A Shoddy Workman always blames his tools
As a begginer I have been trying to gather resources that I have or can find cheaply. I work for a company that supplies shop tools to schools so I was able to get a single favor from my Buyer which got me a Norton 4000/8000. I have a couple of razors that I want to learn to hone but as Lynn stated in his DVD this is an art problem is I am no artist. I have a Koken Phoenix, J. Weiss & Sons, and a Palmer. Each has a challenge but right now it appears that I have a smile or frown that I want correct on the Koken???
OK, so this is what I currently have at my disposal:
- Norton 220/1000
- Norton 4000/8000 (new from work - free)
- (Old SRD) hone and strop combo from ebay
- Fine piece of bovine leather 6” x 14” from the woodworking store (This was sold for the purpose of making a paddle strop) I treated the smooth side w/ mink oil on Saturday – nothing on the rough side. I did that based on Lynn’s video stating that you could use strop dressing or mink oil to treat the leather. I have mink oil so to be resourceful I used it.
- Glass plate w/ .3 micron film (I could buy other film it’s pretty inexpensive)
- Older Leather strop – I got it with a pair of barber chairs that I bought for my basement from a lady on craigslist.
- A number of polishing/buffing compounds – White, Red, Brown (Tripoli), and Emery in stick form.
Anyway, so from what I understand I need to correct the “Smile” – maybe I could do the circle technique that Lynn shows on my 220?
After I correct it I should progress through a pyramid on the 4000/8000? From there is it recommended going to a polishing stone like a hard Arkansas. Can I use any of the above resources to get the job done? After that do I strop and test?
Second question, I have gathered from reading that you always use the smooth side of the leather for stropping. The guy at the woodworking store stated that I should treat the rough side with a buffing type compound to polish. My guess is that it is fine for woodworking tools not for a razor. Is that right?
If it is a lost cause for a newby I will reluctantly give up, I just want to learn. I would like to find a teacher but I haven't been able to find one just yet. Hard to find a barber these days.
Thanks for your wisdom.