a hone. I was going to send it off to Lynn again, but what with postage and all across the border (I'm in Toronto, Canada), it's not exactly cheap. And since I intended to learn to hone anyway (at some point), now is as good as ever.

Here comes the question: What do I need to get in order to keep my blade sharp?

It seems that there are too many options for me to decipher it. I understand the 4k/8k Norton thing, or the coticule to get a good base edge, but then there is finishing and barber hones and I'm pretty confused. Basically, my blade is mostly sharp and I just want to keep it sharp / get it back to the way it was when Lynn sent it to me.

Where do I start?

Mike.

For maintaining a blade without any need to repair or restore, a good barber type hone will work just fine,I've been doing it for year. Get one on ebay for 10-15, just stay away from zeepk and similar products.Good luck and God bless.

What is, exactly, a good barber type hone? I'm afraid I wouldn't know the difference. After I get it, does it have to be flattened? Or do I not have to worry about that?

At this point the edge on your razor needs to be refreshed. You really only "need" to get a pasted paddle strop with some type of abrasive.

If I were to suggest a stone for learning how to hone it would be the Norton 4K / 8K combo and the Chinese 12K for finishing. If you had a bit more cash at hand then I would suggest a the blue couticle (4K) and yellow coutile (8K) and the Chinese water stone.

Post a wanted add in the BST forum for a good cheap barber hone or small coticule, I bet you'll get fixed right up.

Or some balsa wood pasted with diamond grit (maybe 2 micron on one side, 1 or 0.5 micron on the other) would get you where you want to go.

I've bought diamond paste from this guy on ebay, very good seller, he's fairly well known around here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZope...QQfsooZ2QQrdZ0



p.s. I would love to try Fugu, are you a connoisseur of the dish... maybe?

Ugggg... Sorry guys, now I am even more confused. Too many choices!

Okay... so 1000 to 4000 grit range stuff is for setting bevels and fixing nicks and stuff.
8000 grit is for getting a good bevel finer.

Then there is 12ki+ for polishing etc.

Then strop on leather to align the edge. Does that make sense?

Where does a barbers hone fall into the mix, and then on top of that is pastes? I think my brain must be full since I'm simply not absorbing any of this.


M

The Norton is 8000 grit
The yellow coticule is approx 8000-10,000 grit
A Swaty barber hone is 8000-10,000 grit
Spyderco Ultra fine is approx 8000-10,000 grit
The Chinese 12,000 is actually approx 10.000 grit
An abrasive pasted paddle strop that has 1. micron abrasive, can also be used to refresh an edge.

You can use any of the following to refresh the edge, Norton, Yellow coticule, Swaty barber hone, Spyderco UF, 1.0 micron abrasive pasted paddle strop. Your choice.
This list is not all inclusive, others will add more I am sure.

Hope this helps,

It may or may not need to be flattened if youbuy a used stone. If you by from ebay you will need to check it for flatness. If you buy from somebody on this forum ask them if it is or isnt and base your decision on that information. Hope this helps. Its not hard to hone and you are right, there are many ways to achieve the desired results and too much information can be confusing. But I believe this to be the easiest and most cost effective.

Okay, thanks fellas. That's starting to make more sense to me now.

I think I will look into a Swaty barber hone.

Next question: is it used wet or dry? And what's the difference? Does it need a slurry as some stones do?


I'll figure this out eventually, I swear.

A Swaty can be used dry,wet with water or wet with shaving soap.