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Hello all I am very new to all of this straight razor stuff,but I really like it.I know that I will need to hone my razor and I want a good sharping hone(stone).I founf this one at a good price,but is it good to use?Do I need a hone(stone) jsut for razors?The one I found is this one( Arkansas Tri-Hone Knife Sharpener Stone 8 Inch 3 Stone) .It has a ruff grade,med and fine is this god to use one my razors??Please help me out.
Pete.:boohoo:
welcome pete
i would say the answer is 'no'.
Fine grade probably means ~ 600-700grit US.
You CAN shave off that. It's in the general range of 3500-4500grit Mesh. Most recommend ~8k min for a shave-ready edge. If you get that you'd probably want a surgical black, translucent, 8k norton, 4k king, etc as a finisher.
I personally would rely on more common stones for newbies.
The norton 4k/8k has been discussed a million times
and a large number of people can help you with this stone,
if help is needed
Thank you all for the info.It seems that the norton is the way to go,but they sure are alot of money.I have been trying to get some old honing stones from e-bay,but out bidded most times.I guess I will have to keep trying.I really never knew that there were some many people .Using straight razors still.I just belived that my barbber and a few out there still use it.I am very proud to be using a straight razor.I got a nice one for twenty bucks.It needs to be cleaned.It is a Kropp with a nice handly and blade.I am glad that there is someplace that I can go to get good info.
Thank you all so much:beer1::beer1:
If you buy all your razors shave ready (Or send them to a classifieds honer before use) you only need one stone for touching up the edge. That is an 8k+ There are MANY options.
Coticule, escher, 4k king, 6k king, 8k norton, 8/10/12k naniwa/others any of a number of barber hones (make sure it's MARKED as a barber hone or a known brand of hone, as many ebay sellers list any small whetstone as a barber hone), China 12k natural, etc.
Cheapest option will be eBay'ed barber hone ~$15-40
6x2" china 12k $20 + shipping (Woodcraft.com)
6k king ~$27 + shipping (also Woodcraft.com)
I've finished razors on the 4k king. It works but I wouldn't buy it specifically for that purpose, and I dont know if any/many have had experience with the 6k for that purpose so I'd recommend the China 12k. It's slow, but for a beginner, that may be a good thing.
Zeepk Sharpening Stone Hone Barber .Is what i got when lookng on ebay.Is this a good stone to use?:gwh:
The general opinion here is that zeepk is the worst possible everything ever.
I wouldn't bother with their hones.
Welcome, Pete! The tri-hone would work just fine. To get a really nice polished edge after using the hard Arkansas stone, you can strop the razor on a canvas strop if you have one, or if not then get some polishing compound (aluminum oxide, jeweller's rouge, Flitz or MAAS polish, etc.) And put a little on some cardboard and strop the razor on it about 12 strokes or so, then strop on the leather. In fact, unless your razor is very dull, you will probably only need to do the stropping, and not need the stone for a long time.
Best wishes,
Jeff
Thank you all for that great info.I have a strop I got it from B&B with a razor that I will use to pratice with.Not to sound dum,but what side of my strop do I use?There is a smouth side and a ruff side.One is leather and the other is cloth.I hope I use the ruff side and not the smouth side ,cuz it feels like I am not doing anything.Like I said before I am new to all this and really enjoy the help and info.:banghead:
Never **** into the windQuote:
Originally Posted by jpeteh
usually the cloth (linen or wool or else) side is being used 20-40 strokes per side before going to the smooth leather for another couple of strokes.
The cloth can be (but doesn´t need to) treated with a white dovo paste
that adds a slightly abrasive action but the leather is what does the trick.
It doesn´t sharpen or do anything you will be able to feel
but it will keep the razor sharp (it will not sharpen it, however)
you should also have a look here http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...azor_stropping
there are some good videos at the end
Actually most people seem to recommend Leather (smooth) 20-50 strokes (varies widely) after honing, and between each shave 20-30 cloth followed by another 20-50 leather.
But like I said, it varies WIDELY, so just test it and see what works for you... but yes the smooth leather side is the final stage before you use a razor.
Well I got a japanese wet stone 1K&6K combo stone and it works really good.i shaved with it one day and found out that i needed to hone it just a little bit more.i did ok and drew some blod under my lip,just a very fine cut.you know it felt good to use my Kropp razor.I am happy to use it had it since Dec 2009 just wanted to get my stone to hone it.
Glad its working out for you! I am sure you will become an expert in no time. Actually a little bit of a cut is a good thing... it starts conversations where you get to tell people that you are learning to use a cuthroat razor! :) The cuts get rarer and rarer as you go along.
That's a good hone to have. You can get a good bevel with the 1000 side (if it's not too horrible) and you can also get a great edge with that 6000 side. That's all I use before my finishing stone, it just takes a little while to get it where you want it jumping up in grit like that. Supposedly the Japanese grits are a different scale than the U.S. grits too. Grits according to WoodCraft < see the bottom of the .pdfQuote:
Originally Posted by jpeteh
Well this was my second time useing my Kropp and ,I did good with the going with the grain,but the going up on the grain ??Did not so good cut my self lucky 7 times.I have a hard time with the up stroke just hard getting use to holding the Razor.On the up side my wife liked the shave and skin was looking clean .I just need more time.Just hope I get better as I do it more.Our I am going to be called Lucky Luch'e'ano.
This old man but on his grave stone. If you have time to kill. Try working it to death
If you cut yourself that much going ATG (against the grain) then your razor is probably not sharp enough to go ATG. Stay with WTG for now till you can put a keener edge on your razor.Quote:
Originally Posted by jpeteh