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Are there any other methods of honing a straight razor without using hone stones. the reason im asking is that here in SA the stone are hard to get and these that i can get are very expensive. Im also trying to find people that can hone my razors but there seems to be no one, i have email some places but never received a response. Also to sent my razors over seas will cost me just as much as a new hone stone.
Any thoughts....
I'm guessing you are new to straight razor shaving. You could possibly take some comfort in the opinion that you don't actually need a hone straight away; you may be able to get away without honing for months if you strop well and regularly. I have never actually used a pasted strop, but it's possible that you can further extend the life of the edge before needing to take it to a hone by using a paste on a home made paddle strop. I have seen pictures here of balsa wood used for this; but it needs to be flat and smooth.
You WILL need a hone at some stage though, but you may have a few months to save up for one. Often, a Norton 4/8 is recommended. You may also be able to find a cheap second hand 'barber's hone' on eBay.
Carl
Stuff called fiber-optic lapping film (intended for use in polishing the ends of optical cable to minimize signal loss when joining two fibers) can be nicely repurposed as a honing system for straights. Just need the film and a smooth polished flat surface to lay it on. (might get the block free as leftovers at a countertop maker or find at hardware/tile store?) Cheap, easy to use.
A lot of what Carlmalo said is true... blades can go without honing for a very long time, given good strop methods and a bit of luck, and pastes can extend that time frame significantly.
My initial thought is lapping film... abrasive sheets... wet-sandpaper... in the appropriate grit on a flat surface... would foot the bill if the blade really needed it and you had no other resources available. A search would probably be beneficial.
I use dmt 1200 for bevels 3 micron and 1 micron film from thor labs. I also bought a granite surface plate from woodcraft. Pasted strop is needed also imo. And of course leather strop.
Contact Michael, he lives in SA , he found a great finishing stone that he sells.
He also may be able to help you with finding other stones for cheaper.
Check this thread out
http://straightrazorpalace.com/vendo...ing-visit.html
I seem to recall that in some areas of Europe (discussed on a German forum?), pasted strop progressions are used instead of hone progressions. Never tried it myself, but it may be worth looking into.
There are many ways to sharpen without any stones.
I have tried to sharpen with lapping plates made of cast iron, steel, MDF, glass etc. with abrasive powders of SiC, AlOx, CrOx and with diamond compounds.
It works. With some experience you can achieve the sharpness comparable to that of expensive whetstones.
I know the people that use 3M sandpapers and lapping films to sharpen their razors with good result.