Thread: The first hone...

For a long time I went King 1k, bbw (slurry, dilute, water), coti. Then I added c12k at the end (I find the edges sharper too).

Originally Posted by AFDavis11

There just stones. Do whatever you'd like. Don't ask about finishing. Do it and see for yourself.

I can finish and shave off a brick, that hardly helps you and your quest.

Think of it this way, artists really don't focus too much on what brush they use. You don't see an apprentice artist asking which brush would be best to become an artist.

Well, I would like to try the finish off a coti and a nani and a norton to compare and see for myself but I don't have them... yes, I would like to find all this out for myself, but the problem is hones are expensive and I have little expendable income for them. An apprentice artist could easily purchase several brushes and find the one he prefers, as brushes are fairly cheap. I, unlike the artist, can only purchase one hone at the moment, so I'm trying to get an idea of what others think and gain from their experience.

BUT I do understand what you're getting it and it is a good way to look at it. The hone is a means to an end, and just that. The variables in the hone are not as important as the finished product (the honed razor and ultimately the shave)

Going from 1k to a BBW or Coticule is a big leap. Using slurry could bridge that gap or you could add a 3-4k waterstone.

Is it a big leap to BBW? I thought the BBW came in at about 4k itself, and comparing that to people's normal scheme of 1k to 4k it seems reasonable. I plan on having the means to work up a slurry if I have the stones though.

Anyways, thanks everyone for the advice and guidance. I think I may have to go for the coti/ coti combo because thats the way that seems most appealing to me at the moment and if I don't I'll probably wish I had (even when I'm cursing myself while fighting to figure out how to hone on the thing) So, once again, does anyone have a recommended source for them?

I have my Dad's razor strop and was wondering how old it might be.It has 2 leather strops--47 3/4 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide, and a canvas srrop of the same size. They are bound at the top by oval faced steel (?) clamped over with a bolt going thru from the front with the wall hook off of that. The bottom of the strop is stamped /embossed with a "277 1/2 in a wheat oval. below is E. Berninghaus Company Quality Products, Cincinnati, O. The second leather strop is as above but the "277 1/2" is below the company name within a diamond. The canvas strop is damaged near the bottom -on the rear it reads:
Standard
Barber ? & Ben? (damage here) Supp (lies?),Atlant(ia?)
I remember him using it in the early 1950's.

Originally Posted by onsitesam

I have my Dad's razor strop and was wondering how old it might be.It has 2 leather strops--47 3/4 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide, and a canvas srrop of the same size. They are bound at the top by oval faced steel (?) clamped over with a bolt going thru from the front with the wall hook off of that. The bottom of the strop is stamped /embossed with a "277 1/2 in a wheat oval. below is E. Berninghaus Company Quality Products, Cincinnati, O. The second leather strop is as above but the "277 1/2" is below the company name within a diamond. The canvas strop is damaged near the bottom -on the rear it reads:
Standard
Barber ? & Ben? (damage here) Supp (lies?),Atlant(ia?)
I remember him using it in the early 1950's.

My guess it marks when he left home... say age 20.
You can do the math...

Tis something a man needs....
He might have had a hand me down
or used barber strop. Perhaps replacing it
when he had some coin in his pockets
a couple year later. 1920 sounds right
based on Google returning Berninghaus
barber chairs in that time...

I don't think 1k to coti or BBW is a big leap. I'd say a BBW with no slurry gives a shave like about an 8k, but either the BBW or Coti with slurry can cut pretty quick. I actually did a blade today off a King 1k to the Coti with slurry at the meet as a demo. I don't remember how long it took, but I think it was pretty quick (under 5 mins on the coti). Maybe "big" is a relative term?

Originally Posted by Patches

Well, I would like to try the finish off a coti and a nani and a norton to compare and see for myself but I don't have them... yes, I would like to find all this out for myself, but the problem is hones are expensive and I have little expendable income for them.

Not all hones are expensive. Sure a lot are but some come at budget prices. A Rozsutec costs 10 euro, a Dragon's Tongue 7.40 euro and at the moment a Guangxi + rubber 7.40 euro. They're not as fast or as versatile as a Coticule but they do work.

If your funds are limited I think getting a DT + rubber and a Guangxi rubber for the hone you already have will let you get from your 1k to a shaveready razor.

When you have more money to spend you can pick out a large Coticule without remorse

A coti will give you a sharper edge and a smoother edge than a Norton 8k. For Nani's, it depends which you use and I've actually never done the comparison.

You could go with the DT and C12k - I've taken blades straight from a 1k to the DT with slurry -> diluted -> just water and shaved off the DT. I found it to be about the same as a BBW (did a hone test, if you search you'll find it). A comfortable shave to be sure. I guestimate that the DT and BBW are in the 6-8k range, but I don't really know. You should be able to go from the DT to the C12k, and if it takes longer than you like you could play with slurry. Personally, I don't slurry at that high level, but that is just my preference as of now.