Printable View
Hey guys,
I'm just about to get two 'shave ready' razors and was wondering what would be the cheapest to keep them sharp. I've heard about people using pasted strops or barber hones with great success (basically never using a real (norton 4000/8000 hone for example) afterwards.
Thoughts?
I'd say the cheapest way to keep it sharp indefinitely is a barbers hone.
thanks,
Where would someone find such a hone?
Antique 1911 Pike Strop & Hone, Leather, Self Shaver - Fredericton Collectibles For Sale - Kijiji Fredericton
Would this one be any good?
I can get it locally for $20?
Well, the cheapest way to KEEP it sharp is not to use them. That way they won't get dull. I know, thats not very funny.
Yea a barbers hone is probably the cheapest way as long as you catch them before they deteriorate very much and you don't damage them. next would be to buy a cheap strop and put some paste on it.
+1 on Gugi with the addition of not dining the blade on anything like the sink, fauset, counter top or floor. If you don't use the blade at all it will still get dull due to oxidation. You probably will not need a hone for a while maybe 30 days if you use a good angle while shaving and you don't have wire for a beard so there is no rush. If you are handy with some basic tools you can make a paddle strop (instructions here on SRP some where recently and I saw a good one on Badger and Blade buy sone diamond paste (types also listed some where on SRP) and a cheap strop or just use news paper. Swate (not sure of the spelling) is a good brand from what I have read here. Where to buy: try the classified section here on SRP or local antique shops and lastly ebay. Antique shops and ebay hones may need more than a quick lapping to be usable. On like shops like Classic Shaving or Vintage blades may have something but I doubt it. Best option, put a want add in the SRP classified section here on SRP. Good luck. p.s. if you know of a local barber shop that has at least one senoir barber ash in there. If they don't have one for sale they may know where you can get one or even order one for you .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dups
Stropping on newspaper when it gets dull, but that might only go so far.
X
I was thinking about getting some Dovo Paste (the black and red pack) to put on an extra strop. That way I could use one for daily stropping and after a while use the pasted one to refresh the blade?
I'm not ready to buy a Norton 4000/8000 and lapping stone and a finer hone. I'd like to keep it cheap.
I'm sure our grand fathers didn't use fancy ones like that to keep their razors sharp
Anyone heard of that Hone that I posted (the one with the link)?
That should do just fine, one of the better known brands, be sure it is absolutely smooth with no chips ,cracks, or breakage. When you go to look at it make sure it is not thegray carborundum kind, they seem to want to fall apart. I like the little strop on the back side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dups
Personally, I'm not a fan of the combo hone/strop. The hone is all you care about because you should have your own dedicated actual strop. There are lots of barber hones you can get on eBite for $10-$20 that would serve your needs. You can't go wrong with a Swaty. There are also lots of Swaty knock-offs that are really good and can be had for even cheaper with luck.
On the other hand, Pike was the precursor of Norton and I have never seen a bad Pike hone. If you really like the one you linked, it's likely to be just fine.
I can get that one for $20.. Would you consider it a fine or coarse hone? I probably wouldn't use the strop side too much. I can get it locally for $20 without shipping so I sounds like a good deal I think.
The primary reason I went ahead and recommended it as being OK. 20$ is fair if it is in great condition and you are buying local w/o shipping charges.Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
Although there are coarse, fine and 2 sided combination Barber's hone you can pretty much shave off of any of them as for grit # nobody really knows and the best idea you might get is it "feels like" xxxx grit. i have used a pike hone like that and it was ok... my guess is when straight razors were in their prime lots of people regularly shaved with razors that we would not consider shave ready and the barber's hone puts a good edge on a razor but you might find you want a better one down the road.
there are some members here who use the barber's hones for all their normal honing needs and are happy with them... give it a shot.
one word of caution though they are time consuming to lap on sandpaper or a coarse dmt... the good point you do not have to lap them as often and you would lots of other hones :)
I completely agree with everything above. For $20 and no shipping, and given the fact that the hone itself looks pristine with no chips, go for it! The strop will be a bonus and if its crap, don't use it.
That might be all you need. As Syslight pointed out, you can get by with a single barber hone. That's how they did it a hundred years ago. I have a rotation of razors in my locker at the gym and I have maintained them with nothing but a Carborundum 102 for the past three years. They are not as sharp as what I have at home, but they do the job--old style!
And a round of reputation points for everybody! they are on me!:tu
Three and a half years ago I thought a barber hone or two would be a simple inexpensive way to keep my razors going. It took me three years to learn how to use them. My Norton turned out to be the cheapest way to keep my razor keen at first. Now, an argument could be made for something else.
X
A small coticule needn't be too expensive. If bought say 1/4" thick they'll last a lifetime. You don't have to worry about aging like with barber hones.
Thanks for the interest guys. Unfortunately I missed out on the deal, the guy sold it to someone else :(
I'll have to find another alternative...
Lee valley has the norton 4000/8000 for 79 and the truing stone for another $25.
Is that a good price? What else would I need after that to keep it sharp for the rest of my natural life:P
chinese 12k stone: 8" x 2" x 1" new for $20
stropping won't keep the razor sharp forever. Barber hones? I suppose, just be careful what you buy. :shrug: Few $20 barber hones will beat the chinese 12k
I'll echo though that the cheapest way to keep your razor sharp is find someone who will sharpen it for free, or obtain a sharpening hone for free, or just don't use the razor. Outside of that, if you want to keep it sharp for more than a few hundred shaves for $20 or less, I think the chinese 12k is the only reliable option
Thanks,
I don't think I can find someone who will donate a hone unfortunately:P heh
I can't find a chinese hone locally.
Have you looked online?Quote:
Originally Posted by Dups
Buy Natural Water Stone, 8" x 2" x 1", Natural Polishing Water Stone, Water
I'd like to find something in Canada. I'm worried of the duties if I order from the US.
bummer. well, hopefully you will find what you need
I can get three syringes 6,3,1 micron from Lee Valley for $36
I think I might get that plus their paddle strop and veritas honing compound. All of that for $71 cdn.
THe syringes are only 2g each though..How long do you think that would last me?
:njQuote:
Originally Posted by Dups
Dude, I'm like: "Uhhhh... doesn't that paste stuff work well for, like, a really long time or somethin'?"
You would probably watch a video or view an mpg (like youtube) of someone actually doing their own, seeing as how this is the internet and all.:rofl2:
Well that was the point of my question:P
I'm new to this and I was just wondering how long would it last.
I'm sorry if my questions are stupid, but I thought the point of this forum was for us beginners to learn from experienced people.
Well I'll just kick my two cents in here.
I have two honing systems that I have used and neither of them cost more than fifty bucks total.
I have a Swaty barbers hone I got this for $15.00 off e-bay, you might get lucky and find one for this price but it will require patience. I use this hone to keep all my shave ready razors going as they start to dull. It's a great touch up hone, I keep it right in my shave den and use it whenever I feel the need. The problem is that this only goes so far. Sooner or later you need something a bit more aggressive to restore the edge to full keenness.
For the full sharpening I first purchased a pair of these (one in 4000 and one in 8000) slipstones. They work quite well for putting an edge on a razor. Their main drawback is their size, you will get good at the x stroke using them, they also (because of the size and agressivness) take about four times as many strokes as a Norton would to do the same job. I still use these sometimes.
I also use the Honing film on glass method of putting an edge on a razor as illustrated in this thread:
3M Micro Abrasive Film, A Usage Guide and Review
This methods main drawback is the requirement of re-making your hones every once in a while and the costs associated with that.
Using the 1000 grit paper finishing with a comfortable shaving edge off the Swaty using either of the ideas in the middle and for the bulk of the work to take any razor from dull to shave sharp for a budget price.
Interesting suggestion! The slipstones you mentioned...are they flat? it seems from the pictures that they have quite a slop to them? Would those be good out of the box or would you need to lap them?
thanks
I would strongly recommend buying a Chinese 12K from Chris L here if he haven't sold his last hone. I was in the same boat and bought one. No need to lap or worry about anything. It's ready to use out of the box (actually, he ships in a big envelope...) and I wouldn't worry much about the custom. Mine when through without a glitch even if the declare value exceeded 20$CAN. In the eventuallity that the customs did catch it, it is 5$ plus taxes (federal and provicial). The waiting time is the killer when it happens though.
Cool! Have you bought any other hones since then? Was your razor shave ready when you first go it?
I bought a shave ready razor for a member here but it has not seen the hone yet. I am practicing my stroke on some ebay razors that I bought for less than 10$ and the results are very encouraging. The slurry stone add versatility to the 12K. I bought a coticule from Rob this monday. With these two stones, I think I am set for a while...:rolleyes:
in my case it was a slippery slope i'll tell ya. i bought a kit from tony miller about 6 months ago and was getting pretty good shaves but my razor was starting to dull a bit and i think my not so great stropping technique was taking its toll. so i bought a puma (new but damaged) that came with CrOx strop and that thing made a big difference for smoothness. then i sent the puma out to be honed and started buying some used razors here and there. this brought me to buying the norton 4/8k and then a 12k chinese from Chris L and then the 220/1000 norton. now i have an obsession and a great set up to work with in my opinion.
sorry back your needs :shrug: ha! just kidding. the bottom line is if i were you and i knew what i know now, i would get the 12k, save up for a bit to get the 4/8k norton and in the meantime see about another cheap strop for CrOx or something like it(i believe CrOx is around .25 paste or finer though i could be wrong).
PS where are you in Canada? i am in Chatham so if you are going to be in the area i wouldn't mind letting you come over and use my set up to touch up your razor. i know that might sound weird but hey, if it helps you out then whatever.
thanks for the offer! Unfortunately I'm in Fredericton, New Brunswick. I'm still waiting on my first three razors.
They are wedge shaped with flat faces, when stacked one upon the other they make a level stone.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dups
Would you have to lap them? If so what would you use?
Traditional Water Slip Stones - Lee Valley Tools
Would these be the same thing?
yes, those appear to be the same product.
They do have to be lapped, I lap them with 1000 grit wet/dry paper on a flat surface, (glass bed, granit slab even the kitchen counter if needed).
cool!
That could be a very cheap option. Are they harder to hone on than lets say a Norton 4k/8k?
Yes and no. The no is they are a decent waterstone and do a nice job. The yes comes from two factors: first I'd say they are roughly half as aggressive as the Norton this means they require twice the laps to do the same work. Second, they have roughly half the surface area of a Norton this also doubles the laps needed by making the x pattern much shorter. So they are used like the Norton but with four times the laps needed for the same amount of metal removal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dups
If you intend on doing a lot of razors this can be a big factor. But for me when I'd hone up about one razor a month It wasn't that much of an issue. I started by using Randydances Pyramid honing guide and quadrupling the number of laps needed at any one grit. This got my first few razors pretty close to perfect.
Good to know!
Have you ever tried using plain newspaper afterwards? I've heard that it creates a pretty nice finish after the 8k.