Thread: What is the best honing stone available?

Originally Posted by Kees

Dear Ed,

You must be spoilt for choice with so many stones. Can you tell me which stone(s) you use most and how do you proceed when you got a blunt razor?

Thanks in advance,

Kees

Kees,
I guess I'm overloaded with hones now. I've found what works for me and the rest lay about unused.

For a blunt razor, I start on the Norton 1K until the edge is formed, then pyramid on the 4/8K (now this is going to sound like cooking directions from your grandmother) until it feels right. I then finish with a 5/10, 3/10, 1/5 on the 8K and coticule. This is followed by 50 passes on my black diamond (1.8 micron) pasted strop and another 50 on my CrO (0.5 micron) pasted strop.

If the razor is dinged or chipped, I often start on the Norton 220 until the damage is removed. If the razor is sharp but not shave ready, I'll start on the least abrasive tool that will do the job.

That's my approach, I'd be surprised if it works for you (unmodified). Honing seems to be a process almost as personal as shaving.

One last point, as I've said before, I do own a Chineese 12K...the only thing I use it for is lapping my other hones. The coticule does a MUCH better job of finishing a razor IMNSHO.

Just another data point,
Ed

I have been away for a week and wanted to post this to you before.

I was reading a collection of woodworking articles on maintaining woodworking tools. One of the articles dealt with sharpening on Arkansas stones. The gentleman used kerosene as a lubricant as it is a very fine oil. To keep his stones in shape he would roughen them up once in while. It seems that the arkansas abrasive pasticles can become rounded and thus fail to remove metal as fast as they once would. The solution is to lap them on either a coarser stone or sandpaper. This
restores the stones cutting ability.


Food for thought,

Originally Posted by Kees

To everybody: thank you for your great advice.

As I am a nostalgic guy I think I'll buy a Belgian blue and a coticule. I am still trying to find a decently priced one as such stones are expensive.

In the mean time I have been reading a lot of discussions on this forum and the nagging thought came to me that for years I might have overhoned my razors in an awful way. I have been slaving away on my Arkansas extra fine black stone and may have overdone it. So I did what a lot of you guys seem to be doing: start from scratch, start with the Arkansas medium stone and alternate it with the extra fine one and guess what: in less than half an hour I got a good edge confirmed by the Kees HHT which is the hand hair test. It cut straight through the hairs on the back of my hand and wrist. From experience I know that is the moment my razor is sharp enough to get a shave a thousand times better than with a fresh Gilette double blade cartridge. I use those when I'm short of time or annoyed at having to hone my razor again.

I have not tried my razor yet as I am busy redecorating the house, but as soon as I have I'll let everybody know. By the way: I use water and no oil with my Arkansas stones. Every so often I clean them with alcohol and a toothbrush. Remnants of facial grease and lather seem to stick on my razors after use and clog up the pores. As do of course bits of steel. Oil in my experience turns my Arkansas stones into icerinks.

Kees

I agree with Hal, mastery of one type of stones does not an expert make of all stones. I find the barber hones to be very frustrating, yet extremely satisfying when a blade turns out good. It almost makes me feel like I've gained a better appreciation for the skillset that my Grandfathers had. I don't think it really matters what you use, as long as you spend the time and thought to reach the skill level needed to hone razors. To each their own. I value the experiences of all, as that always gives me a perspective that I might have missed.

Rexj

Originally Posted by randydance062449

I have been away for a week and wanted to post this to you before.

I was reading a collection of woodworking articles on maintaining woodworking tools. One of the articles dealt with sharpening on Arkansas stones. The gentleman used kerosene as a lubricant as it is a very fine oil. To keep his stones in shape he would roughen them up once in while. It seems that the arkansas abrasive pasticles can become rounded and thus fail to remove metal as fast as they once would. The solution is to lap them on either a coarser stone or sandpaper. This
restores the stones cutting ability.


Food for thought,

Thanks for the tip. My razors need another hone soon and I am going lap my stones before I start.

Reading the discussions on this forum I get the impression most members can use their razors for weeks before having to re-hone. Mine usually lose their sharpness after 1 or 2 weeks daily use. Before every shave I strop them on a paddle strop. On the leather of the strop I use green wax-like stropping substance by Puma. I don't apply much pressure, I let the spine travel on the leather while stropping, the leather of the strop is not very taut. I use the same razor every day. What am I doing wrong?

Well, the common knowledge here is that you don't need sharpening paste every day. Your green compound is most likely the chromiumoxide paste. My razors last for about 10 shaves between honings, stropping on canvas and clean leather only.

I only put new green wax on when the green starts to fade. There are one or two "streaks" if you like, on the leather that have most contact with the razor that lose the green colour fastest. They could do with re-pasting every week but I re-paste less often.
I feel more reassured now that I have read I am not the only one who has to re-hone a razor every 1-2 weeks. Thanks!

For some additional reassurance, mine also last about 10 shaves a pop. A bit longer in the summer as I'm switching to 2 passes. 3 pass shaves combined with hot weather sweating aren't good for my sensitive skin lol.

Shaving 3 passes? How long does a shave take you?
I usually start against the grain straight away. Some areas (jaw line, chin and moustache) I do twice in slightly different directions because they got a variable grain. A shave takes me no more than 12 minutes. The sharper the blade the quicker the shave. How about you?

My routine takes me just under 20min:
1) Wash the face
2) Apply crappy wilkinson soap
3) Go downstairs and strop (the bathroom is being renovated lol)
4) Go back upstairs, wash off the crappy soap
5) Put on some quality soap
6) Get some music started
7) N--->S pass
8) Side to side
9) S--->N pass
10) Rinse off the brush and my face
11) Clean the soap residue off the blade with alcohol
12) Run downstairs and re-strop (this step has been debated on both sides lol)
13 Run back upstairs and apply aftershave

You're a fast shaver! 3 passes under 20 min. would ruin my facial skin and cause nigh exsanguination (lol).

What's the point of crappy soap on your face? I tend to take some more time for the good lather to soften the hairs and lubricate the skin. I use Palmolive shaving cream which used to be available in the U.S.A. in the nineties of last century.
I usually lather my face, comb my hair or what's left of it, strop the razor and then start shaving. Before shaving I often refresh the lather that is still on my face because it tends to dry out quickly, especially under the nose.