Thread: Touching up the edge between honeing?

Hi everyone, im sorry if this has been asked before but what stone would you suggest i use between hones to touch up my straight razors edge?

Thank you in advance for you help and advice.

hello buddy, here is a good start for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Whatever your finishing hone is
This could be a 12k naniwa for a few laps or in my case a gokumyo 20k. Do I need the 20k? No. I was very happy coming of a 10k for a few years and just a few weight of the blade laps would bring an edge back to shave ready once it started tugging. This is really YMMV but you can't go wrong with the 12k naniwa for touch ups, just splash and go.

Like Mark and others I have too have had great results with the 12K Naniwa for maintaining an edge.
Some razors like the Crox on Balsa after the 12K, some do not...

Make sure that if the razor was honed with tape that you touch up with tape.
The hone needs to be lapped and there are threads that address lapping..

And "less is more" - a few laps (like 6-20) with a low pressure while maintaining control and form is all it takes most of the time.

Smooth shaving...

I touch up on a Cnat/PHIG, occasionally going down to the Norton 8k as needed. Maybe not your best choice, but works great for me.

I would suggest a pasted strop or a balsa + chromium oxide "hone", as it is by far the cheapest and probably easiest method. With proper stropping and a minor touch-up every now and then on chromium or iron oxide it is possible to keep a razor in comfortable shaving condition for quite a while, depending on how often you use your razor. If you only use one razor, every day, half a year seems a very reasonable estimation, possibly longer. No need to invest in a hone, unless you are dead set on that of course.

Personally, I touch up using a coticule, approximately 30 back and forth strokes (i.e. X-strokes) on water. Because that's what I bought, a few months before even hearing about a pasted option.

If you'd like an even cheaper option, you can pick up a barber hone, like a Swaty. Just a few strokes whenever you notice a reduction in the quality of the shave is all you need to maintain your razor forever.

Originally Posted by Utopian

If you'd like an even cheaper option, you can pick up a barber hone, like a Swaty. Just a few strokes whenever you notice a reduction in the quality of the shave is all you need to maintain your razor forever.

This.

After two years of straight shaving I figured I'm in for the duration, knuckled under and found a sweet Swaty three-line on ebay and, as sole bidder, it was mine for under $10. It looked about new except for a couple of tiny chips on the edges (they sanded out). Makes a tired razor sharp as a tack - maybe even sharper - in five or six laps. I certainly could have spent more but if my shaves got any more brilliant I'd go blind.

Originally Posted by Utopian

If you'd like an even cheaper option, you can pick up a barber hone, like a Swaty. Just a few strokes whenever you notice a reduction in the quality of the shave is all you need to maintain your razor forever.

If you can find a good one, a barber hone is indeed another very good option.