Thread: Less is more

For the last few years I have used a fine grit diamond sharpener to sharpen ("set the bevel") if a razor was truly dull and a hard Arkansas stone to polish ("hone") it. (My dad had trained as a barber back in the 1940s and showed me how to sharpen a razor when I was a teenager. No kidding - all he needed to do the same thing was a Washita bench stone.)

Hey guys, it is not about showing all of your stones, just what would work for you at a minimum, any set up or different combos of set ups would work.

Originally Posted by JeffR

For the last few years I have used a fine grit diamond sharpener to sharpen ("set the bevel") if a razor was truly dull and a hard Arkansas stone to polish ("hone") it. (My dad had trained as a barber back in the 1940s and showed me how to sharpen a razor when I was a teenager. No kidding - all he needed to do the same thing was a Washita bench stone.)

I learned to hone from a barber as well and maintained my razors for years with nothing but a surgical black. It wasn't until I came to SRP that I learned there were other types of stones used on straights.

One coticule of any size 6 x 1 1/2 inchs or larger. That's it.

I have over 100 stones but I collect them for fun and because I got good deals on them. I only need the one coticule to maintain all my razors, but then they all have good bevels and edges. It is for turning a disaster into a good shaver that requires either several stones or an abundance of free time. The reason for this is if you have to take lots of metal off and not take a year to do it, you need a fairly course stone. That leaves SEVERE scratch marks. To remove the scratches without spending a year doing it requires a progression of stones that will remove the scratches quickly and leave smaller ones. Finally, you can use just your finish stone to remove the final group of scratches which should be thin and shallow and easily removed even with a finish stone.

I can do all that with a single stone, but it takes way too long to do it that way. And it uses up an expensive coticule. But it could be done. Better solution is to have a minimum of 3 stones of your choosing, just so they are 1)course 2)medium fine 3)extremely fine. You can leave one stone out of the group of three, but then you pay with extra time required to remove scratches with a stone that cuts more slowly than necessary.

Originally Posted by stonehenge

One coticule of any size 6 x 1 1/2 inchs or larger. That's it.

I have over 100 stones but I collect them for fun and because I got good deals on them. I only need the one coticule to maintain all my razors, but then they all have good bevels and edges. It is for turning a disaster into a good shaver that requires either several stones or an abundance of free time. The reason for this is if you have to take lots of metal off and not take a year to do it, you need a fairly course stone. That leaves SEVERE scratch marks. To remove the scratches without spending a year doing it requires a progression of stones that will remove the scratches quickly and leave smaller ones. Finally, you can use just your finish stone to remove the final group of scratches which should be thin and shallow and easily removed even with a finish stone.

I can do all that with a single stone, but it takes way too long to do it that way. And it uses up an expensive coticule. But it could be done. Better solution is to have a minimum of 3 stones of your choosing, just so they are 1)course 2)medium fine 3)extremely fine. You can leave one stone out of the group of three, but then you pay with extra time required to remove scratches with a stone that cuts more slowly than necessary.

Hehehe um yeah 20 minutes from crap to shaving with a any finisher you might have, just a 1k and a finisher that can produce slurry and the ability to use it... Search - One Stone Hone, the proof is in the pudding

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Hehehe um yeah 20 minutes from crap to shaving with a any finisher you might have, just a 1k and a finisher that can produce slurry and the ability to use it... Search - One Stone Hone, the proof is in the pudding

What are you saying? Any crappy razor in 20 minutes using only one stone - any finisher? Then you add a 2nd stone, a 1k - so you are saying any crappy razor in 20 minutes using only 2 stones?

I'm not even sure that is what you are saying, but if it is you are exaggerating or have never had a problem razor or one with a bad chip out of the edge. I had a pair of problem razors that I spent hours and hours on...then sent them to Lynn....and he spent hours and hours on them and they still shaved like crap. I think he got more exasperated with them then I was. After spending several more hours on them using every trick I knew and learning a few others along the way, finally got them to shave really well. But it weren't no 20 minutes a razor either for me or for Lynn. Also, the best finishers I have don't make much if any slurry, so you would be talking about a course stone and then a medium fine stone only, which would work, just not quite as well. A good black arkansas will not take out the scratch marks of a 1k stone in any reasonable time frame.

The coticule I would use if limited to one stone would not be a true finisher but a multipurpose medium fine/fine stone. I would not be a true finisher, because all a true finisher is good for is to finish with, but it would be close enough to fill the dual role. True finish stones polish but they don't cut much at all and I have both coticules and arkansas stones that fall into that category.

Originally Posted by stonehenge

What are you saying? Any crappy razor in 20 minutes using only one stone - any finisher? Then you add a 2nd stone, a 1k - so you are saying any crappy razor in 20 minutes using only 2 stones?

I'm not even sure that is what you are saying, but if it is you are exaggerating or have never had a problem razor or one with a bad chip out of the edge. I had a pair of problem razors that I spent hours and hours on...then sent them to Lynn....and he spent hours and hours on them and they still shaved like crap. I think he got more exasperated with them then I was. After spending several more hours on them using every trick I knew and learning a few others along the way, finally got them to shave really well. But it weren't no 20 minutes a razor either for me or for Lynn. Also, the best finishers I have don't make much if any slurry, so you would be talking about a course stone and then a medium fine stone only, which would work, just not quite as well.

The coticule I would use if limited to one stone would not be a true finisher but a multipurpose medium fine/fine stone. I would not be a true finisher, because all a true finisher is good for is to finish with, but it would be close enough to fill the dual role. True finish stones polish but they don't cut much at all and I have both coticules and arkansas stones that fall into that category.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...lynn-glen.html

I know that search function is hard to use, so here read, watch, learn, it was Lynn and I that worked it out

Basically once the bevel is set you can hone to shave ready on just about anything that you can get a good shave from, and it is that fast...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

http://straightrazorpalace.com/advan...lynn-glen.html

I know that search function is hard to use, so here read, watch, learn, it was Lynn and I that worked it out

Basically once the bevel is set you can hone to shave ready on just about anything that you can get a good shave from, and it is that fast...

Boy, you guys really went all out on the testing on the referred thread. Good information there. We basically said the same thing, and I guess you were agreeing with me and simply pointed out this testing thread that supports that with what you and Lynn found through all that testing. Sorry, couldn't quite understand what you were saying at the time.

Me too, me too

I (would) do:

any 1k, I'd prefer chosera, though I use the superstone since that's what I have
naniwa 5k
naniwa 8k
thuringian/escher

This is almost exactly how I hone, but I sneak in naniwa 12k after the 8k, since I have it allowing me to be just a little sloppier on the 8k. I could certainly get by without the 1k, but I just don't want to, takes too long without it to hone out the chips on these ebay razors we're talking about.

wow guys this is a great thread!!! THANKs