Touch up hone for beginners.

Posted here because I'm a newbie to the straight and would like newbie answers. I'm looking for a touch up stone. My strop is getting marred a bit so I know i've knicked it some. I also have an old Genco which shaves but it's rough going. I'm comparing to a pro sharpened Dovo from SRD. It's not that the Genco is slower it's flat out harsh. Pulls hair and scratches. Shaved once with it then back to the Dovo as an A and B comparison. First time the Dovo went over without any harshness. I guess I figured out what was most comfortable with the Genco and when I went to the Dovo it came along with.

Anyway, I need a basic touch up hone. Something not to pricey. I'd love an escher or coticule but I'm waiting tables while in college. Money is an issue.

Thanks!

The obvious suggestion is a Norton 4K / 8K stone. That, possibly with a CrOxide pasted strop, will produce a shave-ready edge.

Another possibility is an old barber hone (much cheaper, but many different brands and grits, so it's a bit of a crap shoot).

Neither of those will set bevels (at least, not quickly), but they'll be OK for touching-up a razor that's lost some of its keenness.

Your Genco may, or may not, need its bevel reset (that is, a complete honing job). Did it _ever_ shave really well?

. Charles

PS -- There are lots of stones on the market in the 8K - 12K grit range . . .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

The obvious suggestion is a Norton 4K / 8K stone. That, possibly with a CrOxide pasted strop, will produce a shave-ready edge.

Another possibility is an old barber hone (much cheaper, but many different brands and grits, so it's a bit of a crap shoot).

Neither of those will set bevels (at least, not quickly), but they'll be OK for touching-up a razor that's lost some of its keenness.

Your Genco may, or may not, need its bevel reset (that is, a complete honing job). Did it _ever_ shave really well?

. Charles

PS -- There are lots of stones on the market in the 8K - 12K grit range . . .

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not looking for bevel setting. just something to touch up known good razors.

don't know how well the Genco was sharpened. I bought from an antique dealer and when i picked it up i noticed the blade had grey and blue milky stuff on it. the edge looked good so i started thinking the guy was a honer. when i polished it up it managed to cut me through my shirt without actually cutting my shirt. figured that was pretty sharp. tried shaving with it but it tugged and pulled. figured it wasn't sharp enough and called it a day. afterall, every vid on youtube i've seen shows a nice smooth buttery shave. got this dovo for christmas and it did the same when i did have the angle right. so i went back to the genco and it shaved. now when i A/B i noticed the genco is not quite as smooth a cutter.

i have a 2 day stubble going. going to try both and see what happens. either way i'd like to be ready for when i do need touchups.

Sounds like the razor needs to be honed. Likely needs more than just a touch up. Probably needs bevel work. Edges on antique blades are often sharp enough to cut, but not to shave with. You will have to DIY or contact somebody here. DIY will be harder and won't give quick results.

I've never tried one myself , but the Chinese 12k hone AKA the PHIG , and C-Nat might be what you want . They retail for around $30 . I hear it's a slow cutting hone , so I think it would be perfect for a noob . If I had known about them back when I was a noob , I would have gotten one .

I blew a few bucks a month or so ago and bought a Norton 4k/8k and a chines 12k water stone.

I also bought a used, very minty-looking, Swaty barber's hone off eBay for too much money. These ordinarily go for about $30 or a little more. I really wanted this one. I cleaned it up on a $5 piece of granite tile from Home Depot and some 200 and 400 grit carbide wet sand paper. It puts a very nice edge on an already sharp blade.

I had several razors done by Wid, and Lynn, and bought another one "shave ready" and several more after that.
I've actually used the Norton/chinese stones to good effect on older blades and feel I can get the knack of doing this for myself to MY "shave readiness" level as time goes by.

Personally, for starters, I'd look for the Swaty (or some other) barber's hone.

Welcome, and have fun.

The norton 4k/8k is the industry standard here. A bit pricy but well worth it.

For just ocasional touchups one of the old swaty's or comparable stones would be good for touchups.
You can't buy them new anymore, but you can find them on ebay or the like.

so, in a bout of restlessness, i had the great idea of touching the genco up with some newspaper and mother's mag/alum wheel polish.

Attachment 87136

i spread the goo on the newspaper with my finger and went to it like i was stropping on the newspaper. stropped it off afterwards with my old vintage strop, maybe 50 passes, and shaved. feels way smoother. much more smooth than before and much smoother than the pro sharpened dovo. still shaves. can hear it hitting hairs as always but can't really feel it. cuts me quite easily as well :| so is less grabby on the face sharper or duller?

Congratulations -- you've made a pasted strop! And used it!

"Less grabby" is "sharper". One of the signs of a dull blade is a kind of slip-stick-slip-stick movement, as the beard stop the blade, and the pressure builds up, and the increased pressure cuts the beard.

A properly sharp blade feels like a squeegee going over your skin.

. Charles
PS -- "mag wheel polish" isn't one of the classic pastes, but it's an abrasive, and if it works for you, keep on using it occasionally when the edge gets dull.

LarryAndro at WhippedDog usually has barber's hones available. I think it's $19 for the travel size, $26 for the full size, and that includes postage. I picked up a travel size from him just before the holidays, and it's great. He also lapped it before he sent it to me.

The mag polish is like using a pasted strop, though I couldn't guess what the comparison in abrasive unit size would be (aka .5micron, .1 micron, etc.) It could definitely work, and it sounds like it did.

I have a couple Genco's and they're great shavers...no Dovo's though.

So far as a touch up hone, which would be easier, cheaper, and less messy than the Mother's Pasted Paper Strop setup I would go with a barber's hone. You can get them off of e-bay for $15-30, or you can look around flea markets and antique shops in your area. I picked up a very nice Swaty for $8 in one antique shop, and a Keen Kutter in a tin for $15 in another. Both are fantastic for touch ups.

Since you never had your Genco honed you may find that your smooth edge fades quickly and you feel the need for a touch up/paste routine far more often than your Dovo...that's a clear sign of a poor bevel. For that a 1k Norton is best (or comparable stone), and then progress up the grits...that's a costly setup upfront for those stones so you'd have to weigh the pros and cons of dropping the dough or sending it out.

Peace,
Jim

I agree, check the bay and there will almost certainly be a reasonably price barber hone. Ive heard good things about the swaty hones