Thread: Is this enough to maintain my razors?

Hey everyone. New to these forums, and relatively new to straights.

I'm trying to avoid professional honing for as long as possible, or completely if it can be done. I have some razors that will be difficult to post overseas, or even in the regular mail. I also dislike the idea of having to rely on someone

What I'm considering doing, is:
. Get a rotation of 5 or 6 razors.
[COLOR=#333333]. Touchup my razors with a barber's hone when needed.
. Strop on fine leather before each shave

My main questions are:
. Is it possible to maintain a good edge for a very long time just with touchups on a barber's hone?
. I only plan on having one strop. Would it be better to get a smooth leather + linen, or smooth leather + pasted?
. Depending on the previous answer, what kind of paste would be most suitable if I also use a double sided barber's hone?

I understand that some of these questions may be impossible to answer, due to YMMV, but I'm just looking for an approximate answer.

Thanks.

Assuming no serious damage which then you could just send it out for repair. what you propose could go on forever and a day...

Linen and Leather Hanging strop, is my suggestion, with a separate Bench strop for paste of which I consider CrOx to be the most versatile


PS: This is a bit more than opinion, I kept my first two razors going for over 20 years with a very nice Arkie and a Illinois 835

I also have a single razor in my collection that has never seen anything but a Swaty and a Illinois 827 for going on 5 years now

I would answer, but you just heard from a very reputable and informed member and I could add nothing, except to say I got a nice used Swaty for under $40.

Could you also use a finishing stone...any 12k or 16k stone?

Originally Posted by Phrank

Could you also use a finishing stone...any 12k or 16k stone?

You could use just about anything that you can shave comfortably off of..

BUT

As you start adding a Finishing Stone/Hone rather than a Barber's Hone you might very well catch HAD consider yourself warned A Barber's Hone is simplicity personified

I only used a barber hone for years, and then strop and linen obviously, I doubt 100 years ago most people had 6 stones they used. Basically its whatever the best result you get from trial and error. I use to wet my stone and lay 1k grit sand paper over it so it would lay perfectly flat, then take my time setting my bevel then id move to 2k, then spend forever honing with a very fine stone till i was happy. All this was till I started studying the internet for the best ways, although my results were always good and probably not the best recommended lol.

Lots of ways to get the same result, it mainly depends how fast you want to get there. Correct me if im wrong.

Thanks for the responses people.
I'll take Gssixgun's suggestion, and get a barber's hone, paddle strop with CrOx, and a hanging leather/ linen strop.