Thread: oh no!!!

hiya everyone not posted anything in a while been kinda busy with all these exams . I got a diamond sharpener for my knife, but i have to keep my knife at the farm not at the house, so the only thing i had to sharpen was my razor (see where this is going?) this was starting to need honing anyway so i thought i'd try it out because accidentally i'd ordered the 1200 grit one. Unfortunately now it's not quite sharp enough to shave with, was just wondering if you think i should do a few more laps on it to see if i can restore it or not? I know a lot of you offer honing but i'd really like to keep it in England to be honest, so any info on that would be much appreciated aswell i have also been to both the local barbers and they both said it needs to be sharpened with a strop, i didn't mention any technicalities :P, like i said all info is appreciated thank you Josh

IME a 1200 diamond plate is appropriate for setting a bevel but will not give you an edge sharp enough or smooth enough to shave comfortably. You might try Steve at the Invisible Edge here. He is very good with the hones and is in the UK.

Indeed a 1.200 hone is not enough to get a razor shaving ready.
You should AT LEAST go up to 6.000 or 8.000

1.2k is nice for kitchen knives and such, but not for razors.

Here is a progression I use if the razor is still "sharp" but not shaving well:

I start with a 1.000 hone
until it shaves arm hair nicely

then I go to a 5.000 hone (could be a 3.000/4.000 or 6.000 as well)
until the hair on my arm is easily popped or shaved

I then go up to 8.000, eventually 10.000 or even 20.000
following a very important thing:
A stropping compound like Chromiumoxide or diamond or a tiers issard or dovo paste.
These really put the finish and are pretty cheap.

So the least you need to do is buy one more hone,
around 6.000
I would recommend a Norton 4.000/8.000, because it has two sides that will help you.
Take the razor to the 4.000 until it popps arm hair,
and stay on the 8.000 until it shaves arm hairs nicely.
You could shave with the Norton 8kish edge,
but a stropping compound would do wonders!

Edit: ah I see you live in UK?
So inside the eu I would recommend a Coticule.
A very versatile item but not really cheap.
It´s hard to get the norton inside eu,
so you will probably need something else.
You could have a look at http://www.knivesandtools.com
under "Slijpstenen" you will find some sharpening stones,
including the Naniwa Superstone series.
There is a Superstone 3.000/10.000 for 69€ that would suit you very well

ahhhh thank you both for your advice , in the mean time i think some serious sucking up to parents will need to be done for a hone , oh and it'll mean shaving with a disposable *shivers*

Considering you're in the UK and have a limited budget I would advice getting a dragon's tongue with slurrystone from inigojones.co.uk and a PHIG (chinese 12k) from theinvisibleedge.co.uk. It won't be a great setup but it will work albeit slow and will only cost about £27 + shipping.

Then your progress would be: diamant sharperner > DT + slurry > DT > PHIG.

Originally Posted by Piet

Then your progress would be: diamant sharperner > DT + slurry > DT > PHIG.

I'm glad to see my honing methods and terminology spreading around a bit. I do agree that the Dragon's Tongue and the People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit (PHIG) should get you going pretty well. There is a chance, however, that you will need something in between the 1200 diamond and the DT. I go from a King 1k to the DT, but a King 1k is closer to a Norton 4k due to different grit measuring/rating systems. But, I think it's worth giving the DT and PHIG a shot; at worst case, you might need to add in something else.

You should be aware that the DT and PHIG will both need lapping, and the DT does not come with a slurry stone. You can cut off a piece of the DT to use to create slurry, or rubbing with some other fine, non-porous substance might work too (very find sandpaper, a very fine slurry stone, etc).

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

You should be aware that the DT and PHIG will both need lapping, and the DT does not come with a slurry stone. You can cut off a piece of the DT to use to create slurry, or rubbing with some other fine, non-porous substance might work too (very find sandpaper, a very fine slurry stone, etc).

One of our members bought a slurry stone along with his DT for an extra £5.

In the UK you should take a look at The Invisible Edge.

Steve offers a great honing service and has a selection of Belgian Blue and Yellow coticule hones, as well as every Naniwa hone from 1-12K.

Definately worth a look.

Originally Posted by Piet

One of our members bought a slurry stone along with his DT for an extra £5.

Oh, that is very cool. I was unaware that was an option.

Do you think a DT w/ slurry would help fill that gap?

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I'm glad to see my honing methods and terminology spreading around a bit. I do agree that the Dragon's Tongue and the People's Hone of Indeterminate Grit (PHIG) should get you going pretty well. There is a chance, however, that you will need something in between the 1200 diamond and the DT. I go from a King 1k to the DT, but a King 1k is closer to a Norton 4k due to different grit measuring/rating systems. But, I think it's worth giving the DT and PHIG a shot; at worst case, you might need to add in something else.

You should be aware that the DT and PHIG will both need lapping, and the DT does not come with a slurry stone. You can cut off a piece of the DT to use to create slurry, or rubbing with some other fine, non-porous substance might work too (very find sandpaper, a very fine slurry stone, etc).