Thread: Basic hone setup

A Dutch seller of old whetstones sent me a list of suitable whetstones for razors. 3 of them are pictured below. The left 2 Franz Swaty,Wahring bei Wien 8 x 2" and 5 1/8 x 2". The right is marked Barber's razor hone 5 5/16 x 1 6/8" €7,00 ($9.6) each

I saw a member rate the swaties at 8-10k so that would make a perfect bridge between the Rozsutek and the Chinese stone

Originally Posted by Piet

I'm more willing to spend $20 on an extra or better stone than to have my razor professionally honed. Except that I will know how sharp a razor should be and feel after honing I won't learn much from it. I still have to learn the best stropping and shaving technique so I would dull the razor in no time. I like to try it for myself and learn from all the mistakes I will make on the way

I don't think you'll find anyone around here that's willing to agree that it's easier and better to learn from "scratch" so to speak. Either way honing will take you a good amount of time to learn, even if you've been sharpening other tools previously. Having a honed razor is nice because not only will you know how and edge should feel more or less, but most importantly you can use that edge to test what it feels like with the Thumbpad test, hanging hair test and other variations such as attempting to pop armhairs just off the surface of your arm. These are all tests that making honing much easier and often give you an indication of how the edge is progressing along a specific section without having to strop and test shave.

Of course having that razor won't ever give you the skills for honing, but it will vastly accelerate your learning towards gaining those skills.

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

If you want cheap, I'd go

DMT 1200 6"x2"
Coticule
Cro2 on a strop

$89 for what you just listed is increadibly cheap.

hey

I am in the market for a dmt 1200. Are they available locally in the UK?

Thanks

Rob

Hi, yes they are available in the uk. You should be able to find a 6x2 1200 for about £25.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dmt-D6e-Diam.../dp/B0001WP1KG

CoopersDirect.com - CoopersDirect.com - DMT D6E Diamond Sharp Whetstone 6 x 2in - Extra Fine - £25.92 - DMTD6E -

good luck

More possibilities:

• Buy Woodcraft DMT 80th Anniversary Diamond Stone Boxed Set, Woodcraft DMT 80th
• Add a finisher of choice (i.e. coticule and/or Chinese 12k and/or Swaty and/or 0.5 paste)

Total costs, depending on choice of finisher, should come in well under 100 dollars U.S. (not counting shipping and import duties).

I often shave right off of the Swaty.

Originally Posted by Piet

The good thing is I'm patient and willing to learn. I don't mind having to wait a few weeks before I have the stones and spend some days practising honing on an 'ebay' razor first, before I can get a good shave.

Hi,
Somebody here at SRP was gracious enough to send me a Double Arrow razor to use to practice honing a while back for free, under the condition that I send it to the next person who needs a practice razor. When you eventually pick up your hone(s), send me a private note and I'll ship it to you. You can use it to practice resetting bevels with abandon...

As mentioned already, I recommend getting your primary razor professionally honed at first so you'll know what to aim for. You will then have a razor with bevels set correctly, which makes it easy to touch up on a hone. If the bevels are not set correctly and you are not sure what to aim for, you could end up pretty frustrated...

-Chief

Not entirely related but those extra long Swaty's are a bit rare. For $10 I would grab that right away.

BHChieftain, I will consider your offer and recommendation.

I have ordered the long Swaty. I assume it will need some lapping. Fortunately I have some thick plexiglass sheets which I can use in combination with sanding paper.

Would I need to lap it dry or wet?

Wet, and it's gonna take a long,long,long, time....I used a DMT D8XX, If you have to get out chips, like 1mm or bigger, it can take quite some time mate...Start with the most coarse you can find, and progress up to 1000 grit wet sandpaper to give the Swaty that new look....I think Swaty was the Hardest stone ever made, or quarried....I'm not sure, but they're really, really, hard...

Originally Posted by Piet

BHChieftain, I will consider your offer and recommendation.

I have ordered the long Swaty. I assume it will need some lapping. Fortunately I have some thick plexiglass sheets which I can use in combination with sanding paper.

Would I need to lap it dry or wet?

Hi,
I wouldn't know about the swaty. I have a yellow coticule and BBW for my hone collection. I have 2 razors-- my Dovo is a full hollow, and I use a Coticule + Slurry for bevel set, BBW + Slurry for edge refinement, then Coticule + water for polish, per the Bart article in the wiki for that razor.

For my 1/4 hollow razor (nearly a wedge), I have been experimenting withh Bart's One Cotiticule honing method which involves setting a double bevel. I have gotten great results with that, once I figured out how to give extra attention to the toe (by using a rolling pressure x-pattern).

Both of my razors shave really well, and I like the contrast between the full hollow razor and the 1/4 hollow (nothing to do with the honing...).

Anyway, I'd be glad to share my experiences on using these hones. I am sure other hones will give a sharper edge quicker, but I am very happy with the smoothness the coticle provides-- I get a great, irritation free shave. But in the spirit of full disclosure, I have NOT used other hones, so I can't really compare... I think I may be coming down with HAD, so as soon as my disposible income situation improves, I'll let you know...

-Chief