Thread: New to Honing

I have a post as well in the Newbie section, but I figure the more the merry'r, Right!

What advice can you senior members give me on Honing. I have the basic Norton wet hones, 8k/4k and 1k/220. I also have a nice russian leather strop with the cotton back. Can I, with practice achieve a quality edge, something I can shave with and be happy, or do I really need to buy more stones, Like a Diamond, or a Coticule. How far do I have to go. Money's not the issue, but I really didn't anticipate having to buy an array of hones to keep my Dovo's happy and my face blood free. I love my Str8's, I've never had a closer shave, and I picked it up rather quickly.
What more do I need? Thanks.....

You have one of the best setup to practice and perfect your honing technique. In the right hands that setup will give great shaves.
I am a firm believer in the Norton 8K -> strop -> shave, however the Norton 8K as a final hone is not for everyone. You may find other hones will feel different while shaving... but give yourself time to perfect in that setup first, then you can try others.

I agree with smythe, you have all you really need to get your razor going. Shaving off the 8k is completely do-able, just seem people prefer a smoother edge. I had almost the exact set-up for a while: 220/1000 and 4000/8000 nortons, and an Illinois strop with linen back. That worked just fine. I recently obtained a coticule which puts a smoother edge on the razor. Is it truly necessary? Not really, just a matter of personal preference.

You have a GREAT set-up to learn on, just practice and you decide if you need anything past the 8k .

Dave

P.S. Did your razor come pre-honed? It would be a good idea to have a professionally honed razor first to use as a sort of benchmark, if you don't already.

Hello Zib, I never could get a decent shave from an 8K Norton. A good choice for you for touchup would be a two sided paddle strop with 1.0 micron diamond paste on one side and .5 CrO on the other. You could also go for a finishing hone in the 12K to 16K range. You have the lower grit range covered.

bj

Here is a thread you might want to read....


http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...torations.html

Obviously I think your set up is fine.. .50 paste strop of any kind after that and your rolling sweet...

Oh yeah, I have a couple of Dovo's honed by none other than Lynn, so I have a bench mark to shoot for. thanks for your help....

If I decide to use paste, I'd need a different strop, correct?

Originally Posted by zib

If I decide to use paste, I'd need a different strop, correct?

I would get a flat bed hone or even try it on newspaper. Leave your primary strop as is. I haven't tried paste or chrom ox on a hanging strop yet but I have read that both work. Seems some prefer one and some the other. The flat bed works real well. I have also read that balsa wood is good. There may be some explanation of all of this in the SRP Wiki tutorials. If you can't find it there do a forum search for 'paste'.

Originally Posted by StraightRazorDave

I agree with smythe, you have all you really need to get your razor going. Shaving off the 8k is completely do-able, just seem people prefer a smoother edge. I had almost the exact set-up for a while: 220/1000 and 4000/8000 nortons, and an Illinois strop with linen back. That worked just fine. I recently obtained a coticule which puts a smoother edge on the razor. Is it truly necessary? Not really, just a matter of personal preference.

You have a GREAT set-up to learn on, just practice and you decide if you need anything past the 8k .

Dave

P.S. Did your razor come pre-honed? It would be a good idea to have a professionally honed razor first to use as a sort of benchmark, if you don't already.

Yes, Lynn honed them for me.

Originally Posted by zib

If I decide to use paste, I'd need a different strop, correct?

The if you decide to use paste, you must get another strop or paddle. The last thing your razor should touch before the shave is the "leather only" (no paste) strop.