Thread: hone question

I know I have read everywhere that you need a specialized straight razor hone to sharpen a razor, but as a knife maker I feel that I could just use an extra fine diamond stone and a strop to get it sharp enough. I mean I can get any one of my knives shaving sharp like this.

So basically I am asking for a real straight up answer because I feel like some people say you need a hone because they like straight razor culture. I do not need the greatest shave of my life, but would like a decent shave and think a diamond stone could replace a hone.

Welcome, Andrew:

What grit diamond stone are you thinking of using? I highest grit I'm aware of now is the 8000 grit 3 micron DMT D8EE. I think those of us who own that plate would agree a razor can be honed on that plate until it shaves arm hair very well. Stropping right from that plate and shaving? I haven't done that but I'd honestly be very interested in your opinion on how you'd think a shave off that plate went for you.

If you're talking about honing on any diamond plate coarser than that, the 1200 grit for example, I think you'd find that at the least your shave would be uncomfortable and at worst would look like a serious case of road rash when done. In my opinion, diamonds excel at setting bevels, they excel at making wood chisels for general work very sharp and they excel at making kitchen knives able to slice through food very well. The face is a different story for most of us. There are a few Jack Palance types on this forum that probably could rip a razor across their weathered faces that had only been honed on a 1k stone and not have their faces object, but for most of us, that's not the case.

Chris L

My friend and forum member JBhoren uses the D8E and the D8EE to hone. He finishes with chrom ox on a paddle strop and then a regular strop. This is working for him. As Chris says any diamond plate coarser then an EE would probably leave the edge a bit rough for shaving comfortably. You can try it and report back. I would be interested in how it works for you.

I don't use diamond hones myself but I remember reading on several occasions that edges given a final polishing on a diamond hone feel coarse on the face. I am not sure if chrom. oxide would correct that.

As a general rule any hone designed for knife sharpening is too coarse for a straight. My lansky Diamond kit has a hone labeled as extra fine and if I used that on a straight it would tear it up. As a matter of fact I once experimented with it and it tore it up. Good thing it was an Eboy throw away.

Another way to look at this...
A straight razor is a tool: (granted some of us think they live and breath)
No matter the tool, maintaining that tool should be done with "the proper tools/products".... Now I am not saying that there can be no cross overs but with the fine edge of a straight razor you don't have a lot of room for error...

Welcome to SRP Andrew. I have tried the DMT Diamond hones on Straights and have since delegated them to my kitchen knives. I just spent the better part of a day and got them as sharp as they have ever been with the DMT Diamond Plates. When I used them on my Straights I spent more time trying to get the scratches out of the edge with the polishing stones than if I would have used water stones to begin with. "The Diamond plates are too rough to use on Straight blades." [My opinion of course]. Only at the beginning of bevel creation would the DMT E 1200 be useful on Straights but I still think a 500 or 1K water stone would be better to use because of the deep scratches created by the diamonds in the DMT.

bj

Hello Andrew,

Being fairly new to straights myself I can tell you the answer to your question is yes. I say this because when i first started I bought a carr brothers straight from down under antiques in my town. All i had to hone it with was a 750 grit diamond hone a 1 inch black arkansas and a 1 inch whit arkansas stones. I also made my own strop using a oak plank and some leather scraps from a hobby store. I know I know it sounds getto but it works. Just read up on honing and shaving techniques and you'll be on your way. Granted the better more specialized tools and equipment you have the better your results will get. Everything i use now is at least 60 years old (razors stones strop) The brush is new from walmart. You might thing i get an so so shave with this stuff but i like to test my shave every once in a while with rubbing alcahol instead of aftershave. Very little sting to it.

Ha!
It's always good to hear an alternative point of view. Consensus is boring!

I almost always use a DMT D8EE followed by a barber hone. Sometimes that is followed by 60 to 150 laps on newspaper... depends on the razor. I've shaved straight off the D8EE, but prefer the barber hone by far.