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ok i know im gonna need a hone at some point. after reading the sticky im thinking something cheaper like a barbers hone, but how do i know which one is a good finisher? ebay has some swatys and whippeddog has some with no name. what do i look for in a barbers hones?
I've never been one to advise on a barber hone for a beginner.
But if that is what your mind is made up on, then read through the forum by using the "Advanced Search " button, above right, put in keywords barber hone, Swaty, etc. This will list threads that talk about barber hones & their use. The time you spend, maybe a few hours reading, will give you tons of information on barber hones.
well the prices are good and ive got a cheap razor to practice on. so i should be able to get it right before having to use it on my new dovo. if i dont get it down by the time it need honed i can always send it out.
If your cheap razor isn't shave ready, and just beginning to tug, you're not going to get much practice with a barber's hone. They're higher grit and made to touchup a razor and keep it shaving.Quote:
Originally Posted by nt4sell
If you're looking to hone vintage and other razors that need some work, you're going to have to invest in something more along the lines of a Norton 4/8k and maybe even the 1k.
First, decide what you're wanting the hone to do, then decide which you'll need. :gl:
Howard :)
Make sure you're not confusing 'inexpensive' with 'cheap'. Cheap will give poor results, leading you to replace it anyway, costing you more than you would have paid for an inexpensive but not cheap hone.
As Hirlau advised, there is a ton of info on the site here about all kinds of hones, and some time spent reading in the forum should pay off for you in the long run.
Regarding barber hones, in addition to looking for a recognized name, make sure you understand how to evaluate the hone's condition (are the edges chipped/damaged, has the original surface been lapped away, has it been damaged or altered in some other way, etc...) before you make your purchase. Again, some reading in advance will save you some frustration down the line.
Good luck
you are correct i did mean inexpensive. the cheap razor will shave but pulls and is very uncomfortable. im looking to touch up my dovo in the future, i dont really see me refurbing any vintage razors.
Just started SR shaving recently and have come to a realization that if you have 1 blade... that has a nice edge which you can shave with, preferably a professionaly sharpned one - buy a naniwa 12k finisher to give your blade touch-ups when it needs it and keep it shaving. I sure wish I did lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by nt4sell
I purchased a Norton 4/8k to start out with and realize while it is a well recommended hone, it's not necessary for a person who just shaves with a single razor and I probobly won't get good use out of it until I start restoring blades. I can do everything off it but I can't get the sharpness a finisher offers - which in the beggining stage means everything since this allows you to develop your technique and gain a better feel for SR shaving at a professional level - which is where we all aim to end up ;). I would think it's easier this route also since a finisher requires less strokes - meaning less chance to mess up your razor and is only used to keep your blade shaving at it's finest (minus higher grit stones and pastes)
With this being said, the finisher ( and of course a strop ) will keep your blade sharp as can be, and if your careful and go slow make it so that you can keep shaving with 1 blade for a long long time, saving you money from honemeisters and waiting time which means more time for you to become the pro SR shaver you were born to be.
Good luck and happy shaving
in lynns video on BH hes says only 4 or 5 strokesQuote:
Originally Posted by LikesBBS
Hard to go wrong on 4-5 no pressure strokes.
Lol if you want to save money you could even just buy some Crox or diamond and keep refreshing your blade with that.
I agree with likesBBS.Quote:
Originally Posted by LikesBBS
I started first with paste (.50 diamond and CroX) and shortly after a finisher (Shapton glass 16k). It was easier to get good results right away, than it was with a progression from bevel setting to edge polishing. Later, when I had confidence on my finishing strokes (or I thought!), I moved to the 4 & 8k stones and in short order the 1k and now the naturals finishers. I have had successes and failures, but it sure helped to know what can be achieved (on a perfect razor) early on vs paved yourself a road with frustration trying to sharpen a blade (e-bay special with many flaws) from bevel setting or more than just a touchup on the finisher. Double O
Then stropping might be your answer. But you could try and get hold of a chinese 12K to polish your bevel... I don't think it's necessary, but the hone is pretty inexpensive.Quote:
the cheap razor will shave but pulls and is very uncomfortable
If you are looking to maintain 2 razors only, get dia lapping film. A sheet of 3 micron(8k grit or so) and 1 micron(14k or so) and use a piece of granite tile cut for 5 bucks at home depot. This will allow you to touchup on the 1 micron and if that doesn't do it, use the 3 micron. Its less expensive and more versatile than a barbers hone if you take into consideration a used barbers may need lapping and then you need a lapping plate. I use hones, and they are better and less expensive in the long run as film does wear out. But if your only doing 2 blades, that may be a solution. You can also expand film easily for a few dollars and get courser film.
I picked up a 12k Chinese barbers hone from Whipped Dog and its doing the job for me right now. I get my razors professionally honed then just touch them up myself. Eventually I'll get more into honing and pick up more stones down the road.
I think everyone should have at least a combo stone 3k/8k naniwa or a 4k/8k norton it's not that much of an investment and it can pretty much get you by forever until you start getting fussy about finishing stones and what not. I started off with Naniwa 1k and 3/8k and that got me by until now but now I'm just wanting to learn more and more about all the different natural stones, it really fascinates me how a rock formed in the ground can have such wonderful sharpening properties, I've also gotten a Naniwa 5k to fit in to the 1 3 8 because I find it a lot easier moving from 3k to 5k then to 8k but many people get by on having just one or the other.
barber hones are a bit iffy in my opinion, a lot of the ones marketed as touch-up hones end up being quite coarse and then you have some real unknown gems out there too. I personally like to collect barber hones just for the sake of having them and I don't really use them though they are useful when travelling or something if you do need a quick touchup.
I don't think I could straight shave without honing. If you wanna do it then do it. Spend the money. That's my take on it. Obviously people should do whatever makes them comfortable. Once you have an adequate set of hones, then you have the tools to learn. YMMV.
While I think that lapping film is a great solution on the cheap, I recently picked up a largish coticule bout from The Superior Shave for not too much money with the idea of using it as a travel stone, and I think if I didn't already have a workshop full of sharpening stuff, I could make do with just that. For me, though, the real one-stone choice is a King Gold 8000 stone. I can make it do pretty much anything I want it to do, including bevel setting, but it's probably not a beginner's choice. Like a coticule, if you have a good strategy and experience (it's been my major stone for violin making for almost 30 years) you can do a whole lot with it that you shouldn't be able to do.