Thread: Looking for first hone...

Hello gents, total newbie here. Have a razor on order from RupRazor, the wait is killing me. I also ordered everything else I'm going to need, strop, brush, mug, shave soap, styptic pencil (hope I won't need that). What I don't have is a hone. My dad and I are very active hunters, shooters, fisherman and so on. There are lots of knives in my house. Therefore there are lots of sharpening stones of all sorts and grits, whetstones, dry stones, stones to be used with oil and so on. What I would like to find out is, how can I know how fine is fine enough for the occasional touch up? Is there any way that I can tell if a stone is suitable for straight razors by feel? Should I just get myself a dedicated barber hone instead of trying to be cheap (probably lol)? Any info is appreciated.

Touchup hones are typically 10k or higher. I would guess that, unless you guys are really nuts about your knives, you'll not be able to use a hone you already have for this purpose.

Originally Posted by ErinGoBragh

Hello gents, total newbie here. Have a razor on order from RupRazor, the wait is killing me. I also ordered everything else I'm going to need, strop, brush, mug, shave soap, styptic pencil (hope I won't need that). What I don't have is a hone. My dad and I are very active hunters, shooters, fisherman and so on. There are lots of knives in my house. Therefore there are lots of sharpening stones of all sorts and grits, whetstones, dry stones, stones to be used with oil and so on. What I would like to find out is, how can I know how fine is fine enough for the occasional touch up? Is there any way that I can tell if a stone is suitable for straight razors by feel? Should I just get myself a dedicated barber hone instead of trying to be cheap (probably lol)? Any info is appreciated.

I think a two sided barber hone, like a Keen Kutter Kombination, is a good way to get into honing. You actually are buying two hones, one side for sharpening and one for finishing/polishing. Add a CrO paddle and linen/leather strop and you have multiple levels of sharpening/finishing for very little money. The high grit of the sharpening side can substitute for a lower grit stone if you are willing to do a couple hundred careful passes. Good luck.

Well, the downside to looking for a particular barber hone is that they can be near impossible to find. I personally don't like barber hones because they are so small, but that's just my preference.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Well, the downside to looking for a particular barber hone is that they can be near impossible to find. I personally don't like barber hones because they are so small, but that's just my preference.

Yeah, they are small. First time buyers should check the measurements given and be prepared for it to look smaller than you imagined. Online photos seem to make them appear larger than they really are.

I know where you're coming from. I'm new to straights but have a history with knives and sharpening them... I'm no knife guru but I was surprised to find that the degree of sharpness that is 'shave-ready' is leagues above my sharpest kitchen knives and skinners (even tho they all shave arm hair). I doubt you'll be able to 'feel' the ultra fine grit you need, I don't think I can, suffice to say, it's smooth! Your finest corborundum or india stone isn't fine enough. I doubt you have ultrafine (>8k) waterstones around for the knives, but some do. Have any arkansas stones? I have sharpened a razor on a progression of soft->hard arkansas, but still had to finish it on something finer. I've used a barber hone (good results) and a translucent arkansas (great results) and am waiting to try out a surgical black arkansas I just cleaned up. Those aren't uncommon knife hones, so who know's, maybe you've got some? If you don't, as already mentioned, barber hones and/or pasted strop are fairly inexpensive ways to keep a sharp razor sharp and a good place to start.

-D

IRELAND FOREVER!!

What stones do you have?
some of the stones I had for my knives are the same that are used for razors too.

Erin,

If you have a hone that will put a mirror-like polish on one of your knives, it may be about the right grit to try for touching up a razor, although I suspect that the hones you have will be too coarse for finishing work on a razor. If one of your hones happens to be a Black Hard or Translucent Arkansas, you might be in luck. These stones seem to be much maligned in these parts, but they were named after the latin word for razor stone... novacula not Arkansas.

A caution with coarse hones and razors is that razor steel is hardened and tempered to the degree that the steel is quite delicate and a coarse stone can cause minute chips to develop at the edge. Then you have to hone the blade until those chips are ground out, and if you use the hone that helped create them in the first place, again, to get rid of them, well -- you may have just invented perpetual motion.

The real gurus here will give you sound advice. I'd try, but I've been trying to raise a shaving edge on a new razor and let's just say that it ain't going just quite swell... if you get my drift. So my advice at present isn't worth the proverbial pinch.

good luck

a decent finishing hone from the classifieds is great way to start & you prob won't be too far off the pace,
welcome to the forum
tog go bog e