Thread: Newbie - First Attmept

About a month into the world of Straight Razors, but enjoying my newfound hobby/obsession to the fullest extent.

I have a bit of a restoration project that I've begun - an old Boker Puritan - that no longer says "Puritan" after my first rounds of hand-sanding... live and learn. In any event... Have a few Christmas bucks to spend here and there, and am planning on picking up the following to attempt my first shot at honing.

Note - I am on a slight budget, and the little lady wouldn't be too excited about having half a dozen "rocks" sitting around the apartment.

Definite Purchase:
*Norton 4k/8k - after much searching/reading, it seems I can bevel, finish, strop and shave with just this - but there are stones that would help make my life easier, I know.

Debate is as follows -

1. Do I go with the Mini DMT 220/325/insert-grit-here to create a slurry to help cutting? I'd prefer not to drop another $60 or so for the full size DMT, but realize that I could use that to lap (or at least it seems that I could from my searches).

-or-

2. Do I go Norton Prep Stone?

I plan on using a course grit wet/dry sand paper to do my lapping.

Just trying to keep the cost and clutter low and have some fun with trying to bring a rust bucket back to life and my main concerns are about the best tool to create slurry for faster/better cutting.

I know there are a million different opinions out there, but I'm just trying to be sure that I'm on the right track.

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinions. Everyone here has been nothing short of fantastic and welcoming. Many thanks.

Get the Norton 4/8K and the DMT 325 plate. I would say no to the prep stone because you can use the DMT on any other stone in the future to lap and to create slurry with, it works with all stones. The Norton prep stone is a white stone that matches only the Norton 4K side of the hone.