Thread: Identifying A Hone

I recently purchased a Dovo razor for my first, as well as a strop, some new shaving cream, and a mug. I am happy with my purchase, but feel that my Dovo razor could be honed to a finer point. I have a Local Lee Valley where i could purchase a razor, however upon discussion with my father about making my next purchase he produced a sharpening stone that he used for sharpening knives. He has no idea of the grit, and i was wondering if this stone could be identified and if it is usable
One side feels like a very fine grit san paper, the other side is MUCH finer, and is almost soft. The box was blue, but very taped up and all i could make out was japanese writing. This stone was, 20 years ago high quality, and was well taken care of it looks like. Does anyone know what this stone is. picture: http://i43.tinypic.com/2vmensy.jpg
Thanks.

I'm no expert on razor honing, but I have use a lot of different hones to sharpen a wide variety of tools, and I would not even think of opening up a straight razor in the same room as that hone.

I have had several stones that sounded a lot like that one, and you'd be surprised how 'soft' even a 2000 grit stone that has been properly lapped and heavily used can feel. My dad has a really high quality knife hone set, and the finest is a 3k, that feels VERY smooth and soft after years of oiling and honing.

From my excessive reading recently, a good beginner stone for razor honing would be 4000 grit on one side, and 8000 or higher on the other.

You can't sharpen a regular knife on a 4000/8000 hone unless you've already honed it on courser stones and you're going further because you're a nut-ball about sharp knives.

Thanks for your advice. I have a Lee Valley in my city, with Noron 4000/8000 in stock.
Sending the razor to a member of this site would not be very ideal, however the man i bought my razor from sharpens knies for a living, and hopefully can sharpen razors as well.

I'd be careful having a professional knife sharpener take a whack at your razor. You'd probably do just as well to pick up that norton stone and do it yourself. Maybe pick up an ugly beat up $5 ebay special to practice on first.....

Again, I'm NOT a razor honing expert, but honing a razor is a completely different procedure than sharpening a knife. It would be like taking kitchen knives to be sharpened by a shop that sharpens saw blades.

It's just not the same thing.

I agree with the above, a knife and a razor are two different animals, requiring completely different ways to tame them. I think sending it off to get honed properly the first time is your best option. I know that it can be a nuisance and may not seem like your best option, but it will save you a lot of anguish. My first razor was un-honed and I tried to learn to hone and shave with it at the same time. Let's just say it didn't go too well at first....

Knowing that it has been honed properly will help eliminate variables, and you know it's your technique if you're not getting a good shave. If you're learning to hone and shave at the same time, then you don't know if it's the razor or your shaving technique that's causing problems.

But you will want to learn how to hone, and the norton 4k/8k is your best bet. Just pick up a cheap razor and practice on that. By cheap I mean cheap vintage, avoid cheap brands like "Zeepk" and "Selective" as they won't hone worth a damn......

It seems like a "I sent my razor to a knife sharpener, and now it's ruined" horror story crops up every few months.

If he doesn't shave with a straight razor DO NOT GIVE IT TO THAT "KNIFE SHARPENING" GUY. There are a lot of members here on the forums who would be happy to sharpen that razor for you.

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

I'd be careful having a professional knife sharpener take a whack at your razor. You'd probably do just as well to pick up that norton stone and do it yourself. Maybe pick up an ugly beat up $5 ebay special to practice on first.....

Again, I'm NOT a razor honing expert, but honing a razor is a completely different procedure than sharpening a knife. It would be like taking kitchen knives to be sharpened by a shop that sharpens saw blades.

It's just not the same thing.

Actually, when I was reading the above, I jumped ahead and finished the sentence the way I thought he was going to finish it. That is, "You'd probably do just as well to pick up that norton stone" and throw it at your razor. Usually when a knife sharpener takes a "whack at your razor," you need to buy a new razor.

Would a norton 4k/8k be an appropriate stone for keeping an already sharpened razor in good condition. At this time i have no inention of restoring any blades, or resetting factory ones. I have a local Lee Valley th sells the 4k/8k for 86$. I also saw this

Chinese Natural Sharpening Water Stone, 12000 Grit
Which caught my eye as a higher grit.
What would you recommend for blade maitenence?

If you want nothing but blade maintenance, a fully functional and most economical would be a single barber hone. That's all you need to maintain an already sharp razor for years.