A little advice on honing

Hello all!

I have an old Zwillingswerk razor which is in great condition, no restoration required, but the edge just isn't sharp enough for stropping alone to get it shave ready. Unfortunately, finding the right equipment in South Africa is pretty difficult (its really not catered for) so I'm going to have to resort to the net for a few things. Hence, I need to order a hone as finding anything with a grit higher than 6000 is nearly impossible.

So, the question: Which stones would people recommend for a blade that needs minor honing/finishing by a beginner, and from where can I order them (to be shipped to South Africa).

I've read a number of posts on SRP about honing, which stones to use, etc. but I must admit its all a little much for a beginner so I thought I'd ask directly. All help is very much appreciated :)

Many thanks,
Chris

For many years the Norton 4/8 has been the standard go to recommendation, we now have the Naniwa SS 3/8 that is just as good..

Either of these hones will do everything you might ever NEED for shaving with a straight razor, as you immerse ourself deeper in the hobby you might WANT more but you won't NEED it :)

In fact most experienced Honers will tell you that until you can max out the 8k level with a comfortable shave every time you are just tossing money at the edge instead of practice :p


There are many other systems that that work also, but after years of watching newbs struggle with honing, this is probably the easiest path to a shaving edge

Hey Chris! Glad to have you aboard.

You should get into contact with http://straightrazorpalace.com/members/michaelc.html, he is in S. Africa. I say this because he is not only a great guy, but also cuts natural razor stones. PM him, you could be neighbors and not even know it!

To directly answer your question of looking for a touch-up stone, a finisher like the "Zulu" stone Mike has very well may be your answer. Keep in mind that I have no hands on experience with this stone, but quite a few guys who's opinions I respect have. Mine just hasn't made it to the US yet. Starting out touching up a razor is actually how I recommend to start learning to hone, so you are thinking right by my methods.

If I can ever be of assistance, please don't hesitate to pm me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shooter74743

PM him, you could be neighbors and not even know it!

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Many thanks Shooter74743 :) I will definitely pm him, it would be great to hear from someone in SA. Unfortunately we're not quite neighbors (I'd guess there's a few hundred miles between us) but its certainly better than the USA or Europe...

I've always been quite interested in honing blades, but haven't gone much further than the odd knife and I don't even know how well I did it (apart from the knives being sharper than before). I'll be sure to pm you if I ever need assistance, so thanks for the offer!

@gssixgun - I'll also keep your advice in mind, and may even fall back on it once I've pm'd MichaelC. For the moment you're right, I'd like to know what I need more than what I might want in the future...

Glen's reply is right on. Especially when you seriously consider the words in bold print!