Thread: Hones: where to begin?

I was very happy to discover Straight Razor Place because I want to go the straightrazor route, but I don't know much about it. I just bought a new Dovo straightrazor, strop, and the Lynn Abrams DVD (all from Classic Shaving), but even after watching the DVD a couple of times, I realize that I still have a long way to go before I'll even have a clue as to what I'm doing.

My first question has to do with hones. What is the minimum number/type needed to adequately hone a razor? Will a 4000/8000 combination stone work well enough by itself? My concern is money, having already spent over $200 just for the razor, brush, strop, and soap. I want to do a good job of honing, but I don't want to have to spend any more than I have to at this point.

Thanks in advance for your advice. It's greatly appreciated. I've only been reading the forum for a short while, but I've already found it to be a great source of information. Thanks again.

Steven

I recommend getting your first razor sharpened by a razor sharpening professional

Honing is much more about learning a new skill than the hone itself. Trying to sharpen your own razor and shaving with it at the same time is difficult.

But disregarding that, and the money concern (it costs $20 or so to get your razor professionally sharpened), a 4000/8000 combination hone can work by itself (adding honing skill, stropping, shave technique, etc)

I started with the Norton 4/8 and Lynn's DVD and if I had it to do over I would stick with that. If you haven't checked out the SRP Wiki it is here with tutorials on hones, honing and all things related to straight razor shaving.

Welcome to SRP.

Do take a look at Category:Honing - Straight Razor Place Wiki indeed, as suggested by Jimmy. And unless I have missed some revolutionary developments in the world of hones, a 4/8k Norton combo with a pasted strop cannot be beat as far as price and consistency are concerned.

Regards,
Robin

Thank you, I really appreciate your help.

+1
Get it sharppend by a pro first!
Then shave till you can get a close to perfect shave, or at least compleatly irritation free. Then go learn how to hone. Otherwise you will not be able to tell if your razor you just honed is up to scratch or not when you shave with it.

+B

Originally Posted by BeBerlin

Welcome to SRP.

Do take a look at Category:Honing - Straight Razor Place Wiki indeed, as suggested by Jimmy. And unless I have missed some revolutionary developments in the world of hones, a 4/8k Norton combo with a pasted strop cannot be beat as far as price and consistency are concerned.

Regards,
Robin

Excellent advice! I also started with the Norton 4K/8K combo. The pasted strop can take a razor which has been adequately, but less than professionally honed, and give it a good shaving edge. The downside is that it does not last nearly as long as a properly honed edge, but you can stay with that combo if you want. For me, the doorway to HAD opened a long time ago, but whatever final hone I use, I end up doing at least a few passes on a chromium oxide pasted paddle strop before doing the final stropping.

Hi,
I'm fairly new to this (going on 3 months), and I spend many many hours scouring SRP for advice on hones, as I knew I wanted to be able to maintain my own razors. Check out the wiki, there is a lot of good info on the "maintaining straight razors" section. The consensus from the experts here seemed to be that while other hones may give sharper or smoother edges, the norton 4K/8K is a great place to start, as it gives consistent results. There is a "pyramid honing" method by Lynn on the wiki that has a step by step guide for the nortons.

But I decided not to go that route, as I liked the idea of a natural hone vs. synthetic (no rational reason for that preference, mind you...). I found the following link on the wiki on the Belgian hones, so I decided to give the Belgian Blue Whetstone and Yellow Coticule combination a try. Took me a bit of time to figure out how to hone with it. I've sucessfully sharpened 3 razors with these hones, and I get a smooth and comfortable shave.

I have not used other hones, so I can't do a direct comparison...
(and please don't ask... as there are about 10billion articles discussing the mythical "best hone"... Just search... and then you'll regret it)

Honing with the belgians seems to have more variables vs. the nortons, as the coticules can have different hardness levels lot to lot (from what I've read-- I have only used one), and there is also the variablity of the slurry thickness when honing.

Downside is the yellow coticule is a bit pricy vs. other alternatives.

Happy hunting!

Belgian Hones - Straight Razor Place Wiki

-Chief

Thank you for sharing your experience. Like you, I want to be able to maintain my own razors. I think that's where a lot of the satisfaction probably comes from. I'm an old guy who was a pipe smoker for many, many years and a lot of the pleasure of pipe smoking was just the various routines associated with properly caring for the pipes and tobaccos coupled with the time-honored rituals of properly preparing the "perfect bowl of the perfect blend."

Again, thank you.

Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes!

-Chief