Thread: questions about equipment important

ok so maybe ill get a 1 and 3 k diamond and some sort of norton style stoned, in 4 and 8 k can i go any higher or does that make sense. I use to have a 4 and 8 k norton that got stolen, like said in the previous post i thought i would try something different with all diamond stones but if its uncomfortable especially with higher grits then i will avoid it.

So you have been doing restores and honing, what were you using to do that?
And why do you need new stones ?

Here you go, this post will answer most of your questions…

Here

Ok got it.
And what you did before, was not working?
A 4/8k Norton is bullet proof and well proven, what more are you looking for?

No what i was doing was working fine, i thought i would experiment with diamond hones. Does anyone else have any other opinions on what should be done? Any stones for polishing. Please don't use abreviations because i don't want to take the time to figure them out. I have many other hobbies i put above honing and restoring razors i did it before i was cool haha.


Thanks again fellers for all the help

If you are pressed for time to read, you probably want to save your money for your more important hobbies and stick to your established routine for straight shaving. If you need a new strop, you can buy one from say staightrazordesigns.com for $50-$100 with both leather and fabric component. Anything you pick from their stock will work well, if you want more details about the differences you'll have to invest the time and effort to read on them.

Similarly with hones - you can use an abrasive paste on a strop and maintain your edge for a while, when that doesn't work anymore you can pay somebody with hones to rehone it.

Or you can buy an old barber hone similar to swaty on ebay and use that - that's what they were made for.

If you want something more you have to invest in learning, equipment, and experimentation to figure out what works for you and what is worth to you. Nobody can tell you if spending $100 or $500 on more hones will make you enjoy your shaves better.

The standard hones most people use for razors are by norton, naniwa, and shapton (one around 1000 grit level, one around 4000 and one around 8000) . Many others will work if you get a good specimen and spend the time to figure out how to use it well, but if you want something safe and low risk stick to what thousands of people have used and continue to use over the past decade or so, namely those three brands.

Go with the people's hone of indeterminate grit,,,,

Originally Posted by daniel17319

ok so maybe ill get a 1 and 3 k diamond and some sort of norton style stoned, in 4 and 8 k can i go any higher or does that make sense. I use to have a 4 and 8 k norton that got stolen, like said in the previous post i thought i would try something different with all diamond stones but if its uncomfortable especially with higher grits then i will avoid it.

Let me save you some money and tell you right now you will not get good results with diamond hones only. This has been tried before by various members and it has never worked like a more traditional progression has. Specifically for the diamond hones you are asking about, may be some members have tried them and will chime in, but in general DMT or Atoma are the popular ones due to proven quality . Those are the hones that most members use, probably DMT is the most common one of the two.

For repair something in the 400 range. For bevel set 1k, then Norton 4/8k and pasted strop will do the job. You can expand the line as you come up with funds or if you feel you need higher grit hone(s).

Im also kicking the idea around of making straight razors. Im a blacksmith/farrier. I have a degree in farriery and a degree in blacksmithing from austin community college both involve lots of blacksmithing, plus i have apprenticed under one of the best blacksmiths in the world for a year. I guess thats why I'm fishing a little about hones, diamond hones etc. Yes i have experienced honing razors probably about 60 of them with a norton stone and some chisel sharpening stones. I have also read the 1923 barbers manual etc etc. Im also curious to see if anything has changed sense i last fooled around with this stuff, probably 6 years ago.

The barbers manual is for people who have bought new and perfectly honed razors and just have to maintain them.

The paperwork on some vintage razors states that if the edge is damaged the razor should be sent to the factory for reset, and that's the class the ebay razors of today fall into.

Nothing has changed over the past 6 years, other than the naniwa hones that appeared at that time and are comparable to the nortons have stood the test of time, and the DMT 8000 that one marketer was pushing at the time onto his followers as superior to Norton 8000 is long forgotten with respect to razors and the Norton 8000 is still a hone that many continue to use.

If you want to make your own razors you could start by restoring and honing the ebay specials - they'll teach you what is important for a razor and what is a proper razor design improved over several centuries.
You probably don't want to end up like that knifemaker guy who has threatened us that he is going to rip the straight razor market a new one, and we learn daily of customers who send back to him their flawed razors and of honemeisters who refuse to hone any more of his razors after seeing one in person.

I would not release a razor till its perfected its just a idea i have been kicking around. Most blade smiths have absolutly no forging skills. Ill see were i turns out and if i can make any money at it.