Thread: Hone help..?

I picked up a couple straight razors this week. The first is a wester Bros and was supposedly shave ready. My shaves were passable but uncomfortable and there was some tugging and skipping involved.

I decided to focus on my stropping. I haven't shaved with a straight in a few years, and found that my stropping needed work. I am using a Whipped Dog travel strop and have improved alot in a couple days. I still feel that the razor needs a small touchup to really be considered shave ready.

Anyway I have been reading here about hones. The Naniawa superstone, Shapton 16k, barber hones, pasted strops. It seems that all of these hones serve there purpose, it just depends on who you ask. My personal experience with hones is limited. I did own a Norton 4k/8k for a while, but found that my honing was marginal at best. I am not sure if I would choose the Norton again, but basically I need something I can keep my razor shaving with. Cost is a big factor, I can't spend alot, and am looking for a cheap solution.

Whipped dog offers the Norton combo set, although the hones are cut in halves. I imagine you could hone on these in circular motions, I have seen some videos using the method. Larry has the Chinese 12k as well. My cheap solution would be the balsa pasted strop, and the Chinese 12k. If I were to go that route would I need to buy a flattening stone to use prior to touchups? On the other hand, I found a Swaty 3 line hone for 30 bucks. Is that enough on its own, or do I also need some paste as a final polish? Are the Franz Swaty hones easily maintained once lapped?

Any cost effective ideas are appreciated. I remember asking lots of questions here a while back, and since I have most of my straight shaving figured out aside from the hones, I will be able to keep that minimal now, lol.

Thanks.

Any hones made for razors can put a good edge on. The list is endless. Nortons are good and many start there, choseras are excellent, naniwas also. Then there are naturals. I havenortons, choseras, a naniwa 12k, c nat, j nat coti combo, and I also us3 lapping film. I cant speak for shaptons as I dont have and never used. Don't get hung up too much on which stones, although a norton set from srd you cant go wrong.135 for 2 combos with a flattening stone you are good to go.

I usually recommend Norton 4/8 because bang for the buck it is a good buy. The whole 8x3 stone. Not some scam of cutting them up and selling a hone that is too short to really be efficient. Anyway, some of the best shaving razors I've ever had were done with the Norton 4/8. At one time it was virtually the only game in town save what were then rare and scarce naturals that have since become much more common.

The Shaptons, Naniwas, Choseras and other synthetics have only become available in recent years. Any of them will do the job but the 4/8 Norton is probably cheaper by comparison and a darn good razor hone. Get a Chosera 1k , a dmt 325 D8C to lap them, sharpen your kitchen knives as well, and you have all you need. Get to where you're shaving well off of your 8k edge and look to add a finisher. Naniwa 12k is nice.

Anyway, if you can't get good edges with the Norton you won't get them with any of the others. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian.

I am at best a novice honer, but will offer what has worked for me to get shavable edges.

I use a lapped Norton 8K to touch up my edges, then use about 12 strokes on a leather paddle strop with 0.5 u diamond paste.

I finish with about 30 strokes linen and 50 latigo leather. I often use my hanging strop laying flat on my sink base top for better control. Smooth and even is the key.

I test my edge by tree topping arm hair. I repeat the unpasted stropping, if necessary after a shave test.

When the 8K stone does not work well with the stropping, I drop down to a 1K stone until the razor passes a TPT with visual inspection of the bevels. After a positive TPT, I work my way back up the progression.

I like the diamond pasted strop, It gets me a shavable edge with my current level of proficiency using hones. Diamonds work well on my stainless razors.

HTH

Regarding your question of lapping, many have suggested (and I use as well) wet/dry sandpaper on something flat (piece of glass is probably the cheapest). If you're looking for budget lapping this seems fairly cheap.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I usually recommend Norton 4/8 because bang for the buck it is a good buy. ...
Anyway, if you can't get good edges with the Norton you won't get them with any of the others. It ain't the arrow, it's the Indian.

+1

If you are not used to hone you take the risk that the first time you go on the stone you damage your edge, so stay very light. For this more reason I would advice the Norton 8k because I find it is a bit slower than the other synthetic stones (then less dangerous).

For the last same reason I'd rather take a natural for touch-ups, not a chinese because its quality is varying too much and you never know before you get it. You can find some cheap and good british slates on the bay.

As the moderator has said, a Naniwa or Chosera 1K and a Norton 4K/8K are sufficient - followed by an unpasted strop.
If this is not working, more gear is not the answer.
That being said, I do like to go to higher grits.
I am very fond of Welsh purple slate. It comes in several varieties/grits - from 8 to 15K.
The price is quite reasonable.
There are numerous other good finishes, but they are generally more expensive.
ebay site:
NEW SHARPENING HONES, VINTAGE UK HONES items in GREEN SHARPENING STONE SHOP store on eBay!

I also would get the 4/8 norton.

The 8k will touch up your razor. If you need more than a touch up then the 4k side will accomplish that. Even if you need a bevel set you can do that on the 4k, it will take a little longer.

Its possible that your new razor needs more work to be shave ready than you at first think. Thats why i think it's better to start out with the combo hone rather than a much finer stone.

Michael

My vote would be for the Naniwai 12k IF you are mainly concerned with just keeping a shave ready razor going. If you want a stone to more general honing, get the 4/8. But if you just want to keep an already existing edge in shape, the SS 12K would be my suggestion. 5-10 passes on this stone will have you back on track. If you're just maintaining the edge, you won't need that 4k side.

Plus, the 12k SS is a very easy stone to use. No slurry, no fussing with it. Just a few swipes across it and you're back in action.

Since you mentioned cost is a huge factor I would go for the Norton 4/8K and get some Chromium Oxide paste and paste the back side of your linen strop. This way you have a fairly complete system. Later on you can enhance your tool arsenal with things like a nice finisher and a 1K bevel setter, etc. Most new shavers tend to bring the edge down more due to learning the technique so a 4K may become helpful down the short term road. I would avoid any Chinese 12K. They are just too inconsistent and when you get a good one, it is inferior to a Naniwa 12K anyway.