Time to learn?

[nalbonen4]

So, I've been shaving with my straight for about two months, but between learning to strop properly, some bad shaves with completely wrong angles, and dropping my razor once, I now need to bite the bullet and decide if I want to learn to hone, or send my razor out.

I want to learn to hone, so that might be reason enough, but I find it a little intimidating and confusing. There is so much about grits and different stones and the difference between setting an edge and touching up an edge that I really am unsure of what my needs actually are.

What I have gathered so far is that a good all around beginner stone is the Norton 4k/8k combo. I dont want to cut corners but another 80 bucks might not be in the cards...

The flip side is the problem that it is around 30 dollars to get a razor honed once you factor in shipping, and I'm without my razor for that time frame.

My end goal in straight shaving is to be self sufficient, able to handle everything on my own. I don't need my razors to be works of art, I just want a clean shave!

I have a second razor, but I need to put a set of scales on it... It was a taylors eye witness 1000 which I have read is a good razor, so hopefully soon I will have two in the rotation, but that would be another 30 dollars to hone that one as well, after which I am almost to the same cost as a hone!

So the real question is, what is the best advice you can give me about honing, I am looking for the most cost effective means of keeping my razors sharp, one is a full honing, the other mostly just a touch up, both carbon steel. Can a novice figure this out? I've seen all the videos online and read everything here, and it all cautions me away from it, but I am pretty meticulous with my hands (lots of fly tying and other detail oriented work) and I have a pretty good understanding of what I need to do and how to do it, it is just getting to practicing it.

A recommendation for a good hone would be the most appreciated, as I read over this it sounds like I have already made up my own mind... =]

[JSan2260]

I would suggest getting the norton 4K/8K and going to an antique store and pick up a cheap str8. Use it to learn on and if you mess it up you may be out 10 bucks or so. I started out honing mine and got good shaves. Then i found a couple guys that had straights and honed them. I got theirs sharper than mine so I went back and done mine again. Its like everything in this hobby practice practice practice

[SirStropalot]

+1 on the above, 4/8k norton. How much damage from dropping? I know pictures will be requested. You're probably going to need a 220/1k also depending on edge condition.

[dewey81]

I've been at this straight shaving thing for about 8 months and just now am contemplating getting into honing. I bought a Naniwa 12k to do maintenance honing. That way I can work on honing technique before I get into bevel setting.

If you do decided you want to go all the way the norton 4/8 is a great choice. Not because I have one but because I've researched it on here like crazy! lol There's a video on youtube by Gssixgun that shows how to bevel set with the 4/8. Best of luck!

[jeness]

Everyone will recommend the 4k/8k Norton for the start, for a good reason. Best bang for the buck, nice shave off the 8k, and a LOT of experience and videos from other members. What else could you ask for?

[cpcohen1945]

You understand the problem exactly --

. . . a few honings = the price of a 4K/8K.

If you can tie flies, honing a razor will be _easy_. Your eyes and hands are up to the job.

I also have a Norton 4K/8K, and it's fine for honing edges that are dull, but otherwise in good condition. You _may_ want three other things for a complete kit:

. . . A Norton 220/1K, for handling chips and badly-worn blades;

. . . A finishing hone (a barber hone would do, they're about $20) that's finer than 8K;

. . . A pasted strop (e.g. chromium oxide 0.5 micron (= roughly 30K grit size)) for final polish.

You should certainly have a magnifier -- a 10x jeweller's loupe works nicely - to examine edges. And a granite or marble tile, with 400 grit sandpaper, to flatten the Norton stones.

I started out using high-grit sandpaper, and fairly quickly realized that buying a few Nortons would save me a lot of trouble. I buy razors at antique stores and flea markets, and the 1K stone gets a lot of use.

Charles

PS -- "hone acquisition disorder" is a danger, but it's not as common as "razor acquisition disorder".

[thebigspendur]

I don't know anyone who was born with a hone in his hand. We all learn by doing so just practice and you will gain the skill. The Norton 8K/4K is a very good option as a start. It was my first hone and I did it all with it.

In the end you can read all that exists about honing and know nothing about how to get the razor sharp but you could tell someone else how to do it by the book.

[roughkype]

IF I had to cull my herd of hones, here's what I'd keep:

DMT 325 plate, 6"
1k hone (mine's a no-name)
Norton 4k/8k
Naniwa 12k

The DMT plate is in place of the granite tile and sandpaper, used for lapping hones. It's also good for taming kitchen knives, which are very nicely finished on the 1k.

And +1: if you're a fly tyer you can definitely hone. Light touch, like when setting quill wings.

+2 on the loupe. It's a great help to be able to SEE your progress, and a good 10X magnifier is just the ticket. Get a Coddington or Hastings Triplet type; they have the best resolution. Bausch & Lomb are good.

Progress points to monitor with the hand lens: Is the bevel set toe to heel on both sides? What does the scratch pattern look like when you finish with one grit? How many passes does it take at the next grit to hone out the previous grit's scratches? And finally, man oh man is that 12k polish pretty or what!?

The best time to use the lens is at purchase time, to make sure there's no micropitting at or near the edge.

I'd say the first two hones to gather are the 1k and the Norton 4/8k, then wow yourself with the N12k when you're getting consistenly nice shaves off the 8k. Add the DMT plate whenever you get tired of sandpaper on marble, which might be never. Your call.

Best wishes and happy honing.

[jaws]

Yes, I think so, Norton stones are very good stones and keep clean longer that Japanese one. Learning own to hone razor is not difficult if you get a half dull razor, but will be harder if it is not the case ... . Like sharpening knives you will have to be conscious of everythings you do with your hands, and the fingers positions, cause any presure you give to your razor will have an impact on its edge ... I say you good luck !

[Pithor]

I'd suggest a coticule, but then again that's how I started so I have no idea about synthetic hones. They can be pricey, but they pop up here in the classifieds and over on B&B from time to time for reasonable prices. It's not insanely difficult to get good shaving edges off of these and you'll get the entire package for one price: a bevel setter, honer and finisher. Combination stones are useful to start for a method combining the yellow and blue. For me, it's the only near complete honing package I can think of that is available for around $100 if you're lucky and not in a hurry.