Thread: equipment advice

I've been watching this thread and I know you guys are trying to help but here's the real poop! A norton 4000/8000 stone is a great way to hone your razors...you need a nigura stone or old razor to create a slurry on the stone...then you can use a belgian yellow coticule to finish off the edge if you like...its much finer than the 8000 side of norton... the belgium is not a substitute for the norton...then many members use a 2 or four sided paddle with paste .5 -.2.5 to finish and touch up the blade...you would be well advised to purchase a hanging strop 3" wide and use for daily stroping instead of using one side of paddle plain...paste is only used to touchup or finish the edge put the paddle in a dry place until you need it for sharpening...hope this helps ...charlie

Originally Posted by clarman

I've been watching this thread and I know you guys are trying to help but here's the real poop! A norton 4000/8000 stone is a great way to hone your razors...you need a nigura stone or old razor to create a slurry on the stone...

Absolutely not true. The Norton works fine without a slurry of any kind for me.

Originally Posted by clarman

... the belgium is not a substitute for the norton...

Absolutely true, unless you're also using the blue stone and even then you might occasionally need something coarser.

Originally Posted by clarman

... then many members use a 2 or four sided paddle with paste .5 -.2.5 to finish and touch up the blade...you would be well advised to purchase a hanging strop 3" wide and use for daily stroping instead of using one side of paddle plain...paste is only used to touchup or finish the edge put the paddle in a dry place until you need it for sharpening...

Although I am using my paddle strop clean for daily shaving, I still prefer the hanging strop for that purpose.

X

I guess I stand corrected by xman...anyone with 1900 posts has got to know more than the rest of us! goodluck

Guys,

Don't forget, we all have to find what works best for us individually! There will be times when we just have to disagree. Some prefer barber hones, others prefer pasted strops, etc. But at the end of the day, it's what puts the best edge on a razor, regardless of how we get there. I've yet to actually hone a razor to "perfection", maybe because I have purchased a number of shave ready razors and just have to maintain them. I do know one thing. If Lynn sharpens a razor for you, use it correctly or loose the outer epidermal layer!

RT

I agree with you rtaylor many methods work to hone razors, but if one chooses to use a norton, its common practice to create a slurry to effectively use a norton stone... if xman uses his norton, and examines his stone after honing he will have noticed his razor created a small slurry...using a stone to create a initial slurry speeds up the honing process by creating a better honing surface ...with proper tools, a razor in good condition should be able to be honed in 30-45 min from start to finish if not quicker with practice...further a yellow coticule is not a subst for a cutting stone...the coticule is a polishing stone ment to finish the hone and is optional like using paste... I recomended a 3" strop for daily use but one could use a paddle without paste...using a pasted paddle with one side plain works but can be messy and a pain to travel with...unless you wrap the paddle the paste can get on every thing...finally while many methods work to hone... barber hones, etc... the norton seems to be generally accepted as an easy tool to use ...finally everyone has their own idea of sharp...I know I did for years until I spent about 8 hours with lynn learning from him...what I thought was sharp was DULL even though it passed the hanging hair test...as you say there are different methods to achieve the proper results...I was commenting on the newbies posts to each other...they chose to discuss the norton...

Originally Posted by clarman

but if one chooses to use a norton, its common practice to create a slurry to effectively use a norton stone...

?? Norton stone does not need slurry. It is fast cutting stone, where the particles are replaced quickly.

Nenad

I think you will find that simple honing on the Norton will create a slurry all by itself and that contributes to it's effectiveness. What Charlie is suggesting is to speed up the process and start the slurry with another stone or old razor. Once my Norton is wet I only splash a little water on it if it appears to dry during my honing. I don't want to wash off the slurry that has formed. I myself though have not used anything yet to "pre-slurry" the stone though but then agin I don't use a Norton as much as other do.

The yellow side of a Belgian is really for finishing. The blue is more coarse but painfully slow I find. The Norton is really the tool if you are only goiung to have one stone.

For daily stropping, as Charlie says, wider is better. I loved a 2 1/2" strop until I tried a 3". I do sell paddles with a finish side but wider is the way to go for everyday use. On the paddles it is setup that way to provide a single tool to do everything but eventually guys add a hanging strop to.

Tony

thx for your input tony...I like my paddle...charlie

Originally Posted by clarman

I guess I stand corrected by xman...anyone with 1900 posts has got to know more than the rest of us!

Not in the least Mr. Larman, sir. I happily concede that your wisdom easily excedes mine. With the greatest humility ... I simply meant to offer an alternative to what sounded like an absolute -

Originally Posted by clarman

...you need a nigura stone or old razor to create a slurry on the stone...

I agree that a slurry of metal has been created after honing and that it seems to make the hone respond more aggressively, but it is not solely successful when that slurry is present as you have subsequently pointed out -

Originally Posted by clarman

...using a stone to create a initial slurry speeds up the honing process by creating a better honing surface ...

Just so.

Charles, please accept my apology for any offence. None was intended and, if I may offer my own "real poop" notwithstanding how bad THAT sounds, ...anyone with 1900 posts is merely a bigger blabbermouth than most!!!

X

thx xman Im not any smarter than anyone else here...my way is not the only way and I am still constantly learning...I suggested the stone to create bigger slurry to speed up process...I hone to sharpen...I strop and shave because I enjoy it...anything I can do to speedup honing I do because honing is a necessity a means to an end...when I read the newbies thread and posts, they seemed confused, I merely tried to point them in the direction they were talking about....charlie