Thread: What to use for sharpening?

Hi there,
I am trying to figure out a decent stone to get that I can use to sharpen a straight razor I recently got. It is an old antique one. It is called the "The celebrated Eaton Razor". It is made in sheffield and has the number 104 on it. I will post a pic later when I get home....but I need to sharpen it and want to try and keep the costs as low as possible while still being affective....and also another thing I wanted to know is if any re pinning kit will work for it or if I need a specific type...it is a 5/8's...thanks,
Shayne

IMHO the cheapest would be to get a Norton set of stones.
http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Waterst...8&sr=8-2-spell
search the web you may be able to find them cheaper some were else.

anybody else have some suggestions?

Sending it out would be a whole lot cheaper, but if you feel the need to do it yourself I would suggest the Norton series, the cheapest and easiest to learn with. You will need at least a 1k, and then the 4/8k combo. All of the pros here have "sharpened" their skills on these.

i agree, the cheapest option is to pay somebody else do it, otherwise it'll cost you about $100 in hones and probably several weeks in frustration, depending on how cheap you decide to go on the hones.

There's need to spend a lot of money to hone a razor. Any fine sharpening stone plus a canvas and leather stop will serve. By "fine" I mean something that is rated at 600 grit or greater.

You might already own a fine stone. It doesn't really matter what it's made of; silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, ceramic, diamond, novaculite, etc. will all work. The important thing is knowing how to use them, and for that all that's required is some practice.

To make things easier, after the stone and before the strops you can strop the razor using some polishing compound available at any hardware store rubbed on a piece of cardboard. The back of a writing pad or the inner surface of a breakfast cereal box works well.

This combo stone from Woodcraft will get it done.... not the most polished edge in the world, and it will take some time on the 6000...but you can make it happen. Just be aware that there is some likelihood that you'll find a way to ruin an edge, or a spine, or both in your early attempts.

2000242
$33.99

finisher here --
Buy Natural Water Stone, 8" x 2" x 1" at Woodcraft.com
$19.99

The point is to learn and enjoy, I guess. Read the Wiki and jump in!