Thread: The cheapest edge, - the power of flat.

All of us are chasing the perfect edge. It’s the grail of honing, the magic of the craft. Most articles here refer to the magic hones of the past masters. The great yellow-green Escher, the Naniva Chosera, Cuticules and many more hones with mysterious names.

I’ve seen many articles of different honing methods. Pyramid systems, Dillicut ect.
When I read the forums, its clear to me, that most of the gurus here have dozens of different hones. I guess that collecting hones is a hobby to most hone-masters. However duzens of hones aren’t necessary to create the perfect edge. It’s possible using only a few hones. And these hones doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

In the old days, when men honed their own razors, they didn’t have dozens of hones. They had one, or two at the most. Even the barbers managed with a couple of hones.

I’ve seen post from many new members with frustrating cries, when the perfect edge eludes them. To many factors plays in, technique, skills, the razor, the hone, the shaving technique, the different test like the hanging hair test and so on.

The purpose of this post, is to gather advice on the simplest and cheapest way to obtain the perfect edge.
And this brings me to my own best advice. – The power of flat. I’m talking about the hone. It needs to be 100% flat. Any hone with even the smallest “bump” will destroy a edge.

Its all about lapping a hone perfect flat. To do this many uses special lapping plates with diamond. These plates aren’t cheap. Especially if you buy one, with a size, that is bigger than the hone. And this is, IMHO the key.

Now I don’t own a diamond plate. Instead I use glass paper with grit 400, on a completely flat surface. This is a cheap solution that has the advantage to give to a lapping plate, that is bigger than the hone, which make lapping easy.

I use a simple honing procedure from a book by Iwasaki. The book is about Kamisori razors, but I find it works perfect, when honing a straight razor.

Stages Hone Time Pressure
Course honing 1000 hone 3-4 min Use strong pressure
Middle honing 3000 hone 4-5 min Use moderate pressure
Finishing 8000 hone 5-6 min Use very light pressure
Edge finishing Coticule/Escher 10 min Use only the weight of the razor

Sometimes I use x-patterns, but most times I use a rolling x-strokes or circles. The table above refer to honing a doll razor. To maintain an edge I only use 5 min edge finishing.

I applied some pictures of my setup and now to the purpose of this post, the pictures of yours setup and your cheap advices!

Pictures show my cheap 1000/3000 combination hone, my king 8000, my coticule and two Eschers, a green and a black. Both acquired cheap at a flee market.

Interesting.I have my blades Pro honed today.I went thru stone mania back in the day, I learned to hone to a point, but I hated honing.
The experts that hone to perfection and do so to make a living are the ones I want to do the job.
I always ask what stones were used, I get the same answere and the number is 3.Bevel setter,Norton 4/8, finisher,mostley Eschers as finishers.

Interesting post, but i dont think its a simple honing method, 4 to 5 different stones, Glen and Lynn came up with a one stone honing method, now thats simple!

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...lynn-glen.html

U said the purpose of this forum was to get a good edge the cheapest way I believe?? Have u tried lapping film ?? A piece of granite and two pieces of paper..regular photo paper?? For about 40.00 you can take a razor from bevel setting to finishing....

I think perhaps there is a slight language barrier here...

I think, and I say I think, because maybe I am wrong

Kristian is saying,

Use the hones you have, you don't have top buy dozens chasing an edge

Keep them flat
Keep it simple and straight forward and you will get the edge you want with practice

Also @Kristian Yes many of us own dozens of hones, but honestly we use no more then you do on a razor

Bevel
Sharpen
Polish
Finish (optional)

Sometimes that can all be done with 1 or 2 stones/hones

ps: Nice looking Coticule and Escher you have there

The cheapest setup might have to be mine. I have a small Coticule/BBW combo which I use for one stone honing, which involves careful use of slurry. I got a 1x1 foot granite tile from a home building store for 1$ for flattening.

Since then I have King 1000/4000 which I don't use much, and I made a hone for free out of slate which is about 8000 grit. So not including my Coticule which we all know is expensive my setup is around 50$ total including my homemade strop.

You can always do a lot with very little, with some clever skills and extra time. A lot of extra time, I remember setting a bevel on a BBW with heavy slurry takes a while.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I think perhaps there is a slight language barrier here...

I think, and I say I think, because maybe I am wrong

Kristian is saying,

Use the hones you have, you don't have top buy dozens chasing an edge

Keep them flat
Keep it simple and straight forward and you will get the edge you want with practice

Also @Kristian Yes many of us own dozens of hones, but honestly we use no more then you do on a razor

Bevel
Sharpen
Polish
Finish (optional)

Sometimes that can all be done with 1 or 2 stones/hones

ps: Nice looking Coticule and Escher you have there

exactly my point. When I use one stone honing its the same method as I mentioned, I just use my coticule with slurry. But the stone progression I mentioned is easier.

The coticule was expensive. The black escher was my grandfathers end the green one cost me about 10$ at a flee market. :-)

Yes but what will we do with all the extra $ if we arent buying hones? LOL. Honing can be very simple and the tools you NEED are few. I havent bought a hone I NEEDED in a long time.

Originally Posted by Airportcopper

U said the purpose of this forum was to get a good edge the cheapest way I believe?? Have u tried lapping film ?? A piece of granite and two pieces of paper..regular photo paper?? For about 40.00 you can take a razor from bevel setting to finishing....

Good point. Do you have any pictures of that setup? I haven't tried lapping film myself. I had a small coticule bout from my grandfather, so I started using that. It gives a fine edge and I still use it for some of my razors.

I visited a museum in Denmark where they had some hones found in a sunken Viking ship. These where quarried I Norway. I guess that even in AD 400-1000 they knew a lot about honing stones. These hones had a grit about 600 so they probably just used slates to the final polishing.

From 1800 most hones in Denmark came from Germany and Belgium.

It could be great fun to try some of the Viking hones on a kitchen knife, but that is a bit of topic :-)