not so simple after all

My goal is supposed to be simple: I just want to own a few razors, keep them sharp, and enjoy a good shave everyday.

So I ordered a pre-honed razor so I can learn to shave right away while I figure out the rest of the stuff. Strops and paste will keep me going for a while but I'll need a hone or two. Ok, I can do that. Oh the stones need to be lapped? Ok. I can do that to. Then I read the other day someone saying that I might need to find some scrap metal to break in the lapping diamond plate! Is this for real?

I need the scrap metal that laps the diamond plate that laps the hone that sharpens the razor that I strop and then shave with ! Gees! :-)

You need a shaving supplies manager to keep things straight for you. PM me for details :)

Yes it is simple. Its just that some people like making simple things complicated. I would say if you buy a lapping plate it should be flat to begin with. if its not I wouldn't be messing with it.

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Originally Posted by khat

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I need the scrap metal that laps the diamond plate that laps the hone that sharpens the razor that I strop and then shave with ! Gees! :-)

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You forgot to mention King Caractacus...

Yeah, things can get messy real quick. As the great man said "What a wicked path we pave, When at first we start to shave..." or something like that. :shrug:

All the bits are simple and as BigSpendur says, we can tend to overcomplicate matters somewhat, on occasion. You don't need a lapping plate. Wet/dry on something flat (sheet glass, ceramic tile) works fine. It is not as convenient, but it works fine.

James.

You need a lapping plate??

Take this: one kitchen worktop and a piece of sandpaper. It's really all you need and dirt cheap.

Should the Wet&Dry be finer or coarser than the stone you are trying to lap?

I'm new to all this, and I'm trying to learn all I can before I head in to this strange world called "Straight Shaving". I'm the kind of person that has to absorb all of the knowledge they can find :)

I used 400 grit wet/dry as a starting grit when I lapped stones with wet/dry and usually followed it up with 800 grit, some people report problems with embedded grit in stones from the wet/dry but I never had any problems with it.

Scrap metal to lap a diamond lapping plate!??

I don't where you heard that, but it sounds absurd. A diamond lapping plate is already going to be flat. And s piece of scrap metal ain't going to make a scrap of difference. (pun intended)

I use a 1k diamond hone to lap my hones, but after that I use a much finer rubbing stone to smooth out the scratches.

EDIT: Wet/dry sandpaper does work, but it tends to curl up, so you basically only get 1 lapping from it. In the long run, you'd be better off buying a diamond plate for lapping.

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Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

EDIT: Wet/dry sandpaper does work, but it tends to curl up, so you basically only get 1 lapping from it. In the long run, you'd be better off buying a diamond plate for lapping.

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Depending on how much honing you plan to do!

I think maybe we need to start differentiating between Honing razors and Re-freshing razors...
To hone razors ie: a dull /damaged razor to shave ready, is a different animal, then to buy a shave ready razor, and keep it shaving sharp for years to come....
You can get by for years with two shave ready razors, a good quality linen/leather strop and a high grit barbers hone.... oh yeah and the talent to use them correctly.....

For many of us this is more than just shaving each morning, it ia a hobby that we enjoy, so we tend to try and take it to a different level....

Thanks for the replies.

I read about the scrap metal on a thread discussing the much talked about chinese 12K hone. I think it was on the B&B site. I didn't take it too seriously and my post was more like a bad attempt at humour ...

I do like the idea of starting out with sand paper and I'll give that a try but I'll probably buy a diamond plate in about half a year.

gssixgun, even though all I want to do for now is keep a razor sharp and have good shaves doesn't mean I'm not passionate about it! I appreciate that there are guys like you who "take it to a different level" and generously share their knowledge. Makes my job of learning much easier.

Thanks all
Cheers
Khat

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

You can get by for years with two shave ready razors, a good quality linen/leather strop and a high grit barbers hone.... oh yeah and the talent to use them correctly.....

For many of us this is more than just shaving each morning, it ia a hobby that we enjoy, so we tend to try and take it to a different level....

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I did exactly that for years, 2 razors, 1 barber hone, 1 good strop. Since Ive gotten into honing, its a whole new game!

Some people do say that the diamond (DMT) hones need a bit of tweaking before they realise their best potential - high points at edges, coarse accumulations, etc - perhaps using them with scrap metal or throwaway blades refers to this?
My coarse DMT definitely had high edges, but after using it on maybe 100 razors the edges are now smooth - to the point of not containing any diamond dust anymore!

Regards,
Neil