A very impressive display.
Well done!
Printable View
A very impressive display.
Well done!
Wow, that's an impressive cart there, John-Looks like something you might see rolled in to a hospital room in an emergency-"Doctor, the razor is dull and losing its edge fast-bring your stones stat!"
edit to add: "Start an IV solution of ZG slurry!" You can save the bevel, Doc.
I will stop now. :rofl2:
I'm wondering just how close you are to the weight limit of that Costco cart. :)
Sweet set-up, John nice collection.
Time for a bump on this thread !! Attachment 268171
Alright, here's a post rather than my starting a new thread...
Thought I'd share a pic of my current travel honing set-up, along with remarks, for what it may be worth.
Attachment 269730
Included as shown are a 6" x 2" coarse DMT, a 40mm x 130mm Suehiro 1k/3k combo, a similarly-sized "nouvelle veine" no. 6 BBW/coticule natural combo bout, and a 35mm x 130mm purple Welsh slate, as well as a Solingen paddle strop. Not shown is a 6" x 2" fine DMT.
The coarse DMT is mostly used for lapping the Suehiro combo as needed. The fine DMT is used for blades found with visible chips in them, taping the spine. This is followed by the 1k/3k Suehiro to set and refine the bevel without tape. I really like this Suehiro combo. The feedback is excellent and the 3k dovetails oh so nicely with the 1k. Then it's off to the yellow coticule side. Sensation is like a scrub-board there, but this is deceptive as the bevel and edge it yields is quite good, followed by a few more passes on the purple slate to refine things. (The combo slurry stone is to remove swarf from the surface of the coticule, rather than generate a slurry for honing.)
In using small, narrow stones like these, I find a few circles leading to wide, laterally-biassed X-strokes does the trick, adding a few up-and-down strokes from time to time to address the heel.
The paddle strop has taken a little bit of getting used to. There again, it's a laterally-biassed pass along the length of the strop. The balsa side is scored vertically, presumably to counteract wood movement or twist, and lined with red paste, and may or may not be needed off the purple slate. In any case, I usually go for around 8 laps on the red paste, followed by around 15 laps on the oil-tanned, felt-lined leather side. Repeating on the leather or on both surfaces as needed.
Why so few passes on the strop? The oil-tanned, felt-lined leather side has a heavier draw than I am used to, and also, as it doesn't lie exactly flat, I have found that a stropping pass similar to a rolling X-stroke is necessary with it. This puts more pressure on the blade, meaning that it acts more quickly on the edge this way. This also causes me to slow down and really concentrate on felt sensation and the visual effect.
I've used this set-up on a few occasions over the past couple of months and it has yet to let me down. Smaller chipped knives can also be addressed, ending with the BBW side and then stropping on a pair of denim pants as worn.
Mine is a bit more minimized [emoji6]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d0294d6f86.jpg
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3f909ed441.jpg
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well you asked for an enlargement, that is somewhat larger.
I'm trying really hard and I just can't find anything not to like about that image. It looks like an idyllic scene.
It's pretty nice. Family holiday og Gran Canaria. Temperatures are high 37 degrees Celsius. The air is a bit misty and salt. So my restored Heartring razor startet showing signs of rust, so I rehoned the razor on my vintage Coticule. It's a really fine hone and leaves a smooth edge.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Thanks for the enlargement. From the small pic, I thought the cover on the right might have been a small strop stretched across a hollowed piece of wood.
Edit: This does have me thinking about how "minimal" one could go, assuming that one was forced to deal with beater blades with chipped edges in the wild while travelling. Maybe a small extra-fine DMT and a small narrow coti, followed by a small narrow piece of leather stretched across a hollowed board would do the trick.
I've been reviewing this thread, including my own previous post. It's been difficult for me to conceptualize what I want and there's a huge range of 'travel kit'.
The problem is defining what you want to do at an acceptable weight, and the acceptable weight will probably depend on mode of travel.
So first off, if I want only to maintain my own razors and I'm traveling by air, something that looks like my previous post works, I've done it. Now, if I add that I want to hone used razors that I buy along the way, not so much. I bought one in Avignon, France that's like most of the used ones I buy off ebay or other venues from Europe, 'U' shaped bevels that require several minutes on a Shapton 500 to straighten out. I couldn't do it with what I posted before, not in any reasonable time.
If I wanted to do that and minimize weight for air travel, I'd probably take a 2k Shapton Glass HR with sheets of 320 sandpaper cut to fit the glass side. That takes care of the coarse work and the bevel setting. Then I could use something like my Narutaki, but a more generously sized Shobu type 100 would be better, and in between would be a botan-mejiro-koma-tomo (or mini diamond plate)which I have small ones.
Cheers, Steve
Yes, air travel can complicate things. Does one check one's bag or bring into the cabin? If the cabin, then one is effectively on the search for a blade upon arrival as one cannot bring a blade into the cabin, which will be the case for me soon during a short trip.
My travel kit as shown was checked in travelling from the US to France, along with a couple of razors. It didn't take up a lot of space and didn't weigh all that much relative to the other items in my suitcase. But as with anything, it could be pared down further. It has served me well over the past two months though, in dealing with a chipped gift razor and sharpening chipped kitchen knives, pocket knives, etc., as much as any other set-up I've used, fixed, travel or otherwise. Just shaved off a beater razor fixed up with the set-up and the shave was phenomenal. Another 4-1/2 months to go with it.
Really you can hone from scratch on a good Coticule. I often set the bevel and take all the progression on the single hone.
I find that it leaves a smoother shave, then any other combination. [emoji4] it just takes a little more time...
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I can appreciate the expanded range that you are alluding to, but how do you define a good coticule in this purview? I have never attempted to hone from scratch, meaning the removal of naked-eye visible chips or to seriously reshape a bevel, with a coticule. And what steps, if any, are you taking to dress the coticule in question to achieve such ends?
There's also a question of time when traveling on vacation. As Kristian said, a good coticule can do a lot. But it isn't for me.
I used to take a laptop with Photoshop on it to process my vacation photos. It only took a day or two before I found that I didn't want to process my photos on vacation, I wanted to take more photos. And eat. And drink. And laugh with friends and see the sights, not sit in the hotel with my laptop.
Same with honing. I want to find more razors not spend an large amount of time in the hotel room honing one. So whatever I'm packing, it has to work reasonably quickly with edge kibbles and 'U' shaped bevels or I'll just hone the razor when I get back and my travel kit will look like my previous post.
IOW, if you give me a razor with a set bevel, I can put the finisher in my pocket.
Now if you are traveling by car for business and have time in the hotel, by all means throw the stuff in a Pelican case and hone on!
Cheers, Steve
Well not ideally. I have a La Veinette 20x5 cm bought from my visit to the Ardennes. Maurice showed it to me and it's the fastes coticule I have. It's at same level as my Naniwa pro 1K. But it's not the best finisher I have. You could easily set a bevel on a chipped razor with that. I sometimes do. But I never restore razors on holiday. I want the right tools in my workshop [emoji4]
I made a video on one hone progression on a coticule. But it's in danish and I can't find it right now because I'm on holiday, but I'll send it when I get home.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Okay. Think I'll stick with the Suehiro 1k/3k for the bevel set in the meantime, before heading to the coticule, as that is where the bliss is at for me right now. And below this, maybe one of the lapping stones for the grunt work.
Found the link... budt video is in Danish. I've cut a bit, but honing time was 23 min.
https://youtu.be/73JbgFia_lA
Just ask if anything need to be explained.
Regards Kristian
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Not technically for honing, but part of the process nevertheless. This could help reduce the load allowing more space for stones... And it's quite pretty.
https://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/s...ther-case.html
Yes and it's looks cool [emoji1303]
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Wow, now thats a hone collection!!! very impressive (not to mention expensive!) (refering to Hirlau's post)
I always look at what other people have and think that I don't have much at all. Then I remember that I haven't been at it very long.
I know Hiralu has been at this for more that a couple of weeks.
These collections take a long time to gather. I think it's best not to look back and consider how expensive these things have been. I know with some of the things that I have been at for much longer my collections run into lots of money. I sometimes think that without them I might be able to retire sooner, but then what sort of life would I have had without the joy of collecting said items in the first place?
Sorry about that, it got a little deep there for a while.
As you say it is a very impressive collection though.
As a cynic I cannot possibly condone the use of the words 'Good' and 'Coticule' in the same sentence...sorry....lol
Ive shared this before but... here is how i keep mu hones. I hope not to have to make a bigger one too soon. Ha.Attachment 270496
Attachment 270497
Cool old thread. I guess I'm lazy or simple (maybe both). I just take a good old Gillette Sensor when I travel, and maybe a soap stick. Or if it's a camping trip, I just go native and don't shave. :)
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
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).
Attachment 270722Attachment 270723Attachment 270724Attachment 270725
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.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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.
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.