Thread: Travel kit for honing

Originally Posted by Hirlau

When it comes to Coticules; you can either hone with one or you can't.

This is why i havent done anything but hold a coti in my hand. Im scared.

Aloha!

I originally joined SRP because I wanted to get some ideas on traveling with my Straight Razor. I have since purchased a travel strop. Hone? If anything only a simple Barber Hone and I'll call it good. I'm still not sure I need to travel with a hone but I suppose in a pinch it could be handy, and a small Barber Hone would not be a struggle to pack. I have since traveled a bit with just the travel strop and had no issue (via car). I bought and self-honed a Cut Throat Gents razor - IMO a step up from a Gold Dollar (Around $25 new) so I can put that and my Strop in a checked bag for when I fly. I can't risk any of my vintage razors as checked baggage. If the Cut Throat Gents goes missing, no biggie, yet it took a very good edge.

Some of the cases fabricated here blow me away. I store my hones in a simple tupperware container, wrapped in towels. Some of the cases you gents make are amazing.

-Zip

Originally Posted by Gasman

This is why i havent done anything but hold a coti in my hand. Im scared.

They are no different really, just takes effort & time on the stone to learn its potential. They are natural, so all vary a little, just learn the one you have & you will be happy with the shaves.

My only real travel hone, that is genuinely a good touch up stone is the barber hone I bought from Mike Brandonisio at 'The Restored Razor' in Illinois. I think Mike is also a member here - mbrando - He had what he described as natural river stones, rectangular dark green/grey 4 1/4 inch by 1 3/4 inch supposed to be 12k. I take it with me in my wet pack whenever I go away and its a terrific little stone. As a test I took a Hart 7/8 that had just started to tug a bit and I used a bit of lather on the little river hone and did a conservative 10 strokes on it as a touch up, and it notched things up really well. Other than that as a travelling hone I've rubbed it on a Dovo Bismarck a few times and performs nicely.

I just recently had the occasion to travel and I did bring a hone. But, I think more importantly was that I made sure I had a real good edge before departing and a good leather/linen strop to keep it shaving well. I packed the hone in case something unforeseeable happened like I somehow dinged the edge on something, but the plan was not to have to use it. I stuck to the plan btw.

It's a small coticule that I found at a flea market. I added small slurry stone with it. I found an old leather cigarette pack holder at the same flea market. I don't particularly care for the mushrooms stamped in the leather but it makes a nice little carrying case. The coticule is small, maybe the size of a Fenslers Ruby hone or a Little 00 Frictionite. Easy to refresh an edge on it but I would not enjoy doing very much edge repair with it (but it could be done in a pinch I guess).

Originally Posted by bobski

As a cynic I cannot possibly condone the use of the words 'Good' and 'Coticule' in the same sentence...sorry....lol

Well that's strange. I've started using coticules years back. Today i have many different hones, but northing beats a coticule edge.

I visited Ardennes Coticules a year ago and it was a completely new experience. I learned so much new.

Today I actually prefer setting the bevel on Coticule and use it for all the progression.

It leaves a very smooth edge and it shaves the hairs with no resistance at all.


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Takes a lot of skills to master the coticule. I did give it a try, but I just couldn't get it right, but I've had a lot better luck with jnats. Glad your edges are sweet!

Just to say that I'm still enjoying my travel set-up as mentioned above: tiny Suehiro 1k/3k, no. 6 bout coticule, and tiny Welsh purple slate. As I hand-hold, I can't really follow the videos as linked as the method is different there.

For me the weakest link in the chain for me is the soaking of the Suehiro combo. Not that it's a problem in itself, but the stone remains damp for quite some time afterwards, making subsequent travel with it difficult. In seeking to remedy this, I'm thinking about a 6" x 2" DMT extra-fine (perforated surface) as a bevel setter, followed by a BBW and the purple Welsh slate, the latter two used with oil.

Originally Posted by Brontosaurus

Just to say that I'm still enjoying my travel set-up as mentioned above: tiny Suehiro 1k/3k, no. 6 bout coticule, and tiny Welsh purple slate. As I hand-hold, I can't really follow the videos as linked as the method is different there.

For me the weakest link in the chain for me is the soaking of the Suehiro combo. Not that it's a problem in itself, but the stone remains damp for quite some time afterwards, making subsequent travel with it difficult. In seeking to remedy this, I'm thinking about a 6" x 2" DMT extra-fine (perforated surface) as a bevel setter, followed by a BBW and the purple Welsh slate, the latter two used with oil.

Traveling... we all travel differently but a bevel setting stone seems unnecessary.
The Welsh Slate alone and a strop with CrOx on the inner surface of the canvas
would be what I would test drive at home to see if it works for you. Especially if
you already have the slate.. and like it.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Traveling... we all travel differently but a bevel setting stone seems unnecessary.
The Welsh Slate alone and a strop with CrOx on the inner surface of the canvas
would be what I would test drive at home to see if it works for you. Especially if
you already have the slate.. and like it.

Incredible the kind of knife edges I encounter with friends I may be staying with, or whatever garbage straight I might find at the local garage sale. Therefore, a grunt stone to travel with is necessary from my perspective.