Decision made, just a few questions...

Hi folks,

Ok, I've pretty much made up my mind about which hones I'm going to buy. Given that I have an old razor with a duff edge I want to restore, I'm going to go for the Shapton 4k/8k/16k set of 3, plus a bevel setter, but I now have a few questions:

Do these Shaptons need lapping? And if so, which stone should I use? I was thinking of a DMT 325 grit? Or will I need a tougher one? Will these stones be good to use for honing straight out of the box?

I am also planning on getting a DMT 1200 as a bevel setter, is this a good stone for that?

I also want to make a balsa paddle strop which I`m going to paste. Is the CrOx a good finishing paste to use on this or would one of the diamond sprays be better? If so, which sort? 0.5 micron? 1 micron?

Lastly, my restoration process will be to set the bevel on the 1200, then run up through the shaptons to get a good edge then finish on the pasted strop, before going to canvas then leather on my daily strop. Does this sound like a good route?

Then I`m going to try my hand at making some new scales for this thing! The scales it has at the moment are in good nick, just fairly ordinary black plastic so I was thinking of changing them for some wooden ones. This might take me some time, but I`ll stick some before/ after picks up when I`m done..!

I've been reading alot of the threads on here, as well as Lynns and others Youtube vids and it has been very inspiring I must admit! I can feel my RAD/HAD levels increasing as we speak..! So thanks from this newbie for getting me thoroughly engrossed, fascinated and motivated to jump in head first..! I also have Lynns DVD on the way and I'm looking forward to watching that as well..!

I'm loving the whole process of lathering up, stropping and then getting the best ever shave in the mornings. Plus the razors genuinely are things of beauty.... I found myself on Ebay last night looking at the auctions and had to stop myself buying a few more..!

Cheers guys, you rock! :rock:

I think the Shaptons are a great choice, another would be the Naniwa Superstones. 4, 8 and 16K is sort of the standard range for the Shaptons and will serve you well. Regardless of what brand you go with you will need to lap them and a DMT 8C (325 grit) will do a great job. A lot of guys use the 1200 DMT as a bevel setter with great results. Personally I would probably go with a Shapton or Naniwa 1000, but I don't think it makes a big difference. A paddle or felt strop with CrOx or diamond spray is a great way to finish your edge after progressing through the stones and before normal stropping.

Sorry to jump around with my response, but I was trying to address your questions more or less in order. Anyway, sounds like you have a really good plan and have done your research. Let us know how it works out. You might shoot Don or Lynn (SRD) an email or call and ask their opinion. They carry all the stuff you are considering (except for the balsa wood).

+1 with what Bill just wrote

I also would recommend a Shapton 1k to go with the other Shaptons

It has always been my opinion that Shapton's work best as a system with other Shapton's

The DMT 325 can also be used as a drastic repair stone

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Originally Posted by Stubear

I found myself on Ebay last night looking at the auctions and had to stop myself buying a few more..!

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You and me both :) Actually it sounds to me like you want to get into honing as a sport or a hobby as it were. That has been my approach and ebay razors have been the fuel for the fire. What I am getting at is that for me anyway it took a lot of practice to learn to hone. If all I had was a few razors I don't think I would have had enough practice. It is a lot of fun for me as each razor is different and somewhat of a challenge.

I look for blades that are full with minimal hone wear and corrosion and with scales that aren't cracked, especially at the pivot end. Some sort of magnification is very beneficial to examine your edges before, during and after your honing sessions. The Radio Shack type hand held microscopes are probably your cheapest bet on that score.

I use a 1200 continuous diamond plate for bevel setting on most razors. I have noticed that some tend to micro chip with the plate and for those I go to a 1k grit hone. Either way the 1200 plate is a very fast cutter so keep an eye on your bevel as you go. You can always take metal off but you can't put it back.

I'm also using the Shapton Glass stones but in different grits. I have the 1k, 3k. and 16k. I'm still using the Norton 8k, I love the feel of the stone :D . I only use these stones to get the bevels set, and using the 16k less now that I have natural stones I like better. You'll find personal preference kicks in alot here.

I love the 325 DMT as a secondary laping plate, I prefer the 125 as a primary, but I also use the Shapton GS on my japanese kitchen knives, so they dish after every knife, not so often with a straight. So the 325 would be fine if you only use straights on these stones.

I have a paddle strop I got from Tony Miller with 1.0 Diamond past/ 0.5 DP as well as a Hand American leather hone with Cro2 on it. Some don't like the edge off Cro2 but i do. The paddle strop has kind of gotten pushed off to the travel bag and I really like it there.

Yup Lynn's DVD will ruin your ability to control you RAD and push you into the HAD twitches. I still watch his DVD just to see if I can spot stuff I have missed or is just not mentioned but shown, you'll see when you watch it a few times...

I just got done with a Ebite special, my first pipe razor, and it's becomming a favorite :) you never know what you'll find out there, Good luck on your adventures :beer2:

as Glen and Bill S mentioned already go with Naniwa or norton 1k . You will be a lot happier in long run.Rest is fine.

A little of topic.... but I am sure i have seen your avatar before.

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Originally Posted by smythe

A little of topic.... but I am sure i have seen your avatar before.

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Yep, its a Family Guy still that I found on Google. I`m a big Family Guy fan so thats why I went with it! :D

Does someone else on SRP have it? If they do then I can change it, no worries..!