Advice on Hones

[DAHE4]

Hello Everybody,

I am extremely new to straight razor shaving. In fact I haven't even tried it yet. I am currently in the Marine Corps and obviously I have to shave everyday. No matter what I try with the plastic razors you buy in the store my neck seems to always break out in razor burn. A Marine that just left the duty station I am currently at recommended that I try to start using a straight razor. He said that he used to have the same problem and that after he got used to using a straight razor he never had razor burn/bumps again. I just recently ordered a DOVO 5/8 set that come with the strop, shave soap, bowl, boar hair brush. I also just ordered a norton 4000/8000 grit waterstone, as my research has shown me that as a beginner I may need to hone my blade more often that a someone who has been doing this for a while. I noticed (after I had already ordered the stone) that a few reviews on it said that it would need to be flattened before the first use. This is where my question comes to play. I am currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan and it takes forever for my mail to get here. Is there any way that I can flatten the stone without one of those flattening stones? I have already spent about $300 on everything so far and for whatever reason the flattening stone will take longer to get here than the razor or even the waterstone. Your help is greatly appreciated and I am looking forward to absorbing all the information that you veterans of straight razor shaving have to offer. Thanks in advance for all your advice and help.

[bill3152]

You can use 3-400 grit wet/dry on a piece of glass to flatten the 4/8. I use a dmt 325. But the wet/dry will work. It may lap fast or slow, all depends on how they are when you get them. My Norton combo 4k side was pretty good, the 8k side took a while. Good Luck and thanks for your service to our country! I learned everything from forums like his. Take advantage of it.

[kalerolf]

an addition to the above message lay the sandpaper on a flat surface and put a few markers with permanent marker on the stone. if the stripes are gone he should be flat.(e.g. a cross and a pair of straight lines.)
Good luck.

[JoeSomebody]

First off, Welcome Aboard! And thank you for your service.

You can use a flat surface and wet/dry sandpaper, or invest in a 325 DMT. I have the norton flattening stone, it came with the set and got a DMT soon thereafter. The Norton stone is collecting dust.

[Lemur]

Get friendly with the Local Nationals and you might end up with a jnat!

[kararokejesus]

Semper Fidelis devildog. Wish I would have gotten in to straight shaving in the corps, but you can't beat those $5 packs of Gillette's you can buy at the recruit store on MCRD.

[SirStropalot]

DAHE4,

Welcome to SRP, glad to have you on board!! First, I wouldn't burn any money on the Norton lapping stone. It will also need lapped a some point. Second, a lot of the synthetic hones come from Japan. If you're stationed at Camp Hansen, you might try asking at one of the barber shops in Kin Village and see if they know of a place you might find these type of items, probably in Naha. My favorite lapping plate is a 400 Atoma diamond plate, from Japan. They're a little more pricey, but who knows what you might find in Naha. If at one of the other camps, you know where to ask.

Haven't been to Okinawa since 1971. Went through 7 or 8 times, and stationed there twice. That was all before the repatriation back to Japan. I suspect it's a nicer place now!!

in your hunt!!

Best Regards,
Howard
Semper Fi

[DAHE4]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I will actually be around Kin Town later this month. I will definitely try to find a diamond plate while I am in the area. If I can't find one, I will do the wet/dry sandpaper. How do I tell if the sandpaper is wet/dry? Or is all sandpaper that way? Kalerolf thanks for the tip on the lines. That's sounds like a really good idea. I will definitely do that. Thanks again everybody for the help!

[SirStropalot]

Wet dry sandpaper is usually associated with automotive painting, etc.. Check around the automotive stores, if you can find one, or paint shops and paint dealers.



Howard

[Kaden101]

I had to lap my Norton with wet dry, depending how 'not' flat it is you might want to start with some lower grit paper & then finish with something like a 600 grit. The yellow 8K side should end up feeling almost glasslike. I just soaked the norton for a while & then drew a grid on the side I was lapping with pencil. Lay the wet sandpaper face up (obviously) on a completely flat surface & just did circles with the norton using just the weight of the stone itself until the pencil marks went. Redraw the pencil grid & went at it some more. You'll know when it's flat when the pencil marks dissapear evenly. Mine was a pain because the 2 opposing corners on both sides of the stone were higher than the rest so it took a good while to lap, hence resorting to lower grit paper. Also remember to round off the edges slightly with the sandpaper/dmt - stops any chance of catching the blade when honing.

I've only been using the 8K side for touch ups so far, but I'm quite new to honing myself...it seems to be working. If you receive your razor shave ready & only have normal wear (ie you don't ding the edge on your sink/taps etc) that's all you may have to use. My edge lasted me 2 months from new before I had to take it to the hone.

Good luck & enjoy.