Thread: How many of you guys hone your own straights?

I haven't used any yet, but when I picked up my first straight razor a couple months ago, I also picked up a Norton 4K/8K stone. Then as most of us beginners do, I read some more and see that a good polishing stone is recommended. So I go out and purchased a 12K Chinese Watering stone.

Then I'm watching videos and see that you should lap the stones, either with wet sandpaper or a DMT stone. So yesterday, I purchase a DMT 325!

It never ends!

Now I will probably purchase a 1K stone just to make the set complete......and this is all without me ever honing or needing to sharpen a razor yet....it's INSANE and addicting.

I started honing my own razors from the get go. I tought myself by reading here and other sites and watching videos. Ive had razors honed for me when sent out for resturation and have never been able to feel much difference from when i do it. I use a dmt1200 if im starting from scratch a belgian combo and an escher. I have one strop for paste i use the tiers issard paste and a red latigo from srd. I find no need for anything else and ive been shaving daily with a st8 for about three years. dont go nuts at first stick to the basics. i had nortons at one time and they worked great. if i were starting out id go with those

i'm relatively new to straight shaving, but i've been honing wood working tools for a long time. i found a belgian coticule at my local antique store and i've had pretty good results using just this stone to finish, and using the scary sharp method to set the bevel. If you interested in the scary sharp method check it out on youtube. This is a really inexpensive way to set your bevel. you just kind of have to be careful and go slow and hang the tang off the end of the block or pane so you're not taking off part of the shank. if you do that and then get a coticule you should do pretty well. I haven't gotten a blade honed by one of the honemeisters but i've gotten a couple of barbershop shaves by some pretty reputable old school barbers and I feel like i'm getting on the money.

No hones yet... But I keep buying razors and I can't afford to send them all out for a honing so I'll be picking up a Norton 4k/8k combo in the next few weeks as well as something in the 12k range...
Damn this addiction. Just remember what I tell my wife when she complains about my razors and guns: At least it isn't hookers and blow and most of what I've bought can be easily re-sold for at least what I paid for it.

haha, somehow that line never seems to fly with my wife.

Originally Posted by bharner

most of what I've bought can be easily re-sold for at least what I paid for it.

All my friends tell their wives that if they die " don't sell any of my stuff for what I told you I paid for it...." :-)

I hone my own razors.
When I started out I didn't know of anyone in my neighborhood who did honing. Heck, I wasn't even aware of any in this whole country
So, sending razors from Norway to the US was not appealing to me.
I picked up a set of Naniwa SuperStones and started reading. A lot! and watched videos too.
Thanks to all the wonderfully helpful Gentlemen on here I was, after much practicing, able to put a usable edge on a blade myself.
1year later I'm still very much in the learning stages of this, but I so much enjoy doing it, and I think shaving with a straight without the honing part of it, would really lessen the experience. For me that is!
Besides, there are so many cool stones out there to try!
My HAD is actually worse than my RAD these days.
They are both alive and well mind you

Originally Posted by Shangas

I hone all my razors myself. And to boot, I'm completely self-taught with honing, as well. Seeing as I'm still alive...I must be pretty good.

Says the guy who's sig reads "at last, my arm is complete again." That prosthetic fitting went well did it?


Q for the masses: I know what a polishing hone does, but in place of a 12k, could a good swaty or like barber hone fit the bill? No, I don't think it would give you that glass polished look under a scope that I know some guys strive for, but would it refine that edge off the 8k to a comfortable smoothness that a good stropping would finish out and make a good shave? (Not talking about going for the mystic perfectly smooth off a j-nat 24k stone kind of shave, just a good, comfortable, serviceable shave). Whaddya think?

Peace,

Originally Posted by BigJim

Q for the masses: I know what a polishing hone does, but in place of a 12k, could a good swaty or like barber hone fit the bill? No, I don't think it would give you that glass polished look under a scope that I know some guys strive for, but would it refine that edge off the 8k to a comfortable smoothness that a good stropping would finish out and make a good shave? (Not talking about going for the mystic perfectly smooth off a j-nat 24k stone kind of shave, just a good, comfortable, serviceable shave). Whaddya think?

IME, it won't do very much to improve on a 8K edge. Well, mine won't.
(I guess some will to some extent, but a standard Swaty or similar won't)
What that barber hone will do is bring it back there again, after use, in a flash and a half.
IMHO they are two separate entities, one is used in the end of a progression, the other is a quick fix to bring the razor back to a shave able state.
Other, more experienced guys, may have a different view on this.
Replacing a 12K used in the end of a progression with a barber hone doesn't sound like the best option out there.

Originally Posted by Birnando

IME, it won't do very much to improve on a 8K edge. Well, mine won't.
(I guess some will to some extent, but a standard Swaty or similar won't)
What that barber hone will do is bring it back there again, after use, in a flash and a half.
IMHO they are two separate entities, one is used in the end of a progression, the other is a quick fix to bring the razor back to a shave able state.
Other, more experienced guys, may have a different view on this.
Replacing a 12K used in the end of a progression with a barber hone doesn't sound like the best option out there.

So, in your experience, shaving off a barber's hone is about the same as shaving off an 8k?

Right now the Norton 4/8 is at the top of my wish list. I have a good swaty for maintaining my currently sharp blades, but I have a couple that I want to hone myself. At question is, will I really NEED a polisher? I know you can shave right off the 8k, but I've heard several times that it isn't comfortable.

Sorry if this is hi-jacking the thread here.

Peace,