Thread: Oilstones vs Water Stones

SO I finally got fed up with disposable razors - ordered myself a DOVO straight razor, strop, some creams, a brush and for kicks a merker vision safety razor while learning to use the straight.

My question is about stones, as i delayed purchasing one of these due the difference of opinion encountered while reading many different forums.

What is the general consensus here? I see the norton waterstone mentioned in several places - the 4000/8000 3" seems to be a good buy. But then is there an advantage to purchasing an oil stone?

I saw that classic shaving ships their razors to Lynn in Medina Ohio - which is about 20 minutes drive for me! Does lynn ever post here? and if so would i be able to bring my razor up and watch him hone it lol

I am a little skeptical to honing my 100+ dollar razor myself at first and would love to see first hand the technique used. Im sure if i try it myself Ill just butcher and scew up my razor blade heh - which leads to another question (do i need to hone my razor when i get it brand new?) or just strop?

I dont care about costs - so that aside what are your opinions!

Ive also been searching for a video on stropping, honing - and would love to see this done first hand, as the descriptions Ive read seem to be pretty good, and i think i know the method, a final visual aid would work wonders i believe.

And a video on the use of the straight razor would come in quite handy too!

I guess im a visual guy heh

Welcome to Str8 razor shaving! You have come to the right place for help.

Lynn Abrams is the founder of this site and actively participates. His handle is adjustme69 and you can send him a PM about getting together with him.

A lot of us use the Norton 4000/8000 3" hone. It is simply the easiest to use,cuts the fastest and cleans the easiest. No,there is absolutely no advantage to an oilstone.

Do you need a hone for a new razor? No, an abrasive pasted paddle strop with 1.0 and 0.5 micron abrasive pastes would be a better and more useful tool. The reason is that the consensus here is that new razors generally benefit from some additional effort. The second reason is that the paddle strop will help restore an edge that is dulling from day to day use and will bring a new razor up to snuff. The motion used on the paddle strop is the same motion used on the finishing strop so the learning curve is small. Honing, on the other hand is definitely a skill that takes time to learn.
A good source for a pasted paddle strop is Tony Miller (heirphoto), a member here. Go to the Gallery-Gear for Sale-Tony Miller and check out his stuff then PM him (Private Message).

Help files - Look at the help files- honing and videos etc and you will find a lot of help there.

The best video so far is from John West at
The John West - Greg Ives video I was referring to can be found here:
http://users.mikrotec.com/rebel23/wwwpages/

A couple of free videos are here
Brian Donofrio link
http://homepage.mac.com/briandonofri...Sharing87.html

This should keep you busy for awhile!

great thanks for the links - also - so i should buy a paddle strop and use only the pastes on it - i bought yellow and white DOVO paste for my finishing strop - should i use these? or are they not necessary?

im guessing i use .1 micron on one side of the paddle and .5 on the other?

How much of that stuff to use? thanks again!

Welcome to the group, mbuemi. Finishing a strop often seems necessary. I used Mink Oil on mine just like Lynn suggested and it did great. The thing is too keep the leather suppple so that it can do its job. I also just got one of Tony's paddle strops for trave and another pocket size for pastes and can attest to how nice they are, especially the finished red leather. The unfinished and tan are very, VERY nice, but the finished red is an unbelievably smooth finisher. Thanks again, Tony.

X

sorry to keep asking so many questions - so i should use mink oil on my leather finishing strop rather than the DOVO yellow paste? What about on the linen side?

Where did you pick up your paddle strops, and which pastes do you use on those.

Im guessing after about 8 or 9 shaves you need to use the paddle? to clean up the edge? using a paddle to clean that up - how often do you find you have to hone?

thanks!

Howdy, On a new strop, I usually do not recommend any paste. There is a little difference of opinion though, so it will be your decision. If you're only twenty minutes from me, shoot me an email and we'll have you over so I can hone your razor and show you how. [email protected]. Let me know and welcome. Lynn

great lynn thanks! It should arrive monday - ill try some easy areas and see how it shaves - i think i read honing is done once or twice a year - since im relatively new to the straight razor, well i am new heh, how do you decide when to hone.

Ill use the strop as intended, and I will look into purchasing that paddle strop mentioned before with the pastes.

What is this hanging hair test heh - is that how you determine the sharpness and the need to hone?

thanks again for all your help - im pretty excited to start learning to shave all over again!

To the best of my knowledge on DOVO pastes:

white, for the linnen side of the strop (conditioning only)
yellow, for the leather side of the strop (conditioning only)
red, .25 micron sharpening hard paste (comes with the black)
green, .5 micron sharpening paste
black, .6 micron sharpening hard paste (comes with the red)

Just for what is what.

Hoekie

IF!! that Dovo white is listed as being used on the linen then you can, but its not necessary, It is an abrasive so be aware of that.
Some people use it, some don't.

The paddle strop is a good idea and yes, the 1.0 on one side and the 0.5 on another side. Use this when the razor starts to pull and the linen and leather no longer work their magic. 2-3 pea sized drops, rubbed into the leather should be enough. A little goes along way. To much and the leather gets gooey. Then you wipe it off with a paper towel.

BTW, 30-50 roundtrip laps on the linen and plain leather is the norm.

Originally Posted by mbuemi1577

great thanks for the links - also - so i should buy a paddle strop and use only the pastes on it - i bought yellow and white DOVO paste for my finishing strop - should i use these? or are they not necessary?

im guessing i use .1 micron on one side of the paddle and .5 on the other?

How much of that stuff to use? thanks again!

Hope this helps,

[QUOTE=mbuemi1577
What is this hanging hair test heh - is that how you determine the sharpness and the need to hone?

[/QUOTE]

See the gif under my signature. It is a test that I use to INDICATE that the razor is finished with the 8000 hone and ready for the next step. Some use it as an indicator that the razor can be shave tested. It is not a guaranteed fool proof test, just an indicator.
BTW, the hair is root end out, 1/2 to 1 inch,curve downward, the razor is stationary and only the hair is moved. Test at 3 different spots on the blade.

Hope this helps,