Thread: Newbie honing help

Okay so I have been shaving with a straight for a couple of months now with pretty decent results. I originally bought a DOVO "Micarta." Then about a month later I bought a DOVO "Bismark." The micarta is stainless and the bismark is carbon. When I got the bismark I was amazed at how much better of a shave I got from it. I assume maybe I stropped the micarta wrong in one of my first shaves. Well now I am looking to hone them back up. Neither one has a bad edge, per se, but I definitely think they could be better. I have been doing a lot of reading on here and since they were both professionally honed prior to being shipped to me it seems I need a barber's hone. Is this correct? I also do not know what brands I should look for or where to even look. Or will a 12k or higher stone achieve the same results. I basically just want something to bring my previously honed blades back up to snuff. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ty

I use a couple of barbers hones that i've gotten from the antique store ($5.00 each) for a quick touch up. one of mine is called "Crown" and the other is "American...." cant quite remember atm (at work).they've been lapped and work fine for me,you can usually find them at antiques stores,flea markets,ebay,classifieds etc...they were fairly common back in the day so they tend to come up alot,if youre not having any luck shoot me a pm.

if you need just touch up you are correct Barber hones will do the job and it is easiest and cheapest option.
which barber hones ?
Many of them out there.
swaty's
Cmon
frictionate00
apart
etc etc etc.
Now if you want high grit stone that will do the job too but will take same time.
Good coticule, chinese 12k. an escher, Nakayama ,shapton 16k etc.
you can choose pastes too but i just personally don't like them.
you can try diamond pastes and chro2.
hope this helps.

Originally Posted by TTfireman

.... it seems I need a barber's hone. Is this correct? I also do not know what brands I should look for or where to even look. Or will a 12k or higher stone achieve the same results. I basically just want something to bring my previously honed blades back up to snuff. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ty

So to answer your question - yes. A barber hone, polishing/finishing stone, pasted strop, or lapping film are all options to be weighed. Things to be considered are frequency of use, cost, and time.

To give you an idea about how these things stack up:

The "buy it now" solution seems to be lapping film (>.3 micron) is cheap - 4 - 5 USD, coming in packs of about 3. You can re-use the film through several touch ups per sheet. Over time (read years), you will have spent an amount AT LEAST equal to any of the other more durable solutions.
They tend to cut quickly minimizing your time spent.

Barber Hone - I've seen them on ebay for around 20 USD or so; their prices can vary widely due to collectors competing aggressively for the rare ones; so watch out. One of these will restore your edge quickly and should last your lifetime barring any misfortune.

Polishing stone - Most expensive option, however, if you plan on honing your own razors from sharpness levels below shave-sharp(but not shave ready); you'll need one of these in your honing progression. It seems that many polishing stones cut slowly; so depending on your polisher of choice, you would probably be spending the most time by selecting this option. (the C2K from woodcraft is a steal at ~40 USD shipped)

Pasted strop - Prices vary widely here depending on which strop you purchase for pasting and which paste(s) you buy. However, it seems that pastes work pretty fast. There is the added caveat that you will end up rounding your bevel and eventually require a new bevel to be set and your razor re-honed.

As always, YMMV. I hope I got all the facts down for you in right order.

Cheers!