Thread: Honing with sandpaper?

Originally Posted by VeeDubb65

I have to say, both that book binding, and the leather for your car are far from cheap. I suspect that while $110 for the norton set is more than you can afford at the moment, you could easily afford it if you spent a little time saving up.

While it may mean setting such projects aside for a while, saving up and buying a set of proper hones, wether norton, shapton, naniwa or naturals, will undoubtedly give you better a results, and be far less likely to leave you with a useless razor that would look foolish sitting next to some of your other beautiful handiwork.

Hi Steve,

i work at a leather hat company ( WELCOME TO THE WILD HEART OF AUSTRALIA )
The leather used for the book was from off-cuts.
The leather in the car is also made from offcuts, if you look close you will see that they are small sections stiched together.
I would love to buy some proper hones, I'm not trying to make out that you are giving the wrong advice here, like I said, trying to make do with what I can.

Thank you also for calling my handywork beautiful

After looking at your work on the book binding and the auto interior I can say without a doubt...

1. You belong here! You have OCD just like the rest of us!

2. Your work is really nice.

3. You have the determination/patience to learn this.

Razor...if you have not already breadknifed that razor then please post a pic of it and also the area where the nick(s) are on the edge. I have stopped using the breadknife technique. Instead I just put 3 layers of black electrical tape on the spine and start honing on 500 grit if it is a visable nick or 1000 grit if I can only feel it when using the thumbnail test (TNT test). After the nick is gone then I remove the 3 layers of tape and replace it with one layer and perform 25-50 laps on the 1000 grit to get the proper angle on the bevel.
Getting a good bevel is one of the most critical requirements. If you don't then everything that follows is for naught.

You could also try the old synchronicity rule: start the work with what you got/can get and the rest of the tools will find their way to you.

You have to put yourself in the right places, hunt around in some antique stores, junk shops, flea markets etc. Hurry! before the hoarders get there

3M Micro Abrasive Film for Scary Sharpening - PSA at Tools for Working Wood
for self stick 3m microfinishing film... put on plate glass or a flat smooth marble floor tile or granite surface plate.

the .3 micron is finer than chrome oxide stropping compound. The 1 micron is about 10,000-12,000 grit.

3M Micro Abrasive Film for Scary Sharpening - Non-PSA at Tools for Working Wood
is the non adhesive stuff... you can use your own spray or just use water as surface tension will hold the stuff down on glass (the abrasive is glued to a thin plastic sheet)
The half micron green is pretty much the same as a fine green chrome oxide strop or 30,000 grit Shapton stone.

Originally Posted by maniotas1

I would love to buy some proper hones, I'm not trying to make out that you are giving the wrong advice here, like I said, trying to make do with what I can.

Like I said, I completely understand. I wish I didn't, but I do.

If saving up for hones is either out of the questions, or would take too long to be practical, that really does reduce you to either lapping films, iffy sandpaper and lapping powders, or sending it out.

Sending it out is the cheapest, and the most likely to yield worthwhile results.

Here ya go ~ Cheapest Chinese 12k in the world

Narrow Chinese hones in OZ - Straight Razor Place Forums

Sandpapers will do the work up to the 2000 grit ( 4000 Norton)
but what he really needs is a substitute for the Norton/Shapton/etc 8000 grit. Thats why I was suggesting some of the buffing/honing compounds.

Anyone have any suggestions for that??? Automotive rubbing compound?

Ahhh...now I remember, the honing compound called Flex Cut Gold. The guy who runs Shavemyface.com, Chris Moss, used it a number of years ago and thought it was very good. It is available at woodworking stores. So get that if they have it or something similar. They rub it on some leather and use it to hone wood turning tools.

If you wanna go with industrial standards Norton claims there 8k has a 3 micron particle size, which would put them at JIS 4k (Japan) FEPA F1200 (Europe) or ANSI 1500 (US). All those grits have a particle size of 3 micron. FWIW.

I hate sandpaper for honing.

It's a pet peeve based on all the razors I see with scratch marks all over the blade and an edge that needs a full restoration every single time.

Personal opinion only.

Thanks for the indulgence,

Lynn

I'm gonna agree with Lynn on this one. I don't see a way it could really work... cus sand paper honing edge first I feel like the grit would grab it and microchip because the grit is above teh surface of the paper, not contained within the surface like it is in a hone. So that leaves back honing. And this apparently leaves a very poor edge, though I can't say because I've only honed the "correct" edge leading way.