Thread: A Fine Hone

Hello all. I am sitting here thinking about my stropping technique and how much it needs to improve, which prompted this post. The question that I have been moiling over is this: Would a fine stone yield the same results as a leather strop - at least approximately? I am thinking of obtaining a fine finishing stone to help maintain my razor's edge while I practice my stropping technique. I seem to be better at sitting and stropping then standing. Also, my only strop is a hanging strop, which becomes cumbersome if I place it on a table - meaning there is no way to get the correct tension. Currently, I do not have any stones and thought that this would be a good way to start building a collection as I learn to strop. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Jay

Not to be rude, but you need to learn to strop, the fundamentals you learn stropping may keep you from destroying a razor while learning to hone. Honing is metal removal, stropping simply polishes a blade. Stropping daily will maintain your blade for quite awhile while honing will eat it up, honing daily is not necessary nor desirable. I hope this helps.

Not rude at all, and thanks for the reply.

Yes, I totally agree with you that I need to learn to strop - I never considered otherwise - but my main concern is that I have dulled a shave ready razor, one that was honed by a member, and I don't want to constantly send out my razors for maintenance. My logic is that I am more comfortable sitting and stropping then I am standing (at least at this point). That said, I still need to maintain the edge of my razors and I certainly don't feel like sending a razor out every time I roll/dull an edge, which is why I thought that using a fine finishing stone may help me in the interim. If this approach is a bad idea, then I will certainly suffer the hassle and cost of sending razor(s) out every time I make a mistake.

Best,

Jay

Have you considered a paddle strop?

You can make your own pasted balsa paddle for less than ten bucks which will maintain your edge between full honings...and it's easier to use than a hone so you will be less likely to make a mistake.

As far as your stropping technique, you'll have to figure out what works best for you. Some strop with the leather facing away from them, some with it parallel, some with the strop tilting up, some down, etc. Experiment until you find the combination that works best for you.

AusTexShaver, thanks for the response! Actually, no I had not thought about a paddle strop but now that you mention it it makes perfect sense - it is most often the simple things that I miss .

Cheers,

Jay

Jay you have some alternatives.

First, there is no hone that is fine enough to take the place of strop, so the answer to your original question is no. Since you have a hanging strop, you are going to have to hang it. I have no idea how you are trying to use it on a table.

If you are more comfortable with stropping at a table, you might want to consider a paddle strop. Tony Miller at the well shaved gentleman has some.

Another alternative would be to strop with newspaper. You can search the forum to see how others do it. I just wrap a few sheets of newspaper around a flat board and strop on it for a final polish.

You have lots of options for maintaining your razors. Some of the most commonly recommended for basic maintenance include barber hones, coticules, and the chinese 12K. You can do some reading in the basic honing section to learn a more about your options.

See what happens when you walk away from your computer in the middle of a thought--somebody else beats you to it!

+1 on newspaper as an alternative (although personally I finish on a hanging leather strop). I firmly wrap/tape down a few sheets around the brick that's also known as a Chinese 12k (although personally I also rub some chrome ox into the newspaper so I only use this method for razor touch ups).

Chris L

Utopian, I appreciate the suggestions. I have read a bit about newspaper and that seems interesting, I think I may give it a try!