How often to hone?

I have been looking at picking up some sharpening stones as I plan to continue using my straight razors for years to come, love it! Anyways how often do you actually need to hone a razor? Versus just refreshing it? Is it mostly you just refresh and only hone a blade that is damaged? Eventually I will want to get into actually honing I am sure as I pick up razors from here or there, in the mean time both my current razors are in good condition should I just get like a 12k and continue to refresh for now?

In theory, if you had a quality barber hone or a high grit finisher you may never need to do a full honing. If you wanted to be practical and do it on the low cost you would send your meager rotation out and then just maintain them. However most of us have rad and buy large numbers of razors and restore older one so we buy the hones so we can get it all done. The cost of a full set of hones is a lot of honings from a pro. There are guys here that do not do their own honing and have been using pros for a very long time. Nobody has to hone, some just want to.

Well that may be the best way to go, may have to get me a 12k finisher just for my refreshes then :)

I'm kind of dealing with the same question right now. My RAD isn't full fledged yet, but I'd be willing to guess I'll have a full "week's set" by the end of the year. I'm leaning toward just picking up a a 12K stone for maintaining the pro hones and when I start to feel a pull I can't correct, send them out to Lynn or one of the others on here for their expert care.

you can get a 15K barber hone for way less.

Rez where could I source said barber stone?

first do a little research to find out which one to get. A good place for that is razor and stone where modine has been doing a lot of test and determining of the grit equivalence of barber hones. Then start to look at vendors selling barber hones or ebay. They are not a current production item. There are also many members that have many and a want add in the classifieds might be a good plan too.

Will have to check that out thank you

Try a want ad for barber hones. They haven't been made in years.

In theory one can never hone. ever for good shaving razors, see:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/strop...xperiment.html

(I'd rather rely on pastes* than barber hones.)

*not all of them, there are dozens.

I've been looking at the one discussed in This thread (the full size one)...thanks for the replies guys and thanks OP for posting this.

On the good side, SRP is a great source of info. On the bad, SRP is a GREAT source of info...off to the mines! :confused:

As much as I love me a Barber's hone, I would go with the 12k. Here's why:


- In my experience, a barbers hone can range in grits. I have yet to find one in 15k! I hear they may exist, but I haven't found one. :( Either way, a 12k will leave no guesswork which is important as guesswork can drive a noob nuts. If its not polishing up on a 12, you've waited too long.

- You are going to start honing. Admit it :). The 12k is simply the first stone in your collection.

Actually, one could argue that a 12k complemented by a 1k could give you an edge from the lowlyest of blades and is all you need. But I like my progressions.

In theory, you could also get a couple of diamond pastes and do the same thing. Get a linen strop and do a 1 micron and maybe a .25 or whatever you feel along with a sheet of balsa with some green crox. That would work too!! Maybe even better.?

I like my Barber's hone. Don't get me wrong. But I think things with real numbers really helps a noob and a system is a great place to start before experimenting. But that's me.

Start a thread asking guys how they maintain a blade. Right now I am using my nani finishing stone or my Chinese stone of unknown grit but widely believed to be 12k and my strops. Mostly my strops.

Good luck!!

That was a very good read! Interesting as well. How does everyone feel about balsa wood to put paste on?

Maybe trying different edges from different hones would expose you to what you like or dislike. Jnat, coti, Escher, synthetic, (there are others also)even lapping film. Once you've had a taste of all of them, you would know better which way you would want to go.

Been using only a strop with CrOx of late. Been working very well for me. I do rotate my razor every few days and have a few so that might be a factor.

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Originally Posted by nwashaving

That was a very good read! Interesting as well. How does everyone feel about balsa wood to put paste on?

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I haven't done diamond on balsa, but the green works great. Its soft enough to polish, but can be kept level. And if you break it... meh! Cheap. Of course that also means it doesn't "compliment" a den either lol!

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Originally Posted by bill3152

Maybe trying different edges from different hones would expose you to what you like or dislike. Jnat, coti, Escher, synthetic, (there are others also)even lapping film. Once you've had a taste of all of them, you would know better which way you would want to go.

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Variety is the spice of life!! I recommend it... But! You have to start somewhere and create a benchmark! Synthetics to some may not be as sexy as a natural - they aren't to me anyway, but they are a fantastic benchmark!! One you may never stray from lol!!

I can keep a pro honed Blade in perfect condition for at least two yrs using the 99.99% pure Crox I got from Glen on a leather Paddle.
10 blade rotation.

I use both a 12K Naniwa SS as well as a hard pressed wool felt treated with .5 micron diamond spray to keep edges fresh.

I could use the treated felt and be happy for years quite honestly.

Frank

+1 on that Bill, for getting my blades ready to shave I send them out to Glen and then my bench leather and the CRoX , I've been maintaining my 4 razors like this for 6 months , less money than a cheap stone , but I don't restore quantities like some of the rest ,, would like to be able to , but my situation ,, I let the pro do it Tc

Honing has a major allure to wanting to garner the great stones and learning the art,I went thru the entire gambit.
I learned how to hone my own blades after 4 yrs of working on it.
Do not enjoy doing it,Let the pros do it,JMO

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Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Honing has a major allure ...
Do not enjoy doing it...

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whut? does not compute. :thinking:

I love scrubbing away the metal that makes mine edges non-sharp. Just like the hell out of it.



until it doesn't go right! :gaah:


but then i like shaping 4130 with a hand-file. :p

For about the first 10 years, I maintained my one and only razor with a strop and a Black Arkansas stone. If you look at many vintage razors you will see very little if any spine wear. I suspect they were not taping spines a hundred years ago, so they most probably maintained razors much the same as I did.

Perfecting your stropping will go a long, long way to maintaining your razors, that and a finishing stone or barbers hone as said, will keep you shaving forever or until damaged. Most of my 30+ vintage rotation has only been bevel set once by me and many have only touched a stone that one time and may never touch a stone again, as long as I have them.

I suspect we now hone razors much more, that was ever done in the day and have probably have made it much more complicated than need be, maximum effort for minimum results.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Euclid440

For about the first 10 years, I maintained my one and only razor with a strop and a Black Arkansas stone. If you look at many vintage razors you will see very little if any spine wear. I suspect they were not taping spines a hundred years ago, so they most probably maintained razors much the same as I did.

Perfecting your stropping will go a long, long way to maintaining your razors, that and a finishing stone or barbers hone as said, will keep you shaving forever or until damaged. Most of my 30+ vintage rotation has only been bevel set once by me and many have only touched a stone that one time and may never touch a stone again, as long as I have them.

I suspect we now hone razors much more, that was ever done in the day and have probably have made it much more complicated than need be, maximum effort for minimum results.

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That's crazy cool and I bet you are probably 100% right!

Alas, my blades are my hobby and as with all my hobby's, I obsess. Seeking out different and marginally better ways of doing the same thing is fun for me... and keeps the economy rolling lol!

No doubt my obsessing will succumb to practicality at some point. When that day comes, I am sure I'll have taken to obsessing about another hobby. I hope :).

Good on you Euclid440!!

One day soon I'll be trying those Arkansas stones! I always have wanted to!

Sounds like I get to save some money. Just get some good pastes and some independent strips to paste