Hones.... finding one not easy in OZ!

Dear members,

I am searching abrasive companies, wood working stores and the like for a supplier of 'affordable' hones to sort out my new FROMM razor...

Not an easy task. It seems no one here can source the Norton 4000/8000 stone... I can order it over the net, however the Aussie dollar being as it is, means the stone costs around $140 + AUS to order.

Are there any cheaper alternatives that won't wreck my razor? Perhaps I should bite the bullet.... and get one over the net...

Yes, yes I know.. cheapness gets you exactly that... but perhaps I have overlooked some options to the Norton? Does anyone know of any?

I have made the expensive purchases of a new razor and strop (sure it will save me money)... so I have gone past the point of no return and need to get this to work.. :D

There are some local manufacturers that 'may' be able to sell me some of their waterstones, maybe a 4000 stone and a 8000 stone rather than the u-beauti combo from Norton...

Thoughts...

Kurt

I think eventually you will wind up with the Norton since overall its the best and most used. You could check out tilly on Eboy she sells NOS barber Hones for very reasonable prices. The hard part is figuring out the grit sizes of these old hones since they don't come with this data. Some of the other Honemeisters here are very knowledgeable on these old hones. Tilly sells as redtrader on the bay.

Tilly sells a great starter kit. She helped me out given the info on the thread I started a couple days ago. VERY inexpensive too, she's worth a try just send her an email.

Tilly has a site, so you don’t have to go through ebay... I for one HATE ebay with a passion... here is her site:
http://www.redtrader99.com/hones.html

There has been some recommendation (other sources that SRP) that this white/8k ceramic hone from Lee Valley is a usable alternative to the Norton, however not as good over all. Lee Valley does do international business, so that may be a good source.
Lee Valley Ceramic Hone

Here is an abrasive supplier in the Ozy that carries SAINT GOBAIN ABRASIVES (Norton),
specialty abrasives
I don’t know if the price point would remain the same but at least you wouldn’t have to pay the shipping cost. The Nortons are notorious for "chipping" in transit, even my hone that was coming from up the freeway about 100miles had some slight chipping on the corners.. so I don’t even think shipping one over seas would be a safe bet, a gamble at best.

My advise would be to email Tilly and explain your situation and I bet you'll have a good hone (or hones) in your possession in short order, the only inconvenience would be handling the conversion of funds but that’s not to difficult either.. That would be the most cost effective way to do it.

Thanks for your reply guys.
I will keep trying for the Norton locally and see how I go.

If your razor is new why do you want a hone?
A better choice is an abrasive pasted 4 sided paddle strop. This will get your
new razor shaving sharp and keep it that way for quite awhile.

Try www.thewellshavedgentleman.com , Tony Miller. He is a member here with some great products. The abrasives, diamond paste (water based) can be found at www.classicshaving.com or the boron carbide and chrome oxide can be found at www.handamerican.com .

By the way, I have far more hones then I will ever use in 3 lifetimes and I also have pasted paddle strops with a number of different abrasives so I am not playing any favorites here. The hone can wait for later unless you intend to refurbish a number of used straight razors.

Hope this helps,:)

If you're just looking to touch up a good blade you probably can't do better than a good paddle strop with some pastes. Tony's stuff is top drawer and probably cheaper than buying the hone as well as easier than learning the skill, at least to start.

On the stone issue; one is unlikely to be enough. You'll fare much better with an assortment of different grits whether stone or paste.

X

One good fine barber hone from Tilly and pasted strop from Tony and you'd be set for a long time. Much easier to start with the pasted strop, as far as learning curve.

I am going to get in contact with Tilly and see if she can sort me out some hones. The prices are much cheaper than the Norton. And the Norton can wait a little while as a must have in 12 months purchase ;) . The strop from Tony looks pretty good. I have an Chicago(?) strop that looks quite good, only it has a small leather knot(?) half way along it. When you rub your finger over it you feel a bump... surely this can't be good for razors??? So if it is bad news I only have half a strop - wonder if you get warranty on these things???

With regards to pastes, a barber document I read written back in 1930's(?) said something about not recommending them, and another I read (both from here) said that it was best used by barber experts? Your thoughts?

thesaint13 (Do you have a name we can call you?)

I'm not the "stropmeister" by any means, but try putting just a dab of strop conditioner on the "knot", let it soak in overnight, and then try rolling a glass or a jar over to smooth it out. May or may not work, and I'm sure Tony or others will have suggestions as well.

RT

Abrasive pastes are used by many of us and they work beautifully.
Remember that when the old advice was written they probably did not have the ability to create and sort by size the abrasive grains that we have now.
I would speculate that the old abrasive grains were coarser than what we have available today and the fine grit stuff was either not available to the average guy or he did not know that it existed.

Regarding the bump in your strop. If the application of strop conditioner and then rubbing with a glass bottle does not solve the problem then sand down the bump with some fine sandpaper or a pumice stone. The pumice stone is preferred. The rub the strop with a glass bottle followed by rubbing with the palm/heel of your hand. The oils in your hand will help condition the leather.


Hope this helps,

Thanks - I'll give it a go with some of the Dovo [tiny tube of] paste I bought today.
Login name is a bit strange - I'll sort it out.
My name is Kurt, please to meet you all.

Welcome Kurt,

Randy Tuttle offers excellent advice, something I had not thought of! I defer to his experience as I am, in my humble, yet accurate opinion, still a newbie to all of this. None the less, it's a journey, and a journey full of learning experiences!

RT

Kurt,
I slightly un-orthodox but effective way to fix the knot is to soak it with dressing over night then very carefully tap it with a very smooth hammer, maybe the back of a ball pein type. It will leave a small dimple, much like setting a nail head in drywall but a dimple will not catch on the razor like a bump will.

I deal with Tilly often and she has some wonderful stuff. If you were going to get a paddle from me at some point I can gladly combine Tilly's hones with the shipment to save a little on postage.

Tony

Thanks Randy, RT and Tony. I am going to try the pumice stone to fix my strop. Tony, thanks for the offer - I have placed and order with Tilly for the beginners pack, however will have to hold on the paddle for a little while.

Again - thanks for your tips chaps.

My internet has been down, hence late reply...