Sharpening razor in Oz

I've just been given a Dovo razor that needs a hone and stop before use, and from looking through all the info on the net I've purchased a combination Japanese water stone 3000/8000. (I can't find a local Norton supplier or a local supplier of a combiantion 4000/8000). I'm also organising a leather/canvas strop.

Will this be enough for me to get my Dovo shaving perfectly?

I've downloaded all the info on how to sharpen and shave, including the pyramid process, how to hone and strop, etc. But do I need to paste my strop? Do I have all the right tools?

Any further advice?

Can anyone suggest a good contact in Australia, preferrably Perth?

Cheers

Brooksy I'm startin the journey also, only with the Norton 4k/8k. I'll be watchin for your updates on your progress..Good honing
Tom from KC

Probably not, but it can become perfect with practice. A Norton is all you need, technically. I would add a paddle strop or a piece of leather or a belt impregnated with .5 paste to help you out. Or a barber hone off Ebay. But, be patient and try it out. Try learning how to get the razor running with just a Norton and see how it goes first. Then repost and we'll talk.....

Well, since you already have the 3000/8000 combination stone, I think it is not necesary to get another one. You also don't need the pasted strop, but further along, you can try and improve the edge with one. For now, you have all you need to get the perfect shave.

have fun,
Nenad

Yes, sorry I misunderstood the 3k/8k should be fine as well. You don't need to buy a Norton.

But I'd still recommend the paddle strop with 0.5 micron paste. I use it all the time, but I have a fine beard and so need a fine blade. This is a big step you're taking. You're going to want to get that razor humming sooner rather than later so you can do what you bought it for, to SHAVE with it! The paste will help you get there.

X

The only thing I would add here is start with the 8000. If you think you initially need the 3K go real slow and careful with it since its a tad coarser than the standard 4K most of us use to do the real sharpening.

Most new blades (unless you got a bad sample) just need a touchup. Its very possible the pasted strop might do the job also and its easier to use as a newbe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

The only thing I would add here is start with the 8000. If you think you initially need the 3K go real slow and careful with it since its a tad coarser than the standard 4K most of us use to do the real sharpening.

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Actually, that is a bit irelevant, since there is great confusion and grit mismatch between hone manufacturers. We use Norton since someone tryed it first and concluded it is ok. Who knows what it's real grit is?? Over at nassrasur.com, the german straight razor place, the stone of choice are 3000/6000 combination stone and Belgian coticule...

Nenad

Thanks guys, very helpful. I'll let you know how it all goes.

I think my plan of attack is go the a couple of very light stokes on the 3k and then the 8k to start with and see how that goes.

Hi Brooksy,
Can I ask where you sourced to combination Japanese water stone? I'm from Melbourne and seem to have the same issue with the Nortons locally.
Cheers..

Yep,
The best place I have found is www.everten.com.au They also have a store in Sydney called Rosie's of Pyrmont at the Sydeny Fish Markets. They are a knife supplier to the hospitality/food industry.
Other spots I've found are:
www.timbecon.com.au (Perth based woodworking supplier, but they don't stock the combination stone); and
www.carbatecwa.com.au (Again a Perth based woodworking supplier, and they also don't stock a combination stone)
Both of these have a wide range of Japanese Water Stones, even above 10k grit. But it's just too expensive to buy them not as a combination (6k is only about $50, but 8k plus is $130 plus). I'm sure there would be a great woodworking supply place in Melb, but probably won't find a combination stone.
I went with everten, 'cos they were the cheapest I found and even cheaper than if I bought a Norton from the US and shipped it across myself.
I'm also veyr happy with the quality of the hone. The brand is Kasumi.
Good luck finding your hone.
Also, bad luck on being snipped out of the auction for the strop yesterday. Hopefully they offered you a second chance. I was snipped last night too, but got a second chance. Lucky.
Cheers

Thanks for that. I'll have a look at their sites. You'll have to keep in touch with your progress. Resources are a bit scarce in Oz.
As far as the eBay bidding goes I think it might be a bit dodgy (no proof might you, just a bit sus). I missed out on the auction by just a couple of dollars, then got a 'second chance offer'. I think they might up the price themselves though a different user id, find out your max bid then re offer it to you. They did this to me so I offered them $20 (there was another strop from them that was for $18.95ish that did not get one bid, so I thought that was a fair offer) but did not get a reply. Did you take them up on the offer? If so you'll have to let me know what sort of quallity it is.

I was bidding on another strop, and that happend to me. When I queried them they said they actually had two for sale. They offered it to me at my last bid ($1 below the final price) so I bought.
The strop your bidding on is currently in stock, so they have plenty. They've failed to get any bidders a few times at $19 so you should be able to get it.
It's handy to do an Advanced Serach on closed listings to see the history. I'm ok with it, 'cos it was still a bargain at the price. I've only found one place in Perth which stocks Strops and they're $80 and not very special at all! Apparently there is a place on Chapel St that stocks Dovo Solingen, Trumper and not sure what else. Might be worth a look?
I'll keep in touch with progress.

They might yet get back to me with the $20 offer. Was the strop you got your second chance on from the same eBay user (coonent)?
I did a bit more searching and found http://www.lie-nielsen.com.au. They have Norton water stones but only 1000/8000 is the only combo in the online catelogue and I think the 1000 grid might be a tad rough. I sent an email to see if they could get a 4000/8000 and what the price might be. If they don't get back to me I'll probably get the 3000/8000 Kasumi Whetstone from Everten for $118.90. Sounds like you were pretty happy with this.

Nah, the strop I went for was from capgras1. Advance Search ebay under strop, closed listings. It'll come up. The title was something like "Vintage Strop, The Boss".

From everything on SR8 Razor, I'd agree 1k sounds too aggressive. I'd be interested to hear what their quote is for the Norton stone. I could get it to Perth for about US$100 = AU$145 by the time you include exchange fees and UPS airmail. That was through www.thebestthings.com.

Happy hunting

Hey Brooksy,
Just got a reply back from Lie-Nielsen. They do have the Norton 4000/8000 in stock but for some reason it's not on their website. The price is $104.00 plus freight is $9.00 Aust Air Express over night. This sounds like a pretty good deal so might need to grab myself that.
Cheers...

Definitely, $113 beats all the prices I could find!
Good find!

That's a good price, I live in Brisbane and when I bought my Norton about 12months back I had to get in from the U.S. as nobody in aussie stocked them. Not even Lie-Nielsen, however even though I had it shipped in I still managed to save on buying local. It's good to see that we now have a few members here in Australia.If you are after a strop there are a couple of guys on this forum that make good strops and at prices far better than you will find in Australia, given there quality.
John

Hi John,
Can I ask where you got your strop from. I know there is Tony Miller from www.thewellshavedgentleman.com who has been highly praised by just about everyone on this site. His Heirloom #2 Original Hanging Strop for $42.95 US sounds like a pretty good deal, as you said compared to most things you find here.

Hi
I have one of Tony Millers paddle strops and I have found it excellent.
Originally I purchased this because I regularly travel for work and I take my straights with me. However I recently had a custom 3" X 16" strop made by Bob Keys , to take on an a motor cycle holiday in India. This strop is the ducks guts and the price was very affordable. Bobs ID on the Yahoo SRP site is rojake32, I don't believe Bob is a member of this forum. PM me and I will give you all the contact details.

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FXR

Hi
I have one of Tony Millers paddle strops and I have found it excellent.
Originally I purchased this because I regularly travel for work and I take my straights with me. However I recently had a custom 3" X 16" strop made by Bob Keys , to take on an a motor cycle holiday in India. This strop is the ducks guts and the price was very affordable. Bobs ID on the Yahoo SRP site is rojake32, I don't believe Bob is a member of this forum. PM me and I will give you all the contact details.

John

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can i steal "The duck's guts"? It's easily the best saying I have heard in years

Well guys, I managed to have my first shave. Details on another post, but the honing and stropping worked fine (although I have redone it to make the blade even sharper).

I just followed all the instructions here. My stone is 3k/8k, so I started on the 3k, then to 8k. Tested on my nail. Not quite there so kept on going with the pyramid. Then did the HHT. Pulled a little, so kept on going only with the 8k. Started feeling good on the HHT, but then added lather to the stone and went even better. Stropped about 20X and then shaved.

Shave went ok, but not quite sharp enough. So went back to the stone, for a few very light runs on the 3k, then the rest on 8k. Feels even better now!

All I can say is keep the pressure light! It makes a huge difference!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brooksy

Shave went ok, but not quite sharp enough. So went back to the stone, for a few very light runs on the 3k, then the rest on 8k. Feels even better now!

All I can say is keep the pressure light! It makes a huge difference!

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That's exatly right. You almost have to conjure that edge into existence.

X