Thread: what do i need to sharpen razor?

Hi, i've acquired a razor and strop is on it's way, i suppose i'll eventually need to hone it, what will i need, will a norton 4k/8k be enough then strop?

Yes, that will be enough. If you add a 12K Chinese waterstone from Woodcraft for $20, you'll get a more comfortable shave, but you can do a fine job right off the 8K & many people do. If you plan on rehabing ebay razors, you'll need a thick piece of plate glass, or a polished granite floor tile, and some 1000 grit sandpaper to set the bevel. Do a search on "set bevel."

ok, i'll try search for one, i'm in australia.
can i use the chinese instead of the norton?
i bought a dovo and wanna try an ebay one before i ruin that.

Originally Posted by GhostRida

ok, i'll try search for one, i'm in australia.
can i use the chinese instead of the norton?
i bought a dovo and wanna try an ebay one before i ruin that.

The Chinese 12K is a finishing stone, which means that it is used for smoothing an edge that is already sharp or touching up a sharp edge that is beginning to pull a little. It cannot be used to sharpen a dull or abused razor. You can usually sharpen an eBay razor on the 4K side of the Norton and I wouldn't worry about the other stuff until you run into a very badly abused razor.

It all depends. Is the DOVO new or second hand/ebay acquisition? Does it come to you freshly honed by someon who knows what he is doing?

BTW: new razors are not shave ready out of the box no matter what manufacturers say.

Don't waste your money on the Norton 4/8K.

Get yourself a DMT-8E for creating a bevel when necessary, a DMT-8EE for finishing and a padle strop with some Chromium Oxide for a scary sharp edge.

You can order them from here

I have been using a DMT8EE to set a bevel on a razor that already had a bevel and is not in poor condition. I also got a 4 sided strop with the usual diamond pastes and I like this setup and it is a good way to go for a while. There will be a day when you may want to go into 12K and 16K stones and then the horse race will begin! You can go forever with the above setup but I think that most guys try to jump up to a stone because diamond pastes are a bit harsh.


Take Care,
R

Hones, much like razors themselves have loyal followings...
Ask me the best brand of shaver, and ask 9 others and you will have 10 names...
I would definitely PM "Jimbo" another member from down under he might steer ya toward saving some money....

The Norton 4k/8k is many peoples choice of stone, not only because of price but also the wealth of information available on how to use it....
You can find the Norton starter pack that has the 220/1k - 4k/8k and the lapping stone for about $120 USD this set would allow you to do any razor from the e-bay specials to brand new....
If you want more polish than that, add a finishing stone and some pasted strops and you are ready to roll

If $$$ is no object than personally I would just get the Shapton set up and be done with it....

Just my 2 pennies

i got the dovo from straight razor designs. so i would be fine with strop, pasted bck and a norton 4k/8k?

Hi GhostRida. If you want a Chinese 12K. Carba-Tec sells them in Oz, 2 different sizes . They call them Chinese Natural Waterstones. You can buy online but they have a shopfront in all states. Probably all you would need for now plus your strop.
But if you ask Glen nicely where to get that Norton Starter Pack for US$120, I'd jump on it at that price. Even with freight that's a good price. Nielsens sell the 4k/8K alone for $119