Thread: norton starter set

2 stones ? HAD ? You ain't seen nuttin' yet Ed .

i hate hones. The endless varieties and possibilities can drive you mad. and send you broke.
Over the last 3o something years i have had a lot of stones. At day's end it is all about personal preference. i have been honing even more in the last year and after some help from friends found that in some cases it was not me, but deficiencies in stones and grits i had. It is absolutely crucial to get that bevel right by 1K. If not, everything after is a waste.
Right now i am using the Naniwa SS. 440K {for super dull edges}, 1K [for most bevel setting} and 5K, 10K & 12K. Use a DMT for lapping. i also no longer use tape on the spines as the results come so quickly i do not see any wear there and also do not like tape clogging my hones.
i am now getting perfect results every time. i have even gone back to some of my Grandfather's razors i have that i could not get a satisfactory edge on in the last 10 years and now they are my best shavers.
that is what works for me, and i do not like to think of time and money spent getting there. Hope you get to your perfect system a lotter more quickly and cheaply.
Regards
Adam.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

2 stones ? HAD ? You ain't seen nuttin' yet Ed .

I believe that it would be the start of a slippery slope. I don't believe most people with large quantities of hones purchased them all at once.
I would venture a guess that as new hones come into vogue they get bought and added to the pile. then there are the naturals that due to inconsistencies need to sometimes be purchased a few times until you vet oneyou like. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with that, if that is what you WANT to, or can AFFORD to do.
I have found in the past that i MAY be drawn towards hoarding tendencies, and therefore don't want to start down that path.
I have what I have, and think that I SHOULD be able to keep myself going without too much more investment. At least until I prove 2 things:

1- I am definately going to continue straight shaving. I am 95% sure that this is the case, provided I can improve my times shaving it will become 100%. I think that my times WILL get down to around the 20 min or less mark then it will be all good.

2- the frequency and cost of sending my razors out for a full hone justifys the purchase of a coarser stone.

I am looking forward to the potential Perth meet up if it happens, not only will we be able to put faces and personalities to names, it will be an opportunity to experement with some different equipment, these opportunities are what I believe will stop new (and more experienced) guys going down the path Adam has walked.

Thanks for all he replies,
Ed

Originally Posted by edhewitt

... think that my times WILL get down to around the 20 min or less mark then it will be all good...

...the frequency and cost of sending my razors out for a full hone justifys the purchase of a coarser stone...

I take only ten minutes to have a shave, and that's from the very beginning to the very end, I think that is very achievable without needing to rush. I'm sure you'll be able to get it well down.

Ed, I'm not sure I agree with 'needing' a coarser stone. In all honesty (I( keep a honing journal) I very very rarely need to get out the Norton 4/8 over the course of a year or more once I've set the bevel and am happy I have a newly purchased razor shave ready. Some I've bought are already shave ready; so really it's just maintenance which is what I use the Shapton 16k for.

Having said that:

(1) I could be very easily pleased (i.e. my razors aren't actually as sharp as they should or could be)
(2) I have girly hair that means I can shave more often without the need to re-hone the razor, and everyone else has proper manly hair
(3) My stropping technique is SO much better than everyone else's that they're all damaging their razors by poor stropping and I'm not
(4) A combination of the above

Carl,
Do you do a multiple pass shave? Or does one pass with your exquisitely stropped, blunt razor remove all of your girly bumfluff .
My shave time is coming down, so I reckon, when I can do nice long passes instead of little baby strokes I will get there.
I think that, my thinking regarding the coarser stone is that if I already have a 10k, I shouldn't need anything finer. I know there are much finer stones available but I dont believe they are necessary. I touched up your frameback on the 10k, I am happy with the result, and I am not even really proficient at honing yet.
Whereas if I need to do a bit more than a touchup I will need something coarser. I do have the Welsh slates, one of which is coarser, so I could use that, its just a lot smaller than the naniwa so possibly a bit harder to use.

First you need to reject rad and ebay. If you cant do that you will need more hones and will get all the practice you need at honing. Or so I hear

Originally Posted by eddy79

First you need to reject rad and ebay. If you cant do that you will need more hones and will get all the practice you need at honing. Or so I hear

Yes, however I have never been a member of the congregation of the church of RAD. The only reason I am considering a 3rd razor is so that I don't have to pack hold baggage when I go to and from work. my strop travels with me, my honelive live at work but can travel, my strop travels with me, and other sundry items are duplicated.

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Carl,
Do you do a multiple pass shave? Or does one pass with your exquisitely stropped, blunt razor remove all of your girly bumfluff .
My shave time is coming down, so I reckon, when I can do nice long passes instead of little baby strokes I will get there.
I think that, my thinking regarding the coarser stone is that if I already have a 10k, I shouldn't need anything finer. I know there are much finer stones available but I dont believe they are necessary. I touched up your frameback on the 10k, I am happy with the result, and I am not even really proficient at honing yet.
Whereas if I need to do a bit more than a touchup I will need something coarser. I do have the Welsh slates, one of which is coarser, so I could use that, its just a lot smaller than the naniwa so possibly a bit harder to use.

Most times I do just a single pass. In regards to my 'girly bumfluff', there is actually some truth in my original silly reply on this. It is true that I don't have a thick heavy growth like some guys. I see some guys who may be Italian or Greek or Middle eastern and I shudder at how many passes they'd need to do, it must be in the teens. They probably started shaving at 10. I go on a bit at times about all the variables such as this (hair thickness), stropping, technique, etc etc etc. This is why questions like "how often should I hone my razor" are a little redundant. A general guide can be given, but that's all. That's also one reason why I started to keep a honing journal, so I didn't need to GUESS how often I honed my razors. When you rotate razors (as I do and many others do) you can loose track of how often you hone one razor. The other reason I keep a honing journal is so I could learn what works for me.

and don't forget, a hundred years ago just looking shaved was enough. Really - what sort of manly man wants a face comparable to a Baby's bum?!?
i am a one pass shaver and a shave takes me 5 minutes, start to finish and clean up. {yeah - stopped shaving my head over winter...that does add almost 10 minutes} Some guys do that daily and once a week, on date night, go for the multiple pass baby butt thing.... i believe that comes under "metrosexual"... Who said that !!....
Adam

I don't know that I would want my face to look like the proverbial Baby's. I've seen what a mess of these things three babies managed to do! Surely no one wants to look that bad!


Mick