Thread: Gearing up for my first shave :D stroping question

Originally Posted by FlounderDTD

well the 2 stones that i have are for hunting and pocket knives. so the grit is in the low hundreds (far from what i need for a razor). so its not important but if i want to extend the time between sharpenings it would be helpful?

Short answer is yes, but the long answer is you're either going to need to send out for honing or get yourself a 4k/8k combo stone for your razors, at the least.

Originally Posted by MickR

Short answer is yes, but the long answer is you're either going to need to send out for honing or get yourself a 4k/8k combo stone for your razors, at the least.

yea i would like to get them, but being a college student i dont have $70 to drop on one

One alternative is to get a "barber hone". It's a small, very fine hone. It won't set a bevel, but if you have a blade that is _almost_ sharp, the barber hone will bring it back to "sharp". Some people have kept razors sharp for years with paste and a barber hone.

They're not made any more; they're all "vintage"(old). Available in the Classifieds on this site, and sometimes from Categories .

You'll be paying around $20, rather than $70. Check the Wiki (and YouTube) for instructions on use.

Charles

PS -- Learn to shave _first_. Then, worry about stones. That's the efficient way of doing things.

thanks, i found quite a few on ebay with your input. yes the stones are second on my list after learning to shave, but i would still like to find out how to care for the blades not too long after my 1st save.

Hi FlounderDTD,
I started shaving with a straight razor just 4 1/2 months ago. At that time I only had one razor and a strop. I used the razor every day for almost two and a 1/2 months before I got the second razor. I then used those two for another couple of weeks before I got my hones (a Norton 4/8 and a Shapton 16k). So that's almost three months of shaving with two vintage razors before I needed a hone. The first razor was feeling a little rough by that time. Of course it also all depends on your beard, etc, but to me it seems you can go a fair while without a hone. I strop 30/70 (canvas/leather) before every shave and 10/10 after. I always wipe the blade and razor with Eucalyptus oil, and ensure I wipe between the scales. I store the razor in a case or its coffin in the bedroom, not the bathroom. I believe you should watch every video you can on honing (it's a cross between absolute boredom and absolute mesmerisation) and read the Wiki on honing, and of course the honing forum. I found there's massive amounts to learn. Issues I think are really important are:

. Stropping (pressure, NOT rolling the edge, nicks in strop)
. Tape (to tape or not, what if it's been honed with tape already)
. What tests to do when (Thumb Nail Test (TNT), Hanging Hair Test (HHT), etc. You can waste a lot of time doing the wrong one.
. Honing (pyramids, basic stones, finishing stones, learning to REALLY concentrate)

Being still very much in the beginner ranks, I've found that when I learnt the points above it was, like, "Oh, is that what they mean" or "Oh, I wish I knew that before I just did that".

The first time I used a straight razor I felt really proud and special.