Thread: Sandpaper honing; how?

I'll pretty much just cut to the quick; being a poor college student without the budgetary extras to obtain a decent honing set, or extra strops for pastes, how exactly is honing done with fine-grit sandpaper? And also being the case that similar grit numbers actually have different sharpening qualities between stones and sandpaper, what grits should I try to obtain?

You just lay sand paper on a flat, firm, suface and hone as you would with a stone.

Sand paper in the 600 to 2,000 grit range is available at most automotive supply places and industrial/workshop tool retailers (or they can point you in the right direction).

From there you can get specialty honing films in finer grits, refer to this thread: http://straightrazorpalace.com/basic...de-review.html

But I won't recommend it as a good option for learning how to use a straight razor. You really ought to get one from a reputable vendor or a member here, then learn to maintain the existing edge with a good stone (like a Coticule, even a small Bout will work), then try to bring one back from unuseable condition once the other aspects are under controll.

Years ago, NASA tried to rethink their procedures. They wanted to do everything according to the slogan "Faster, Better, Cheaper", but soon found out that you can only have two of the three, at most.

That said, ask around for bargain items that will work but are not being used, I bet you get some takers.

Well...I'm not so much trying to restore dead razors, it's just my razors dull with regular use and I'm tired of sending them off to be sharpened and being out $28 and without one of my razors for 2 weeks.

Honestly, the best bang for you buck is going to be a Coticule in the 6"x2" range (a Bout is nice as well, just an odd shaped Coticule).

It'll be one upfront cost that'll last the rest of your life. It will bring your razors up to a very good shaving edge with less fuss than most methods and is a reliable stone as well.

Try theperfectedge.com, the owner is a member here.

If you decide to try the sandpaper route remember that a 2000 grit sandpaper is about the same as a 4000 grit stone. The difference lies in the measurement scale standards used. ANSI/CAMI/JIS/FEPA/etc.

Hope this helps,

Let's go ahead and move this to the Basic Honing forum. More appropriate place for it.

Questions, problems? PM or email me (or if I'm online, find me in Chat.)

I don't know if it's the Easter season, or what the deal is but I seem to be resurrecting old threads every other day. I had to post on this one though as it really helped me out of a jamb.

Frustrated with not making any progress with the stones I have, and unable to drop the funds for a Norton 4/8, or similar stone I was searching for tips, tricks, and education on honing when I stumbled upon this thread.

I wouldn't recommend Wet/Dry sandpaper honing for a novice, but I'm familiar with it from doing automotive paint and body work, so after reading this thread I went out into the garage and grabbed some 2k paper.

I spent most of the evening sorting out a good setup with items on hand, and learning A) what the paper would do for the blade, and B) what this old wedge I'm trying to learn on needed. After some work I got the blade to cut hairs for the first time! It still needed some work as it was misused in it's previous life and needed some grind correction at heel and toe. I think I got that corrected last night and hope to get the bevel set on the 2k paper tonight. Then I should be able to go on from there.

Special thanks to Randy for the 2K W/D vs. 4K Stone comparison. It gave me a place to start.

You need 4 things to have a sand-paper setup:

* Sand paper
* Spray glue
* thick plate glass (I use 1/4") - This way you KNOW you have a perfectly flat surface
* Friction material to keep the glass on your working surface (use your immagination, this can be a rubber mat, those little sticky rubber circles, whatever keeps your "hone" still.)

You just spray-on the glue on the glass plate, and slap on the sand paper. When you're ready to change grit, just pull-off the paper and slap on a new one. Usually the glue can hold for a few papers. I use brake cleaner to clean the glass when I want to spray new glue.

I use this setup to sharpen my knives & chisels, I get them scary-sharp this way (that's what the sandpaper method is called in the woodworking world, the scary-sharp method). I also use this setup to lap my finishing hone.

I've tried it once on a razor with so-so results, but I never honed a razor prior to this. I'd have to give it another shot to see if I can manage any better.

A tip: The sandpaper's grit gets less aggresive as you rub steel over it, so it kind of acts as a varying grit hone. When you're done "honing" your edge over the finest sandpaper, sand a little metal bar over the paper, then do a final pass with your edge on the "hone".

I also can't afford a set of stones but I am intrigued by this option. Here's what I am wondering: if a 2000 grit piece of sandpaper is like a 4k stone, then for a "complete" set-up I would need the following in sandpaper grits: 2000, 4000, and 6000? This would equal having a set of 4k, 8k, and 12k stones? My next question (if the previous one is right) is does sandpaper even come in grits that fine (even considering auto paint, etc.)?

Originally Posted by mrbison

I also can't afford a set of stones but I am intrigued by this option. Here's what I am wondering: if a 2000 grit piece of sandpaper is like a 4k stone, then for a "complete" set-up I would need the following in sandpaper grits: 2000, 4000, and 6000? This would equal having a set of 4k, 8k, and 12k stones? My next question (if the previous one is right) is does sandpaper even come in grits that fine (even considering auto paint, etc.)?

I was able to find sandpaper up to 12000 grit at a local hobby store in the model area.