Wife needs help with Hones

My husband is currently deployed and serving in the 5th Fleet with the US Navy. He has very little quality internet access and can't get this site to load. I have been quested with finding him a hone, purchasing and then dispatching it to his ship.

I know there is a TON of information out there talking about the types of hones (barber v. doing something more extensive), synthetic v. real stone, strops and pastes v. stones... it's endless! Not to mention all the numbers and abbreviations! I am drowning in information.

My husband has been straight razor shaving for about a year and he was recently gifted with a custom Tony Miller horse hide/ linen strop combo (Happy Father's Day!). I know you don't use pastes on linen so we are looking for a barber stone (assuming since what I have read is these were meant for travel and are fairly easy to use off the bat and he won't be spending half the night trying to get his razor back to shave ready) that will stand up to ship life. He would love to send out his razor to be sharpened but with 20 days to destination, sharpening time and then 20 days back to destination, it doesn't work.

What I need is some quick info on names and grits. I see 10K and 12K on a lot of things so I'm assuming that is the grit? And something that will be ready for him to use the day it arrives on board. Something that isn't going to be high maintenance while he is deployed, and something that won't require a bunch of accessories like pastes and oils, things that take up space-- he hardly has any.

I appreciate any and all help with this. I really wish I could sit here and read through everything, but time is of the essence for us and getting me started in the right direction would be a huge help. I will take time to read through and try to familiarize myself with hone names, synthetic v. real stone and so on so I can help him in the future.


Thanks so much!

Dechire

I think barbers hone will fit the bill, it is also the cheapest option.
Getting one that will not require any lapping could be more challenging.
I know Glen has barber's hones on his site, he evaluates them and they are lapped and ready for use.
Gem Star Customs - For Sale

currently he has only a DD stone but may be you can e-mail him and ask if he can get you something cheaper.

If you r husband has any way of lapping a stone on the ship, then another option would be norton 4/8k.

This is not an easy task. Honing a straight razor is a delicate work. Of course a skilled honer can get a straight razor to a usable degree of sharpness under any circumstances.
But since your husband not only needs to sharpen his razor, he also needs to learn how to do it makes it difficult.
Learning how to hone can be frustrating and time consuming, and usually I recommend not to learn honing on your one go-to razor.
Chances are you will end up with unsatisfactory results.


But I see that the two of you have no other option and you want to try.
I would recommend a Coticule. Coticules can be bought in pieces (bouts) as small as you like. You should decide what size would fit in his closet
and still be usable for honing. You should also ask for a special rubbing stone (sometimes refered to as nagura).
A Coticule is a (mostly) yellow stone mined in the Ardennes of Belgium. It is a very versatile tool.
If it is rubbed with another coticule (nagura) the mud it creates has a strong cutting power.
This enables your husband to do the "dirty work" also known as setting the bevel.
Diluted the mud (slurry) gets more mellow and starts to polish the edge a little.
Finaly with water only, it creates a shaving sharp edge.

The method is called unicot or dilucot (both are comparable).
There is a ton of written information about these two one stone methods
and hundreds of people recommend it.

A coticule at a small size (I recommend not selected grade, bc. it´s the same stone with minor imperfections) is quite cheap
and could come in handy for your husband. But bewarned, these methods are hard to master.

Just for your information let me show you a normal sharpening routine:

If you are dealing with a factory new edge, or one that has been excessively used (ie not been sharpened for 1 year)
you want to start with a low grit and set the bevel.
This is done on a 1.000 grit stone.

Next you want to erase the scratches and teeth from the edge with a slightly finer stone like a 3.000 or 5.000 grit stone.

The final polish comes on the 8.000 or above stone. A pasted strop with 1µm diamond or finer is a handy tool.
Minor honing imperfections can be masked

So usually you would need at least three stones to get the job done.
Finer stones like a barber hone or an 8-12k stone can be used for touch ups.
These are done when the razor starts to pull, but is in really good condition.
Unfortunately, factory new is not a good condition. If the razor has been sharpened by a professional honer,
especially one from this forum, he might get along with a touch up stone, like a barbers hone.
If he has been using it in factory new condition, the touch up stone might not work.
This has to do with the angle the bevel is set at the factory.

Because a coticule can simulate all three stones that are necessary,
he could be on the safe side, if his level of skill is high enough.

I could get a razor from dull to shaving sharp in under one hour on a coticule.
Bart (kind of capacity on the field of Coticules) has made a video showing this method: Klick

I´m sure you will get a lot more information, soon.

Btw. : a norton 4k/8k might be slightly too big, wouldn´t it?
It is a versatile tool, and needs to lapped only initially. Once lapped, I think your husband could safely use it
for honing 6 months or a year without the need of relapping.
The problem is, it needs to be lapped (flattened) before the first use.
Maybe someone from this forum might be able to do this for you

If you need more information on a special method or stone,
feel free to ask your questions. At the moment you are getting superficial answers,
because you are at a screening stage. Once you found what fits the needs of your husband,
more information can flow :)

And why would he not want to use a polishing compound? These sometimes make honing a lot easier.
I would recommend a little bottle of 1µm or 0,5µm diamond spray, or a tiny tube of dovo green.
He can apply this to a folded sheet of newspaper. He can put his strop on a flat surface
and lay the loaded newspaper on top of the strop for cushion.
Then strop on the loaded newspaper.
The Paper can be thrown away or reused.

A dovo green paste is not the best polishing compound but definitely the smallest quantity available.
A small bottle of diamond would be a nice addition to a stone

I agree with mainaman, a cheap barber hone is probably the way to go. They're compact, fast, very hard so it won't break that easily but if it does not much money lost. There are naturals that will give a nicer edge like Coticules and Thuringians but they're more expensive and especially Coticules are fragile. I would get some kind of sleeve or cushioned box for the barber hone to protect the edges of the hone from chipping.

Perhaps you could place a WTB for a lapped barber hone and have a member who knows barber hones advice you on barber hones offered.

From my understanding, the razor is already shave-ready and only needs to be maintained. Thus, a coticule would be ideal, in the off-chance he nicks the edge and needs to do a little more work than just refresh it. Capability-wise, the Coticule is the swiss-army knife of hones.

Barber hone or Coticule....both suggestions are good. The Coticule is more versatile.

Barber hones.... Some names of tried and proven performers are Swaty, Dubl Duck, Apart, Itsapeech to name a few.
Not all Barber hones are created equal so try and stay with those names. Check out Gssixgun's website, the SRP Classifieds and Ebay.

................

Update...there is nothing much in the classifieds so here are some links to listings on Ebay....


This first listing is the best, it is for both a Swaty and a Coticule..

two honing stone for razor............low price | eBay

Hibbard Spencer Bartlett Co Straight Edge Razor Pre1932 | eBay

Franz Swaty Austrian razor Hone | eBay

VINTAGE FRANZ SWATY STRAIGHT RAZOR HONE AUSTRIA | eBay

Franz Swaty Wahring Belwien Austria Honing Stone | eBay

Vintage Franz Swaty Austria Straight Razor Honing Stone | eBay

I second a coticule. I have spent a few days on a couple fairly small ones, and I'm getting great results even being new to this.
The last few days I've used a La Grosse Blanche bout from The Superior Shave, you can get a great bout for not that much money. Mine was $79, but Jarrod got bouts down to $30-40 that will work great.
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/6315/9508.jpg
By blix72 at 2011-06-14

I think your suggestion will be appreciated, hirlau, but the problem is the husband is currently employed ona a ship of the US Navy fleet.
Money isn´t the problem, it is space! You are not allowed to have a huge closet, room to put your stuff away is rare.
And I don´t think her husband has a dvd player in her room on the Ship (or has he?!).

It´s a little bit like recommending an astronaut to watch Lynns video via telemetry and buy a Naniwa system and get it delivered via UPS-rocket service :D
(i´m just messing around, you porbably misunderstood the original question :) )

A barber's hone would be a great option. The Coticule is definitely more versatile, but not necessarily as durable, especially as all he needs it for (hopefully) are quick touch ups. Maybe q barber's hone and just as insurance should he need to send it out and wait some time, a Dovo Shavette so he can just use some DE blades for a stint.

I think a coticule, wrapped in a protective clove would be durable enough, wouldn´t it?
I mean we can think of it as going camping for a long time. You have to carry all your stuff, so you want as little as possible.
You have no backups and have to think of everything before you go

@Dechire It would be good to know the condition of the razor of your husband. When did he buy it, where did he buy it, what brand is it and did he ever send it to get it sharpened?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lesslemming

I think your suggestion will be appreciated, hirlau, but the problem is the husband is currently employed ona a ship of the US Navy fleet.
Money isn´t the problem, it is space! You are not allowed to have a huge closet, room to put your stuff away is rare.
And I don´t think her husband has a dvd player in her room on the Ship (or has he?!).

It´s a little bit like recommending an astronaut to watch Lynns video via telemetry and buy a Naniwa system and get it delivered via UPS-rocket service
(i´m just messing around, you porbably misunderstood the original question :) )

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Thank you for the concern, Lesslemming.
I was never deployed on ship, I was flown to my bases.:D So, I'm sure there is a space concern. The space needed for my suggestion--8"x3"x1 1/2":w
I will bet money on the DVD player being on board, though.
UPS Rocket Service, love that one. :rofl2:
Always wondered how the sailors got their packages delivered. :shrug:
No Lesslemming, I did not misunderstand the question.:nj

Quote:

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her husband has a dvd player in her room on the Ship

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Did I really write her? Damnit

If her husband has the means to store and use (one or several) waterstones I would recommend the Norton 4k/8k as well

So the options are:

• Norton 4k/8k combination stone (maybe + Shapton 16k, or a polishing compound)
• Barbers Hone
• Coticule

The Norton 4k/8k and the Coticule are both capable of getting a razor from
bevelsetting to shaving sharp.
A Barbers Hone is good for touch ups

Quote:

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Always wondered how the sailors got their packages delivered

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Fed Ex - PIAB (package in a bottle) ? :hmmm:

Welcome to SRP. We at SRP are a hone happy bunch of guys and usually go top shelf on our gear. If all your husband needs to do is maintain an edge the Barber's hone is a good choice w/o going over board ( ;) ). The Swaty is a very popular Barber hone. I believe Glen (GSSIXGUN) was selling Barber's hones. He may not have a Swaty but I am sure he will have something to fit the bill. I would also suggest he has more than one straight razor to switch to when the first goes dull. Check SRD (Straight Razor Designs) for a shave ready razor. All are good from SRD. You should be able to get a Barber's hone and an additional straight razor for less than the price if a coticule or set of other hones. Good luck.

Dechire

I totally agree with Joed, your husband would do well to have a second razor as a back-up. This way he can rotate and as he is learning to hone he can still shave from the one that is still sharp. I have a small Japanese Natural that I would be happy to send him at no cost to his APO. It is the type of stone that will give him a good shave and an introduction to naturals which is where lots of users find some pleasure in the shaving world. You can send me a PM anytime. Best of Luck to you and yours, alx

Quote:

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Originally Posted by alx

I have a small Japanese Natural that I would be happy to send him at no cost to his APO.

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What an incredibly generous offer! That's what makes SRP such a special place!

I'm a veteran of the Navy and space is quite a precious commodity aboard the boat.

The offer of the free stone from "alx" is great! That can take care of finishing/touching up the edge.

There are many suggestions, but I have to agree with the recommendation of a second razor and a combination coticule/bbw would serve him best.

Is he a "shellback" yet?

Thank you all so much for the responses! I got caught up with life. I actually forgot about this thread :banghead: until the hunt for the honing stone came up again.

My husband is currently reading your advice and we are going to purchase a stone in the near future.

All of you, Thanks so much for the warm welcome to my wife! Thank you all also for the feedback with minimal information on the situation. and specifically, Alx for the offer of the stone.

@Shooter74743 - Yes, Golden. Since 2003

Also, we get our mail much the same way as everybody else...USPS, the united stated postal service. we just use ships and helicopters too.

I got the razor I am currently using from Lynn Abrams here at SRP, he sent it to me shave ready and all I've been doing with is is stropping before use.

It's now gotten to the point that no amount of stropping will do much good. It pulls regardless of what I do with it.

With that in mind, would I still need just the barber stone or would it be best to go with a combo or coticule?

Thanks again for all the advice folks! I really appreciate it!

It depends on where the razor's edge is, really. If it just needs touch ups then you could get away with a barber's hone. But if the edge ever gets damaged or you need to reset the bevel for whatever reason, you'd be at it a while with the barber's hone and may be grateful for a BBW/coti combo, or some other combo stone (Norton 4/8, ... whatever). I don't know how likely edge damage is aboard a Navy ship, but I'd hazard a guess it would be slightly higher than in a normal bathroom?? Or is that not a concern now you are back from deployment?

James.

edge damage is minimal, I suppose I could start with a barbers hone to start and if that doesn't work, I can do the coticule. I'd need both in the future eventually, right? especially since I'm looking into maybe restoring razors as a hobby.

Out of curiosity, Have you checked with any of the Deck apes? aka Boatswain Mates. I know when I was aboard ship, I'd go to them to touch up my knife. They always seemed to have stones in there shop. At the very least, They'd have some Arkies, or Norton Oil stones. I was an RM, so they'd hook me up for news or information from the world...That'd get you part of the way there, then a barber hone should do the rest. Just a thought....?

Hello Brennen and wife
The offer still stands if you want to try a Jnat at no cost. Shipping to an APO is easy and I will provide you with with some written material as well. best regards, Alex Gilmore in Sonoma

Thanks Alex, I think I'd like to take you up on that offer. I'll PM you shortly. I really appreciate everybody's input and assistance while I was away.

It will be my pleasure. best to you and yours, Alx