Thread: Start to hone.

Thank's,

The learning process might be easyer with an artificial stone.
The coticule can always come later...

For some odd and unexplicable reason i don't like the norton stones.
I never had any stone in my hands, so i really don't know where i get it.

So i'll guess i go with the naniwa's...

Is it wise to buy a very cheap ebay razor (GD-like) to practice before using a good razor ?

GDs are a lot easier to hone than some vintages I bought on eBay. They need a little work before they can take an edge, the stabilisers and shoulders need to be ground with a dremel or the heel won't come in contact with the hone. It may not be a beginner razor. I would recommend a vintage shave ready. Or srd has good deals on some shave ready stuff or classifieds here.

I really don't recommend getting a GD to learn to hone on...learning to hone is enough of a challenge without adding difficult blades (that may not even take a good edge) to the mix. If you just need to refresh, get a naniwa 12K or a coticule. Don't forget that you'll have to lap whatever stone you get...naniwas are softer stones and need lapping more often.

The GD-thoughts are gone

If i buy a new razor that is not shave ready, can i make it shave ready with the 12K ?
Or do i need the coarser stones as well ?

For now it would only be refreshing, so the 12K is on the list.
Should i buy the Naniwa lapping plate also, or is there a better alternative ?

Thanks a lot for the reply's.

Originally Posted by Geut

... Is it wise to buy a very cheap ebay razor (GD-like) to practice before using a good razor ?

Might probably been seen this or that way.... If You now have a professionally honed razor, it will be just a little bit sub optimum when it needs to see the stones in about half a year or a year - depending on Your stropping. So in order to bring it back, it might just need work on the high grid stones.

If You get a cheap one, You don't know anything about its bevel, angle and sharpness and might have to do a good amount of work on it in order to bring it to the level Your used one is in. Work that You might never have to do maintaining Your good razor. So You're spending time and money on a product You're not really willing to use. On the other hand, it's good for getting the feeling.

Now, that I'm into it, I would say, "go for the good one". However I very well remember how I felt when I touched the stone with an edge for the first time. And that was a very old one in a state of scrap metal, where we both only could win. ... yes, starting with a razor, that is not Your favorite is not necessary, but probably the right choice.

Like someone mentioned earlier, GD's need their shoulder stabilizers ground down, and because they are made of such bad quality stainless steel, you're very likely to break the blade while doing so (like this http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ect-razor.html). Trust me, not worth it unless you want something razor shaped to spread butter on your toast with.
Do yourself a huge favour and learn to hone on a razor in GOOD condition.
I remember reading one of Glen's articles/posts where he goes over what to look for in an ebay special but can't seem to find it. Here's one to read http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...st-2012-a.html

A Naniwa 12K is a fine finisher and probably the best value for the money of any polishing hone there is. Many don't progress further from it. Those that develop HAD (it happens) may experiment with pastes or Jnats, Escher's, Coticles, etc and progress to get an edge that is smoother and sharper (at least in their minds, lol)

But, at this point you are not honing, in my opinion, but conducting final polishing. Honing, to most of us, is in the 3-8K grit range. Ideally, you will eventually want; 1) bevel setter (800-3K; 1K most common) 2) honing (3-8K) and 3) polishing (8K and up) ex; 1K for bevel, 5,8K for honing and 12K and nat of some kind for polishing and super polishing. This is all relative to a point though. For lapping I would have a dedicated lapper and not mesh different hones over each other- I would only do that in a pinch. No hone brands are completely superior to the others. Each has their strong and weak points. You can't go wrong with Norton, Naniwa or Shapton.

If you only wanted to get 1 hone right now and your razors are in fairly good shape then I would go for the 4/8 Norton. Then you have the extreme high end of bevel setting and low end of polishing and can 'hone' in between. If you could only have 2 then I would get a 3/8 or 4/8 combo plus the 12K Naniwa. If you want the full Monty then I would get: 1,(3 or 5),8,12 and your favorite (or what you think will be your favorite) super polisher plus a DMT 325 for lapping.

Originally Posted by kwlfca

I remember reading one of Glen's articles/posts where he goes over what to look for in an ebay special but can't seem to find it. Here's one to read http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...st-2012-a.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/begin...tml#post736914 There ya go !!! That was a fun project