Thread: Lather at the hones?

Hello,

I'm 19 so everything i do here is as a noob. i got into straight razor shaving with a bang, i started with a Belgium Blue/coti combo hone, my home made paddle strop, and my dovo 5/8 razor. I do all my honing with that one stone. I know one stone honing isn't for everyone, but with some time i'm now able to pull it off consistently. but i am looking to get a 1000k. I have had some great BBS shaves(except under the chin).

Here's my question, i read that you can further smooth the edge on your razor by using lather/soap on your hone. i was wondering if theres truth to that? and what kind of soaps would you use? Coticules are non-porous so i'm not worried about damaging my hone, all you have to do is rinse.

Barbers I knew in the 1980s used the lather from their "Lather King" soap machines. They called coticules 'soap stones'. I've tried it with a puck of soap, brush and lather bowl but find it too slick. You can also try a drop or two of dish soap. For me soap isn't something I like to use for honing but YMMV.

It's a common technique, thought to lower the grit and slow the stone a little. Any soap will do. Most people gravitate toward a shaving soap, based on the objective of placing some buffer between you and the granuals in the stone. Shaving soap seems to have more buffers in it.

Some stones can get damaged, as you have already noted.

It can help hold moisture longer. Be careful though as it dries. It feels good to get that increase suction, but as it dries it can become more trouble than it's worth.

I've used soap on my coticules with good results. I find it makes the edge keener after going to water on the yellow coti side. If you want to even go more sharp you can use honing or sewing machine oil on a coticule, most people don't like to use oil but it works. Coticules aren't porous, you're right, but if you use oil just be careful.

I was told by my barber in the late 60s to use foam shaving cream when refreshing the edge on a 3 line Swaty.
I never had any problems with the Swaty hone when using foam shaving cream.