questions about equipment important

First off a short introduction, I use to be in the army and now reitired the last 5 years of the army I shaved with straight razors honed my own blades and probably had around 50 blades i sharpened, if you don't know you have to shave everyday in the Army I did in the field i was Infantry. So in short I'm not new to straight razors i also have a copy of the 1923 barbers manual that i follow and have saw lots of videos on straight razor subjects.

here are my questions

I saw this stone on eBay are they any good for sharpening razors, Idk anything about these i guess one of my questions is can they be reground like a norton with a piece on sand paper on a table or something

400 1500 Sharpener Stone Grit Knife Razor Polishing Whetstone Duel Two Sides | eBay

something like this for quick sharpening of eBay refirbished razors or something else maybe?


SK11 Both Sides Diamond Honing Stone Grit 400 1000 | eBay


or maybe like something like this to refurbish razors as well

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-Shar...item5af0c9aa07


what do people think about a strop with lapping compound as well, i never tried this but i have seen barbers use them


Last but not least i need a good strop i know I'm going to have to pay some cash for one who do you recommend i use to have one that had a cloth belt and leather strop in one i purchased it from a barber shop i paid about 75. I am trying to keep some of this stuff on the not the super expensive stuff thats why i mention the stuff i found on eBay.

I no long have these things because of burglary.


Thanks fellers.

Well, diamond hones are not really used for straight razors. The whetstone is a little too coarse on one side. 1000 grit is as low as you would normally go. The Norton set up is pretty inexpensive, the King hones i think are a little less.

Thank you sir i wanted to use the diamond hone for really dull razors make quick work of them, i would like to know what people think of this cheaper hone i found on eBay, as well as the diamond hone

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Originally Posted by daniel17319

Thank you sir i wanted to use the diamond hone for really dull razors make quick work of them, i would like to know what people think of this cheaper hone i found on eBay, as well as the diamond hone

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Unless you are getting into MAJOR razor restoration, stick to the 1k grit and higher. Be very careful with looking for "cheap" hones. Though good hones can be found for a good price, with hones you can easily buy cheap by buying "cheap". Idk about anyone else but I would not let that $9 stone touch my razor, maybe not even my knives. Go to some of the vendors here on SRP. When it comes to honing they will have more than you need, plus helpful staff to guide you in a purchase that meets your wallets needs.

what do you think about this stone, i have done major razor restorations, the diamond hone i reffered 2 was 1000 grit.

Taidea 1000 3000 Grit Combination Corundum Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone | eBay

What are you honing on now?

Those stones are too small.

The 400/ 1k could be use, but you could buy a quality stone for about the same price.

Diamonds for bevel setting can be problematic.

hey fellows idk i may have to get this :) life time warranty to

5 stone DMT diamond sharpening stone kit


why are they problem for bevel setting, could i just put some electrical tape to avoid that. I llike the above kit for sharpeing well everything including straight razors i may also get Taeda stone i saw on eBay to.

what are the special considerations with sharpening with a diamond hone like the ones above

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Originally Posted by daniel17319

what do you think about this stone, i have done major razor restorations, the diamond hone i reffered 2 was 1000 grit.

Taidea 1000 3000 Grit Combination Corundum Whetstone Knife Sharpening Stone | eBay

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With this stone, if I was going solely by the look of the add, maybe. But there are a few other things I would ask myself, if I was the one doing the shopping instead of you.

1. Does the stone fit my needs/wants for the edge I'm hunting?
(if you don't have your refreshing grits ,~4k and 8k, because of the burglary, you would need to start there)

2. How good/reputable is the brand?
I haven't heard of this brand so I will leave it to others to speculate.

3. How good is this stone or stone type?
this is your main question, and I know how much I hate being answered with a question, but since I dont know this stone these are the things I would be looking for. There is a lot when it comes to looking for a stone. There are fast and slow, soft and hard, smooth and rough. Each will produce its own result. And since this is an art each has its place. But the question can be what would you be looking for? So since you are looking for a definite answer I would recommend the common Norton 4/8k. This can be a bevel setter and finisher all in one. If you just need a bevel setter a naniwa Super stone 1k is you best bet.

This is is only based on my limited knowledge. Others here could probably lead you better

In regards to your link to the diamond hones:

I just went through this but with diamond pastes. Do yourself a favor and forget the diamond hones all together as far as bevel setting through final polish is concerned. The comfort and sharpness can not be achieved with diamonds, I fought it for the last 2 months.

With a 1k king a Norton 4k/8k and a naniwa 12k you'll be out about $200 and get sweet shaves.

I have a 325 and a 1200 DMT. I use them to lap my good razor hones :<0) While diamonds, corundum, and life time all sound faster, the scratches and damage they leave can take some time to get out later down the progression.

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,,,,

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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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by daniel17319

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.

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If you don't have the time to read and research how do you intend to make a good product. All of the questions you have asked about honing could have been answered by spending a few hours reading the library and browsing the honing forum.
we have quite a few guys here who forge their own blades for sale, if you take the time to participate they will answer questions and help you with your endevours.

I have one of those 400/1k stones on order from eBay to sharpen my pocket Knife. I also have a similar 1500/3k on order for the same purpose. I don't think I would put my razors near them though.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

If you don't have the time to read and research how do you intend to make a good product. All of the questions you have asked about honing could have been answered by spending a few hours reading the library and browsing the honing forum.
we have quite a few guys here who forge their own blades for sale, if you take the time to participate they will answer questions and help you with your endevours.

I have one of those 400/1k stones on order from eBay to sharpen my pocket Knife. I also have a similar 1500/3k on order for the same purpose. I don't think I would put my razors near them though.

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Sounds like your really going to hold me to what i said in a earlier post. haha, What if i told you that people can change there mind, what if i told you that people like me don't have office jobs and work in a blacksmithing shop and don't have time to spend hours on here while at work.

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Originally Posted by daniel17319

Sounds like your really going to hold me to what i said in a earlier post. haha, What if i told you that people can change there mind, what if i told you that people like me don't have office jobs and work in a blacksmithing shop and don't have time to spend hours on here while at work.

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Well I can only go on what you said, which seemed to be that you werent prepared to put any time in, but yes of course people can change their minds and indeed I hope you do, the membership here are very helpful to those that want help and are generally more obliging to those who have at least made an attempt to research the questions being asked.
you may not have hours of work time to spend looking up things on the Internet but you do have time outside of work, and my thinking would be that if you are serious about learning a skill you would be inclined to at least invest a little time especially as you are considering making razors too.
Anyway with all of that being said I hope you become an active member of the community.

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Originally Posted by edhewitt

Well I can only go on what you said, which seemed to be that you werent prepared to put any time in, but yes of course people can change their minds and indeed I hope you do, the membership here are very helpful to those that want help and are generally more obliging to those who have at least made an attempt to research the questions being asked.
you may not have hours of work time to spend looking up things on the Internet but you do have time outside of work, and my thinking would be that if you are serious about learning a skill you would be inclined to at least invest a little time especially as you are considering making razors too.
Anyway with all of that being said I hope you become an active member of the community.

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Well said, I wish I could be as tactful as you Ed.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Well said, I wish I could be as tactful as you Ed.

Bob

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No need to be tactful :) let me have it lol

Im a good for nothing low down son of a gun for not researching more on here.hahaha ;)


you guys are funny

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Originally Posted by daniel17319

No need to be tactful :) let me have it lol

Im a good for nothing low down son of a gun for not researching more on here.hahaha ;)


you guys are funny

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Well In That case:
your join date is 2008 which was 7 years ago. 30 mins a year of reading would have got you at least through the very basics :)