Someone close to me is just starting out with honing and has $125 to spend on hones. He's looking for recommendations. He has his razors and a strop for daily stropping. That's it. What should I tell him to buy? Thanks.
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Someone close to me is just starting out with honing and has $125 to spend on hones. He's looking for recommendations. He has his razors and a strop for daily stropping. That's it. What should I tell him to buy? Thanks.
I bought: 4/8 Norton $68, leather and felt 8x3" strops from the same store to get the total over $75 and get free shipping. Total $79 (they take foreign credit cards if you ask nice, I had to)
One chinese 12k $20 plus shipping
Bought a marble tile and sandpaper from Home Depot for lapping: $10 approx
total: $109+ 12k shipping :rock:
If you live outside the US the shipping will add a bit more to it.
My next investment is going to be chrome oxide powder from japanese knife sharpening $12 plus shipping.
I like the BBW/Coticule combination. They can be incredibly versatile. With the use of slurry they can cut at a decent speed & polish well without. If they're willing to wait for the right deal, they could get one in the classifieds for that money & still have $ left over for a chinese 12k.
12K shipping???? Damn I thought eBay was bad:w.Quote:
Originally Posted by flyboy
Quote:
Originally Posted by smythe
You've obviously never handled a chinese 12k. Those things are heavy!!! You gotta charge at leats $9000 for the shipping and handling, but that's only if you don't want to make a profit. $12000 sounds about right to me.
Ok guys, I am not going to edit the thing about 12k shipping away. Wouldn't be nice to take away what you are laughing at, but what I really meant was shipping o get the 12k stone sent via the mail :)
There is a full top to bottom Norton set always on Amazon for $120 all the time, but it depends on what he is thinking of honing up... All kinds of razors from e-bay to new this is the right choice.... If he is only honing shave ready razors or new razors then a Yellow coticule is the way to go...
Seems that we all start with this idea of just a couple of razors, then end up with a few e-bay buys, so the full Norton set is a great starter setup, gives you the ability to do everything... Adding a pasted strop, or a finish hone later down the road just smooths things up....
*Now* he tells me. :gaah: He speaks the truth, though: Amazon.com: Norton Waterstone Starter Kit: 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, SiC flattening stone: Home ImprovementQuote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Throw in a Chinese 12k and/or a pasted strop.. wait.. Glen already said that, too.
That Norton setup would be great. Even comes with a 220 grit stone.
The issue is that he's not really sure about straight razors yet. He wants the bare minimum so he can gauge his interest. I suggested 1000 grit sandpaper. I use it and it works well. If he gets the Norton 4K/8K, should he add a Coticule or a Thuringian or a pasted strop?Quote:
Originally Posted by gssixgun
Craftsman Studio sells the set for $104 + shipping.Quote:
Originally Posted by FloorPizza
If he is close to you, I guess he will rely on you for advice and help while he learn the skill.
So, it's beneficial for him to use a setup that you're familiar with.
Obviously, there are different setups available that all give good results, even within that price range, and everyone will, as usual, endorse his own choice.
Bart.
[quote=TstebinsB;320397]The issue is that he's not really sure about straight razors yet. He wants the bare minimum so he can gauge his interest. I suggested 1000 grit sandpaper. I use it and it works well. If he gets the Norton 4K/8K, should he add a Coticule or a Thuringian or a pasted strop?
If he is not sure yet I would have him wait at least the average of 3 months for his first shave ready razor to get to the stage of even needing honing before he thinks about getting into buying hones... By that time he can decide which direction to take his hobby....
Buying hones, is really the next to the last stop, on the straight razor train schedule....
Quote:
Originally Posted by TstebinsB
I would suggest a barbers hone at most, until he is sure he is going to stick with it. The barbers hone will keep a good blade sharp indefinately. Once he is sure he wants to continue, then he can start thinking about more hones.
If he's going to be honing up ebay/antique store razors, my suggestion would be a 1K waterstone (I got my King 220/1K for about $20 at woodcrafters) and a BBW/Coticule (6 x 2 should be large enough I think). I use the same setup; it works very well and won't break the bank.
If he's just going to be maintaining, I'd say Nun is on the right track; just a barber hone and maybe some paste on balsa to give it a try.
If its for a new razor, why not get a four sided/two sided paddle strop with different pastes.Its an easier way for a newb to keep it sharp anyway.
Kristoffer.
$125 should be enough to buy one new small coticule at todays prices, but he might be hooped for shipping costs
I say a DMT D8EE, a Chinese 12k, and make a paddle strop and put some CroOx on it. This setup is well within his price limit and is all he'll ever really need.