Thread: What hone to start with

I want to start keeping my razors in shave ready shape. What hone should I buy first ?

Kind of depends on how much money you want to spend and how much your razors need to be honed. Check out the wiki.

Short story: Norton 4k / 8k combo stone is a great deal. Then you can finish with chromium oxide on balsa or a strop.

+1 Min, right on the money. You can get a cheap barbers hone for maintenance, but the 4/8k combo stone is great for not only maintenance, but for overall honing as well.

You will find the 8k side will keep an edge in excellent shave, but if it gets too bad, a couple of passes on the 4k will refresh it, then polish it up on the 8k side, and use the CrOx paddles, or Diamond paddles to polish the edge even further for a more comfortable shave. You can get a CrOx paddle strop very cheaply, or a diamond paddles strop as well. Used together they can keep an edge polished for a very long time before your razor requires re-honing.

Hope this helps!!

M

if your blades are shave ready now, get a finishing hone, 12k or 16k synthetic, or a barber's hone.
When the razor needs a touch up, do a few light strokes strop and if everything is done correctly you should be able to keep your razors in good shaving condition for a long time.

You guy make it sound easy. Is it really ?

Hi Cannis, yes it is pretty easy. You don't need a lot of equipment just to keep a razor sharp. If you have a professionally sharpened razor it is relatively simple to keep it sharp. Read up on some of the Wiki's for honing information and how to make strokes on a barbers hone, which is what I suggest you get for a previously sharpened razor.

Getting to strop consistently will keep a razor sharp for a very long time without any honing help. A good strop is essential.

A good barber hone, like a swaty or an anchor or 1 of many brands made back in the day will help re-shape a dulling razors edge with very little effort, say 5 or 6 laps only to refine the edge back to good shave-able condition. again, stropping is essential, canvas and leather, felt and leather, etc..

A Norton 4/8k combo stone can be used to re-hone a razor completely by resetting the bevel and then polishing. A good finishing stone (like any good synthetic, or a cheap Chinese Guanxi (sp?) hone will put an additional polish on an edge, which I think makes the shave a little gentler or smoother. Again, this is all personal opinion, and YMMV, as what works for me, may or may not, work for you. I have to quantify all statements with that as there are always more than one way to do things.

If you want more info on razor maintenance, read up in the Wiki's here. There is an amazing lot of information in there.

Also, barbers hones are easy to come by, as are diamond paddles and CrOx paddles for polishing and refreshing a razor. If you want recommendations of where to buy, just ask.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask as I and a ton of others here will be glad to provide whatever information possible.

Good luck, and have FUN!! that is the bottom line.

Mike

I'd start with a Naniwa 12k. Serves the purpose a barbers hone serves and also as a finishing stone once you start doing more extensive honing work. Also will allow you to get the hang of honing strokes without causing too much hone wear to any of your blades. Once you go past that and want to say, bring back a chipped or out of service blade, you'll have your honing strokes down and be ready for a 4k/8k.

When this happens put your 12k away until you can get a good shaving edge with the 8k. The reason i say this is that, in the case of restoring an edge (Bevel reset through to polishing) you won't get any benefit out of the 12k until you learned to do all you can with the 8k. I wish to god i'd done this when i started out honing, would have saves a lot of confusion. I jumped straight in with all of them, full set of nortons + a 12k Nani and was doggy paddling for about 6 weeks. No need to rush, a little learned at a time is a foundation skill learned well.

tekbow & mjhammer, great advice and info.

With either the norton 4/8K and Nani 12K, is there a need to lap these, either for break in or to keep them level and in good shape over time?

I've just started looking into all this and my head started spinning when I started getting into discussion threads with DMT, D8C and such. Please advise...

I concur that the standard should be a Norton 4/8K and a Naniwa 12K. With these 2 stones, you can do anything short of restoration. Yes you'll have to lap them. I used wet/dry 300 grit sandpaper on the backside of a glass mirror. Wet everything and go easy with the lapping. That Nani 12K will give you a s-m-o-o-o-t-h edge!

Is there a discussion thread, wiki or other resource for step by step procedure on the first lapping with sandpaper on glass mirror? Sounds simple but im sure there are hundreds of ways to do it. I.e. secure the norton and rub the sandpaper/glass mirror or secure the sandpaper and lap with the norton in hand... how to wet, etc.

Also, this initial sandpaper lapping "breaks it in" but what about as far as leveling the norton, isn't this where a DMT comes in and can take care of lapping and leveling, thereby making it the more efficient choice? THANKS for your help!