Thread: What kind of hone?

perfect, thanks. I think my razor only needs a very slight touch up, stropping is no longer getting that nice smooth sharp edge....getting a little pulling now and again.

It might take 200 strokes or more though and be sure its lapped smooth.

IMHO, A norton 4k/8k is a very handy tool to have and so are the naniwa stones but I find the 12K naniwa to be harsh on the face so I would skip that. If you want to go minimalist then a coticule can sharpen a razor to shave ready, I would recommend a slower one though, it may be easier for you to learn on. Slower coticules don't dull in slurry as easily as the fast ones. You can always use this progression:

DMT 1200 For bevel
Belgian Blue for Sharpening
Coticule finish on water
(after this you can use an Escher or Japanese stone, etc, if you want to break the bank).

OR this:

DMT 1200 for bevel
Norton 4K sharpening
Norton 8K polish
coticule finish/Escher

Or this:

Naniwa 1K
Naniwa 3K
Naniwa 8K
Naniwa 10K
Escher or coticule or Chinese 12K

Or:
High Grit Japanese Natural with different Nagura to pass through stages into Tomonagura for finishing.

Then there are the shapton Glass stones, which a lot of people like, I don't like their edge and they can cost $.


As you can see there are a ton of possibilities but it is up to you, your wallet and what kind of man you are. Maybe you just want to be simple, maybe you want to collect hones, maybe you can escape HAD?

.
Good luck and enjoy!

Originally Posted by funklab

I enjoy straight shaving, but I am not a collector. I have one razor, one brush, one strop. I am hoping to find one hone that will work for me to upkeep my one blade.

One coticule or one barber hone is all you need. Not all coticules will fill the bill but most barber hones will, because they were intended for razor maintenance. A Swaty or similar hone will maintain your one razor for the rest of your life.

Coticules just don't work out of the box. There's a learning curve, plus, they vary from hone to hone. Some are hard, green, or pale yellow, and make good finishers. You get one of those, and you'll only sharpen your patience. Other's are soft, make better cutters, They're great hones, but not what I'd suggest you learn to hone on. YMMV.

Honestly, you said you have one razor, if you dont plan on getting more, I'd send it out, and just buy a barber's hone, or then a Coticule...Once the blade is honed properly, all you have to do, is a few swipes on your Barber hone, and it will stay shave ready for a ridiculouly long time. I've had blades last 6 months to 1 year by doing 3-5 passes on a barber hone before I use them.

A Barber's hone can be had for less than 50 bucks I'd imagine...Check the classifieds....

The Naniwa 3K/8K combination stone is a nice one. Doesn't have to be soaked to use, just spray some water on.

All excellent advice on honing. What I also do to keep the time to honing as long as possible is strop before and after shaving. 25 laps on cloth, 50 laps on leather. Also after about 25 shaves, 5 to 10 laps with green paste on leather. Works for me. I have a light beard and shave everyday so you may have to make adjustments.

Originally Posted by zib

A Barber's hone can be had for less than 50 bucks I'd imagine...Check the classifieds....

I've been keeping an eye on the classifieds, but I don't know what to look for in a barber's hone (and they appear to get snapped up really quickly). Does anyone still make a barber's hone, or is it only the vintage ones floating around the classifieds?


Someone said a 12K was too harsh on the face?

Does that mean the 12k got the razor too sharp (is that possible) or was it too dull?

Someone once told me that you can make a razor too sharp, which seems counter-intuitive to me, but I'm a newbie after all.

Originally Posted by frank47

All excellent advice on honing. What I also do to keep the time to honing as long as possible is strop before and after shaving. 25 laps on cloth, 50 laps on leather. Also after about 25 shaves, 5 to 10 laps with green paste on leather. Works for me. I have a light beard and shave everyday so you may have to make adjustments.

I have been stropping before and after shaving, though my technique could still use a lot of improvement.

I have an irrational distaste for pastes... something I cannot really justify in my head, it just seems to go against my theology of straight shaving. It just seems somehow.... not pure... I know it doesn't make any sense, but I feel like pastes are kind of cheating. Perhaps in the future I will change my mind though....

Usually Whippeddog.com has some barber hones as well as gemstarcustoms.com I just looked and they both have several.