Thread: help a newbie razor honer?

Originally Posted by ocelot27

+1

I learned on Nortons and a Naniwa 12k before I invested in a set of Shaptons - never looking back. I have a cuticule to play with but I don't think it's possible to get the sharpness and consistency that you can get with the Shaptons. That said, there is something romantic about using a natural stone by itself from bevel set on through.

John

If I need to set the bevel I drop back to one of my more aggressive stones. Once set sometimes I'll use a Belgium blue as a mid range rock but usually not. A thick slurry on a Coticule diluting out to keenness on plain water is where I want to be. I have a few to choose from according to my fancy. They all have their own characteristics. This morning I shaved with a hundred twenty four plus year old Wade and Butcher that was finished on a Coticule and stropped on a Tony Miller Number 2. That edge was even and sharp enough to shave my two and a half day growth away without the slightest razor burn. I rinsed and splashed with Which Hazel of which I barely noticed beyond it being wet. The Dominica Bay Rum on my way out the door raised a little tingle, a twinge of warmth, in a pleasurable way. Coticules, they are not for everyone. But, I like them.

Very Respectfully

Chasmo

I finally got my LM in the post (AJ is a top bloke and cut me up a custom size) and my first impressions are it does produce a very fine edge with water but is a tad hazy,not quite as uniform a scratch pattern as a jap waterstone so I wasn't expecting much...After about 40 passed on the LM I was picking up great feedback off the sound of the edge and the surface water so I did a quick test on the arm hair (does anybody else's arms look like a patchwork quilt?) And it just popped them right off. After 10 passed on some crox pasted mdf i took it to the strop and went for the test shave.
That bevel looked at tad cloudly so I expected pulling and razor burn but all I got was a close, comfortable shave even against the grain! I am now a fully converted straight shaver and can't wait till my next go!

P.s don't use mdf to strop on, I just noticed chippingat the heel where the edge of the mdf has swollen.

After you get more and more comfortable, another trick to the Slates is a Product called "Smith's Honing Solution" don't know if you guys have it local or not but it works rather well on the slates