Honing Heresy

I'm going to explain how I've learned to hone my razors but this is so different from the methods usually advocated that I suspect I may get some criticism - however I want to make clear that this is not a troll. I'm just explaining what I've found works and throwing it out there for comments. I'm also quite a newbie (only been using a striaght for about 18 months) so I may be missing something and am absolutely not in a position to tell anyone else they're wrong, even if it sometimes seems that way to me.

I've got a Corundum Brand razor hone (it's a 115S if anyone cares) that I bought off ebay for $10. Every couple of months I lather this up and give my razor a few strokes (literaly just back and forth 3 or 4 times). I then shave straight off this and if I find it's not as good as I would hope I'll do exactly the same the next day - once I even had to do it a third day to get the edge I wanted.. Having honed the razor I then go back to stropping on an unpasted linen and leather strop before each shave and I'm set up for another couple of months.

Originally my razor was honed by theinvisibleedge so if I was starting from a razor in really bad condition maybe I'd need a Norton, Coticules, Pasted strops, etc although having said that I do have a couple of Wapis that I got in factory condition and honed up in substantially the same way (with a lot more strokes admittedly). I'm getting great shaves using honing equipment that cost next to nothing and with minimal effort

I question whether it's really necessary to spend a lot of money on waterstones and pasted strops if you only want to maintain a shaveable razor. Sure if you're fixing up razors with essentially no edge to begin with or honing out chips in the edge you probably need all this stuff and to hone in pyramids and so on, but for me it's just not necessary. As I said I'm not a honemeister and this is just what works for me.

Speaking as a new guy myself. I found that the minimum that you need for maintaining the edge of the blade is at least a Norton 4/8k a 12k and a 32k chrom ox rubbed linen, and then a strop.

This is my set up FWIW.

Global Medium 1k used wet
2500 grit Silicon Carbide sandpaper taped to a str8 board used dry
5k Arkansas used dry
12k Chinese wet stone
32k Chrom Ox linen
Strop with beeswaxed strop

Pretty cheap over all.
$30 for the Global
$2 for the 2500
$20 for the 5k
$20 for the 12k
$4 for the Chrom ox
$30 for the strop

I used to stop at the 5k and goto the linen. I just purchased my 12k and now I go to the linen. Much smoother shave.

But shave with what works for you. No technique is wrong as long as you get the result you want.

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Originally Posted by trewornan

I'm going to explain how I've learned to hone my razors but this is so different from the methods usually advocated that I suspect I may get some criticism - however I want to make clear that this is not a troll. I'm just explaining what I've found works and throwing it out there for comments. I'm also quite a newbie (only been using a striaght for about 18 months) so I may be missing something and am absolutely not in a position to tell anyone else they're wrong, even if it sometimes seems that way to me.

I've got a Corundum Brand razor hone (it's a 115S if anyone cares) that I bought off ebay for $10. Every couple of months I lather this up and give my razor a few strokes (literaly just back and forth 3 or 4 times). I then shave straight off this and if I find it's not as good as I would hope I'll do exactly the same the next day - once I even had to do it a third day to get the edge I wanted.. Having honed the razor I then go back to stropping on an unpasted linen and leather strop before each shave and I'm set up for another couple of months.

Originally my razor was honed by theinvisibleedge so if I was starting from a razor in really bad condition maybe I'd need a Norton, Coticules, Pasted strops, etc although having said that I do have a couple of Wapis that I got in factory condition and honed up in substantially the same way (with a lot more strokes admittedly). I'm getting great shaves using honing equipment that cost next to nothing and with minimal effort

I question whether it's really necessary to spend a lot of money on waterstones and pasted strops if you only want to maintain a shaveable razor. Sure if you're fixing up razors with essentially no edge to begin with or honing out chips in the edge you probably need all this stuff and to hone in pyramids and so on, but for me it's just not necessary. As I said I'm not a honemeister and this is just what works for me.

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Sounds good to me!
The other stones are for ebay specials and us who have an incurable case of HAD! not me though.:w
Also, a 1000 grit hone and a belgian combo or norton 4000/8000 combo will go along way to correct any dings you may inadvertantly cause on your edge!

If youve got a good barber hone and only wish to maintain a razor and not restore or repair this is the way to go.

I think it's insane for you to not invest at least a hundred dollars into your hones. Tsk tsk tsk...:D

Honestly though, if you enjoy the shave then no one can say you're doing it wrong. It is often mentioned that you can get a fine shave off an 8K and anything finer is just for comfort. You could step up to a coticule if you wanted but why if you're fine where you are.

Barber hones can come in differing grits, it sounds like the one you have is fine enough to give you a comfortable shave.

To answer your question, or implied question, I don't think its necessary to buy all that just to keep an edge shaving. If you started with a well made bevel, a fine barber hone and strop is all you need.

Occasionally you see posts where new guys get very excited about starting & make do with what they've got. Sandpaper honing, strop with an old belt & they claim great shaves.
We all seem to be striving for the best edge we can achieve, & buy more stones etc to get there.
trewornan, if you're happy with the shaves, then it does work. The next man may find it just doesn't.
I think we could all get by with far less than we use, but since we're nurturing our aquisition disorders we feel we need more.
Personally, i like more, but i don't think i need it.

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Originally Posted by trewornan

I'm going to explain how I've learned to hone my razors but this is so different from the methods usually advocated that I suspect I may get some criticism - however I want to make clear that this is not a troll. I'm just explaining what I've found works and throwing it out there for comments. I'm also quite a newbie (only been using a striaght for about 18 months) so I may be missing something and am absolutely not in a position to tell anyone else they're wrong, even if it sometimes seems that way to me.

I've got a Corundum Brand razor hone (it's a 115S if anyone cares) that I bought off ebay for $10. Every couple of months I lather this up and give my razor a few strokes (literaly just back and forth 3 or 4 times). I then shave straight off this and if I find it's not as good as I would hope I'll do exactly the same the next day - once I even had to do it a third day to get the edge I wanted.. Having honed the razor I then go back to stropping on an unpasted linen and leather strop before each shave and I'm set up for another couple of months.

Originally my razor was honed by theinvisibleedge so if I was starting from a razor in really bad condition maybe I'd need a Norton, Coticules, Pasted strops, etc although having said that I do have a couple of Wapis that I got in factory condition and honed up in substantially the same way (with a lot more strokes admittedly). I'm getting great shaves using honing equipment that cost next to nothing and with minimal effort

I question whether it's really necessary to spend a lot of money on waterstones and pasted strops if you only want to maintain a shaveable razor. Sure if you're fixing up razors with essentially no edge to begin with or honing out chips in the edge you probably need all this stuff and to hone in pyramids and so on, but for me it's just not necessary. As I said I'm not a honemeister and this is just what works for me.

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This is the way to go just to maintain a blade. The problem is that once you get RAD your collection of straights will grow and the need for other hones with it. I have suggested a barber hone for the new guys starting out and mentioned that it can wait a couple of months before getting it. Just be careful not to bump the edge of the blade on anything.

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

If youve got a good barber hone and only wish to maintain a razor and not restore or repair this is the way to go.

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+1 from me too, we both have been saying this for a long time....

If you are only a shaver, you only need to maintain the edge, that's it.... and what the heck for the price of one pack of Fusion's you can have the razor honed professionally anytime you want or need....

Good luck with keeping all the AD's at bay that's what does you in :gaah:

Glad I found this thread!

Just the kind of feedback I was looking for to start out.

Thanks to all. :tu

I agree, if it is working for you no need to fix it. I like playing with all of these toys. For me the sport involves a lot more then just getting a good shave and that is alright too. Just different approaches to it. Some guys like to fish or play golf, I like to hone old razors with various rocks. :tu

Way to go Trewornan..
K.I.S.S. principle rules ! :rock:

[quote=JCitron;325844]I think it's insane for you to not invest at least a hundred dollars into your hones. Tsk tsk tsk...:D...

Barber hones can come in differing grits, it sounds like the one you have is fine enough to give you a comfortable shave.

quote]

Can someone please explain how to tell the grit of a barber hone. Can it be done with a glass? Is feel accurate? I know that the barber hones were made in many different grits. Did the barber buy a particular grit stone or did he use what ever he had at the time. I have read that in the old days many of the barber hones had the manufacturers name on the stone. Perhaps they were given to the barbers as a promo? Did the barber care what grit he was given, if that in fact was the case?

There is a very large jump from maintaining a shave ready razor to getting a razor shave ready. Often that distinction is not made and the assumption is what you need to prepare any razor short of a major restoration.

Whatever strop will very slowly lose ground to the wear and tear of daily shaving. Every month or few a finish honing will restore the razor completely. Nothing more is needed. If you sustain any damage or unusual wear then there is a significant jump in the equipment needed.

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Originally Posted by gssixgun

+1 from me too, we both have been saying this for a long time....

If you are only a shaver, you only need to maintain the edge, that's it.... and what the heck for the price of one pack of Fusion's you can have the razor honed professionally anytime you want or need....

Good luck with keeping all the AD's at bay that's what does you in :gaah:

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++1 on that too. Keeping a good edge is one thing, chasing the perfect edge is another entirely.

Yeah, I bought a Norton 8k, and a barber hone and got great results for several months... And then I bought another, and another, and then a coticule, and then a Nakayama and then etc.:shrug:

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Originally Posted by nun2sharp

If youve got a good barber hone and only wish to maintain a razor and not restore or repair this is the way to go.

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+2. A barber hone is all you/I need to maintain a sharpened edge (I use newspaper sometimes, too).

But playing with ebay specials and antique store acquisitions is hard to resist sometimes...
(I'm lapping up some barber hones on a D8XX as I post this)

I sometimes wish I was content with just one finishing/touch-up hone....But I'd always be left wondering: "could it be any better?" So that's how my love for stones began....Now have a couple of coticules, a vintage thurigian (and another on it's way RIGHT now) and going to pick up a chinese 12k just for kicks!

It's true, all you need is a barber hone...but what's the fun in only owning one hone???? (HAD ALERT!!)

I've been operating this way for about three years now.

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Originally Posted by dac

I've been operating this way for about three years now.

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All I can say is that you must have a lot of will power..... :rofl2:

Thanks guys. I really wasn't expecting so much agreement. It's nice to know I'm not completely out there and under some sort of misapprehension about how sharp my razor needs to be.

@ mkevenson

I don't know of any sure fire way to tell the grit of the barber hones. For the most part the most talked about names provide great edges but even that's not a sure thing. I've seen people talk about Swaty's that were a bit rough.

It really comes down to using the stone and shaving, if you like the edge then you've got a good stone.

Also, just to complicate things, some stones have different grits on each side.

The best way is to get one from the classifieds here, that way you're getting it from someone who can vouch for how fine it is. On the other hand if you see one going for cheap on the Bay it usually doesn't hurt to snag it and hope it's fine enough, worst case you have a stone you can use on a razor that requires a touch more work than a fine stone can give it.

Thanks for the post! It is a subject that a lot of new guys never see or hear about. One of our guys, David Uthe, said he shaved for a long time by just touching up the edge on a hanging linen strop with the white paste ( probably talcum powder of some kind). I imagine that a Coticule would do the same or any number of other fine grit abrasives.

For a bunch of us we just like the pursuit of the perfect edge and thus over complicate things. The fact that we also monkey around with a number of different razors in various conditions merely allows us to be even more compulsive.

To me the minimum to maintain an excellent edge for years is a 4000 grit to restore/maintain a bevel and some finishing grit of 8000-10000 to shave with.

Just my $.02,:)

This is a great and useful thread.
Putting a shaving edge on a razor and maintaining it is not that difficult.
I know a store in Antwerp that does it with a simple and pretty fool proof method.
They use a pasted loom strop, but it's basically the same as the barber hone approach.
I have spoken to guys that have been shaving for many years that way.

BUT... (there's always a "but", isn't there?;))
Those guys consider most ebay and heirloom razors beyond salvation. They don't succeed in getting a shaving edge on those.

AND... (there's always an "and", too)
Some guys, like myself, get all carried away with the ultimate shaving edge. Getting that is a never-ending quest and the maintenance of the edges we settle with for the time being, asks for other tools as well.

I feel we have a shortage of threads like these. Straight razor shaving should not always be complicated.

Best regards,
Bart.