Thread: Help with Hone Horror and Hesitation

Hmm, Ok so thats a little melodramatic. But I just cannot avoid a nice dose of alliteration. Not really a horror exactly, but I couldnt think of an 'H' word for query.

Basically I have begun to think that my razors will be needing a hone before too long, and I would prefer to do it myself than rely on sending it away. I have a 1000/6000 grit king waterstone that I was trying to sharpen my first nasty ebay razor with. But I am thinking that I need something that isnt going to do that much damage. Most people seem to go for 4000/8000/12000 but at the time I couldnt afford it and went with what I could find.

Basically my query is, would I be ok just using my 6000 with a 12000/barber hone. or is the difference between the 6k and 12k too great? In which case perhaps just a Barbers hone?
Either way I would probably also like to get a loom strop with paste, for fine honing. or is this overkill for my simple needs?

Thanks,
Sillyfishyboy.

From reading your post I'm not certain if you have a barber hone or not. If you do then you can refresh your razors with that.

Another route to go, is purchase some chrome ox from ChrisL, get some balsa from a hobby store and make a paddle strop. Or use the paste on a cloth/linen strop dedicated to chrome ox. You should be able to refresh your razor with that.

Chromium Oxide .5 Micron powder packets. The good stuff! - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

Then start saving money until you can purchase a proper hone setup.

Thanks keenedge.
No I dont have a barbers hone already.
All I have is the 1k/6k which is probably too harsh for what I need.
Basically there are a couple of queries mixed in my convoluted post. Most of the people I have seen honing, swap between an 8k and 12k hone then finish with paste - which is assumably the ideal. If I purchased a 12k would I be able to pyramid hone with a 6k? or is the difference in grit too great?
I have also seen some people who just use a Barbers hone to refresh an edge. I had always though that this was basically a 12k stone but I could be wrong.. If I do this, should I still use paste?
I understand that I can use paste to keep the edge sharp but surely that is not indefinate. I will still need to hone at some stage wont I?

If your razors were shaving sharp before and now they are showing signs of tugging and pulling a few strokes on a barbers hone should bring them up to par. If you were going to bring an antique store find or an ebay special up to par I would suggest getting the additional cutting stone. If you went from your 6k to a barbers hone on an ebay special(bringing a razor back from the dead) it can be done but it will take a loooong time!

I think going from the 6k to the 12k should work okay . I think I read somewhere that most barber hones are in the 6k range .

I'm no expert, but I went from a Japanese 1000/6000 to set the bevel and sharpen the edge, straight to a shapton 16000 to polish and refine the edge.

These are big gaps, as I understand, but if you spend a little extra time on each, you end up with a razor that pops hairs all over the place once it's been stropped