Thread: New Beginner - Advice sought re: Honing

Hi guys

I'm a 19 y/o guy from England getting into straight edgers and was wondering if I could get some advice about keeping my razor in good condition.

This is the razor:



I haven't used it yet because I don't want to do anything to it before I know what I'm doing. In the meantime I'm using a shavette.

This is the sharpening stone I got off eBay, unfortunately it didn't come with any instructions at all so I was hoping someone here could let me know exactly how I'm supposed to use it (And yes I'm well aware that in hindsight, before buying the thing I should have come here first to make sure it's any good



The description on eBay said the following:

"This is a new Chinese Hone or waterstone, used for final polishing of open razors and similar items like woodworking tools. It is approximately 12,000 grit size. The stone comes from the Guangxi province of China. It measures 150 mm x 50 mm x 17 mm in depth . Stones are cut by hand, dimensions may vary slightly. Stones are carefully selected and cut but due to their natural origin differences in visual appearance might occur. Any such differences do not impair the stone function in any way. Each stone is supplied with a ‘slurry stone"

"It is an extremely fine stone and apart from being lapped flat and the edges chamfered it is unused (if you buy elsewhere it will not be lapped and chamfered - beware that although some people say that the stone needs flattening, it most certainly does need flattening - this has already been done for you!) It is very hard - almost like ceramic, and it gives a really fine polished edge. It is a slow stone, requiring 50 - 100 laps to polish the edge of a straight razor, but the results are superior smoothness - sometimes likened to a "buttery" feel"

So my main question to you guys I guess is: Is the thing any good for using on the razor? If so then how do I use it? and what the heck is the other stone for???

Also, if this stone is any good does that mean I can just use this to keep it in good nick meaning I don't have to buy a strop?

This is probably self evident but I don't know much about straight edge shaving so apologies if these are lame questions. I tend to agree with the saying that the only dumb question is one you don't ask though

Thanks in advance!




P.S. The blade etching reads: C. MYERS & SON, ATHOL Rd, SHEFFIELD. The opposite reads: MADE AND GROUND IN SHEFFIELD ENG. The folks at the auction couldn't tell me but I'm curious if anyone knows how old this razor is approximately??

Welcome to SRP. The razor looks good. Send it to forum member Neil Miller or blueprinciple for honing. Both in the UK. Neil also makes some fine strops from what I hear. You can shoot either one a PM.

Your stone is known around here as a Chinese 12k and is a finishing stone. The smaller stone is for raising a slurry for speedier cutting before the last finishing with water only. It is not ideal to get a dull razor sharp but strictly a finisher AFAIC.

If you have not already done so you will find a lot of info on hones and honing in the SRP Wiki linked below in my sig line.

Jimmy's right. If that razor isn't shave ready, the C12k stone won't get you there in this lifetime. It might be best to send that guy off and have someone hone it (if it's not already). The stone pictured is good for touchups...ie...you can keep a shave ready razor in that condition for many many moons using just a touchup every once in a while.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Want to make sure I treat this thing properly.

What's the best way of telling if it's shave ready?

If I run the blade over my fingernail with as little pressure as possible the 'sticking' happens and I tested a little bit of my arm and it cuts the hair fine.

Does that mean it should be ok?

EDIT: Think I'll head over to that Wiki

Maybe. Ideally the thumbnail test (TNT) is only done after bevel setting. While it probably won't hurt it , running the edge over the nail won't do it any good. That is why when I'm setting a bevel once I get a positive result with the TNT I always follow with some x strokes until it will shave arm hair.

If the edge will "pop" the hair without touching the skin IME it is usually a good indicator that it is shave ready or close to it. So if it will do that go to the SRP Wiki beginner's guide linked in the sig line below and read SRP founder Lynn Abrams treatise on the first straight razor shave and give it a go. (Just IMHO)

Originally Posted by RazorJayc

What's the best way of telling if it's shave ready?

If you bought it from ebay, it's not shave ready.
If you bought it from an antique store, it's not shave ready.

If you bought it from someone from the classifieds and advertised it as shave ready, it's shave ready.

If you bought it from a vendor that advertises it as shave ready, it's shave ready.

Of course, these rules aren't set in stone...only a guideline

Originally Posted by RazorJayc

What's the best way of telling if it's shave ready?

If I run the blade over my fingernail with as little pressure as possible the 'sticking' happens and I tested a little bit of my arm and it cuts the hair fine.

Yes, this means it's not shave ready anymore even if it was before you started testing it on your fingernail. Your hone cannot fix it from the current stage, it needs at least a 4000-grit level hone or coarser.

Best course of action at this point - send it to be fixed and find a good strop (that means not the cheap stuff on ebay).

Your hone may be useful eventually, but for the next several months don't even think about it. Stropping is how you keep the razor sharp from day to day, so it's far more important that you concentrate on that.

Have fun.

Agreed with all the above.
Now to your question about a strop.....
Yes, you must have a strop. It is to be used just before each and every shave. Perform 30-60 roundtrip laps on it each time. Buy from an established vendor, not Ebay. Be careful when using the strop, keep it taut but do not pull the bolts from the wall and always roll the blade on the spine.

BTW...... Nice razor!.......... and welcome to the SRP.


Just my $.02,