What's new

I've entered "The Church of Straights"

Aust hand hones his and most B&Bers are satisfied with his edges. The TI and Revisor, I do not think are shave ready.

Agreed. My very first straight razor was a Ralf Aust 5/8. It was first rate in my opinion then and now.

To @Time Bandit I say welcome to the "Church" as you called it. I see that you are already being pushed into several different pews. People are trying to be helpful here but ultimately, shaving with a straight razor is a venture in solitude. And that in my opinion is what it's all about.

Sit where you like.
 
There's presently some really great and really cheap blades in the buy-sell-trade forum right now if you go look, saw an edelweiss for great price.. honed by a member here, either of those would be awesome given it'll be sharp per a member here's standards.

Probably better than anything you're going to find elsewhere given community standards
 
A Revisor might be good too, but I’m uncertain about the status of their shop/US shipping right now.
I just checked and remain peeved to report:
Sorry, but we don't send
packages to the US at this moment, because shipping just takes too long.
I waited well over a month in 2020 when my pkg came by sea carrier and didn't care, but I sensed they got a lot of complaints and decided it just wasn't worth it. Apparently there is no other way to get a pkg out of Solingen at any price 🤷‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
Aust hand hones his and most B&Bers are satisfied with his edges. The TI and Revisor, I do not think are shave ready.
Revisor sent me a razor, not listed as shave ready, with a normal factory edge, definitely not shave ready, as per standard industry practice. This was quite some years ago. I was well satisfied but I do not expect a new razor to be shave ready and have never received one that I didn't have to hone. The delightful thing about Revisor is the huge variety of razors on their website. It is a cross section of the entire 20th century western style straight razor industry. Name a standard size and style, and they have it in many different variations. They aren't famous for their marketing or customer relations or even ease of ordering. I am guessing they don't have many or any front of the house staff, just a couple of guys taking old surplus blanks and making decent finished razors out of them, and they spend more time at the grinders than handling orders or queries.

Since I was the first to mention Revisor, I will say my bad, on that. OP needs shave ready and he already has usable razors that are not shave ready. I have heard of RA buyers shaving with their Aust razors right out of the box though I have not owned or used a RA razor. Dovo's factory edge is claimed as shave ready but is far from it. Many vendors will hone, and I got I think two from Jarrod that while not up to my standards, could definitely shave. I have owned a recently manufactured Boker King Cutter that had a good solid factory edge that honed up with zero drama, but not shave ready. I have heard of shave ready TI factory edges, and also some that were not even pretending to be shave ready. No personal experience that I can recall, with TI razors.
 
I took a look at those in the Acquisition thread, and I second the "put them in a drawer for now." Main reason being, if you are gonna screw something up, screw up something that isn't neat.
As the others suggested, start from the beginning and make sure you understand each area before attempting the next. Restoration to useable condition is at the far end, not the beginning.
I'd throw in just get a couple cheap Gold Dollars to practice honing and stropping. While you are mastering that, keep up the research, you'll get them fixed up eventually.
 
So I would lean in the direction of “send one to someone to hone” rather than “get yourself a shave ready razor”. You already spent money acquiring razors, why buy yet another one? Should be more efficient to have someone experienced hone up one of the ones you now possess. In particular, while I haven’t taken a really close look at the 6, I might suggest starting with the Burrell Top Flight. Burrell started around WW 2, making them a late comer to the straight industry, which means that the odds are pretty good that the Top Flight is the newest razor in your stash, which *might* mean that it is in the best condition and therefore easiest to restore/sharpen. I do own a Top Flight, and my example at least is a very well made excellent shaving machine.
 
@Titleist @CpnStumpy @haggis @Slash McCoy @WhiteRabbitAgain @2bit_collie

Thank you all for your options. I really do appreciate it.

My thinking at this point is that seeing as I have (at this point) six vintage razors I'd like to restore and use (at some point), that in the long run, I'm going to need honing/finishing materials. There's just no getting around this. So with that said, I'm leaning towards either buying some of the needed materials and a really cheap new razor to practice honing, finishing, stropping etc. and take my time on learning these aspects first, or pick up an as cheap as I can find used, shave ready razor now and just get on with using a straight. Then just continue to strop it until it's dull and in need of a new edge, buying me time to get more of the honing material I'll need long-term to restore and maintain them all.

I don't really want to spend money on another razor. I'd rather spend on needed long-term materials. But it's kind of whatever at this point. I'm kind of giving in on the idea of another if the price is low enough.

What do you think?
 
“All need to be restored. I've looked into this already on the site but a lot is still unclear. I've also looked a somewhat into the supplementals I'll need but again could really use the advice.
I love learning, new experiences and a good challenge so I'll take my time but... First question is, which one do I start with?”


So, to answer your original question, the Top Flight or the Wade Butcher.

They both will clean up easily with just WD40, 0000 Steel Wool, a wooden coffee stir stick, some paper towels and any good metal polish.

What stones do you have?

For what is possible, take a look at, Google (“My Second Try at Honing”) . This was the second razor this honer had ever honed. He took an eBay beater, worst than any of your razors, from beater to super shaver with a pristine edge, all done with on line direction.

You do not need to buy a new razor or send one out for honing, especially if you want to learn to restore and hone.

This would make an interesting new thread, happy to help you through the process.

4AC931F0-DCD0-4197-971A-AF4562B67788.jpeg
7F51DE55-9AF8-4968-9771-46CDDEC6BE51.jpeg
 
“All need to be restored. I've looked into this already on the site but a lot is still unclear. I've also looked a somewhat into the supplementals I'll need but again could really use the advice.
I love learning, new experiences and a good challenge so I'll take my time but... First question is, which one do I start with?”


So, to answer your original question, the Top Flight or the Wade Butcher.

They both will clean up easily with just WD40, 0000 Steel Wool, a wooden coffee stir stick, some paper towels and any good metal polish.

What stones do you have?

For what is possible, take a look at, Google (“My Second Try at Honing”) . This was the second razor this honer had ever honed. He took an eBay beater, worst than any of your razors, from beater to super shaver with a pristine edge, all done with on line direction.

You do not need to buy a new razor or send one out for honing, especially if you want to learn to restore and hone.

This would make an interesting new thread, happy to help you through the process.

View attachment 1534306View attachment 1534307
Right on man. Thanks for answering my original question. You're not the first to suggest starting with the Burrell Cutlery Co. Top Flight.

I haven't done anything to any of them yet but am very interested in doing at least a small bit of surface cleaning to them all. I'm planning on picking up some 0000 steel wool. I already have WD40, paper towels and some MAAS polish (91401). I'm not yet sure what the coffee sticks are for, but...

I'll definitely check out the video you suggested. I've been doing a lot of homework so more is fine.

Right now I don't have any stones. I'm a blank slate. 😉. I was considering picking up some Naniwa stones (1k, 3k, 5k, 8k, 12k). I looked into and am also considering DMT, Ultra Sharp, Pride Abrasives and Norton Trans/Black Ark stones. I mean I like getting my money's worth so longevity is important to me. I don't think lapping film is more than a curiosity to me considering I'm sitting on 6 straights now and let's be real, more to come in the future. I'm sure I'll pick some more up along the way.

Thanks for offering to help. I could definitely use it. I want to say though that I'm in no rush. With a huge collection of DE and SE razors and a lot that are fairly newly acquired, I have plenty to keep me busy in the mean time. I want to feel comfortable with my materials buying decisions and the progression I take with learning to restore a real edge to one or more of the razors. I get a real sense of satisfaction from restoring DE/SE razors so I'm really looking forward to the challenge and satisfaction that will come with doing the same to straights.

What stones do you have and use?
 
The wood coffee stir stick, clip off one end with a pair of side cutters and it will get between the scales with steel wool or a paper towel after you spray down the whole razor with WD40 to remove all the gunk between the scales.

Naniwas are good stones, a 1,4,8 and maybe 12k is a good progression, you don’t need the 3 &5. A King 1and 6k is another good option finish with a Naniwia, 8k Snow White, then paste.

Chef Knives to Go sells a 400/1000 grit combo diamond stone for $35 that will do repair work and lap stones just fine. They are a good source for buying stoned, good company and service. If you order, pick up a bottle of .50um CBN spray.

Wait on the Arks, until you have mastered honing with synthetics. Arks are stone face finish dependent and another rabbit hole you don’t need yet.

You can shave very well off an 8 or 12k edge finished on paste, but first get them clean and rust free.

I have most big name stones my go to is a King 1k and a vintage King 6k pre finish on a Snow White, and finish on Jnat or hard Ark.
 
The wood coffee stir stick, clip off one end with a pair of side cutters and it will get between the scales with steel wool or a paper towel after you spray down the whole razor with WD40 to remove all the gunk between the scales.

Naniwas are good stones, a 1,4,8 and maybe 12k is a good progression, you don’t need the 3 &5. A King 1and 6k is another good option finish with a Naniwia, 8k Snow White, then paste.

Chef Knives to Go sells a 400/1000 grit combo diamond stone for $35 that will do repair work and lap stones just fine. They are a good source for buying stoned, good company and service. If you order, pick up a bottle of .50um CBN spray.

Wait on the Arks, until you have mastered honing with synthetics. Arks are stone face finish dependent and another rabbit hole you don’t need yet.

You can shave very well off an 8 or 12k edge finished on paste, but first get them clean and rust free.

I have most big name stones my go to is a King 1k and a vintage King 6k pre finish on a Snow White, and finish on Jnat or hard Ark.
Many of us can shave off a 1k as we well know, but I would say a learner shouldn't work with anything shy of a 12k edge (or jnat/coticule/whatever finisher, beyond an 8k)
 
Initially I was going to create a new thread but thought I'd post here first seeing as I'm the OPer and my latest batch of questions relate.

I've come to realize that as with most hobbies in life, there are many ways to get to an end, and in our modern world, the market for said hobbies is flooded with vendors offering options to get to those ends.

What I'm specifically referring to here is honing. There are different general ways of going about it and different sub routes amongst those general ways.

Being that I'm new to all this, am learning, researching and sort of looking from the outside in, I find it fascinating but also confusing at the same time. I am in need of honing materials but obviously am not coming from a position of one where money is no object. I need to fully understand where I am, what my goals are and then the best products to get me there without a lot of wasted money spent, like say on unneeded or useless products or on buying more products than what I truly need.

I plan on doing this (honing) thing for the long haul so things like lapping film don't really appeal to me. I plan on honing multiple straights from vintage (obviously) to cheap moderns. Pricey moderns/customs are a pipe dream now, but I want to believe I'll treat myself to some in year to come. I'm located in the United States and am on the west coast.

So, with all that said I need your help is game planning on what to get and in a what (loose) order. I've looked at DMT, Atoma, Naniwa, Ultra Sharp, Norton, Pride Abrasives, Arkansas and more. What bothers me is not feeling comfortable about knowing what brand/s to use for which step/s of progression and even then, it bugs me to not fully know what progression levels are "good enough" and what is overkill. Well, I know what overkill is. I don't like taking shortcuts, but I also don't have the dough to just buy a stone for every level possible. That would be overkill.

Here is where I can use your guys' help. Clearly something like a 500 or 600 grit is needed for cutting off a lot of metal when dealing with really bad edges, or ones in need of a really fresh start. Clearly finishing on a 10,000 - 12,000 grit is par for the course. The in between I'm unsure of. I'm wondering if I should I consider dual sided stones to save on cost or stick with individual ones?

With holidays sales around the corner, I'm really looking to capitalize on some deeper than normal discounts to get my honing "set" up and running. Please help me in forming a game plan on what exactly I should buy. Once I have my component list dialed in, I can really start hunting for the places that will likely have the best deals.

Thank you all for your guidance so far.
 
It's always difficult to offer advice that would be relevant, because we all have our personal beliefs and preferences.

I started with a 3k/8k combo stone, bought for sharpening kitchen knives, and a home made leather paddle strop pasted with CrOx. I got by, and after experimenting I achieved reasonable edges, once I learned that you really have to lap the stones to be as perfectly flat as possible. I achieved this by buying a cheap 400 grit "diamond" plate, it's really a plate with aluminium oxide on it.

My next upgrade was to a 12k Naniwa to add another progression, and things got better. I also started pasting the paddle strops with diamond paste, and things got a lot better. Good enough for me to start using balsa strops pasted with with diamond paste.

Not that there was anything wrong with the combo stone, but more for convenience, I later upgraded to a 3k and 8k Naniwa stones to have a full set.

I usually set bevels on the 3k, it takes longer, but I am happy enough to do it. When I start with a Gold Dollar that needs a lot to be beaten into submission, I use the same diamond plate to set the initial bevel.

If I had to do it all over again? That depends on the budget.

Lowest budget - 3k/8k combo stone available for less than £20. 12k Naniwa probably around £80. Three diamond pasted balsa strops, around £80. Cheap lapping plate, around £8. That's the minimum I would be happy with.

No budget consideration - I would just replace the combo stone with separate Naniwa stones.
 
It's always difficult to offer advice that would be relevant, because we all have our personal beliefs and preferences.

I started with a 3k/8k combo stone, bought for sharpening kitchen knives, and a home made leather paddle strop pasted with CrOx. I got by, and after experimenting I achieved reasonable edges, once I learned that you really have to lap the stones to be as perfectly flat as possible. I achieved this by buying a cheap 400 grit "diamond" plate, it's really a plate with aluminium oxide on it.

My next upgrade was to a 12k Naniwa to add another progression, and things got better. I also started pasting the paddle strops with diamond paste, and things got a lot better. Good enough for me to start using balsa strops pasted with with diamond paste.

Not that there was anything wrong with the combo stone, but more for convenience, I later upgraded to a 3k and 8k Naniwa stones to have a full set.

I usually set bevels on the 3k, it takes longer, but I am happy enough to do it. When I start with a Gold Dollar that needs a lot to be beaten into submission, I use the same diamond plate to set the initial bevel.

If I had to do it all over again? That depends on the budget.

Lowest budget - 3k/8k combo stone available for less than £20. 12k Naniwa probably around £80. Three diamond pasted balsa strops, around £80. Cheap lapping plate, around £8. That's the minimum I would be happy with.

No budget consideration - I would just replace the combo stone with separate Naniwa stones.
Awesome! I'll take all that you said into consideration. Thank you for your perspective.
 
So, with all that said I need your help is game planning on what to get and in a what (loose) order.

I am still a novice, but my perspective may be helpful (if only to rule it out)...

I came at it from the other end. I started with a finishing hone, figuring that (a) that would over time see the most use and I needed to dial that skill in, and (b) I'd be working on shave ready edges and trying to maintain those, rather than struggling with multiple variables and honing from the ground up.

As I have become more confident maintaining someone else's edge, I started with the lower grits, knowing where I needed to end up, and just being really patient and methodical about getting there.

Food for thought. You don't need to go all in, as it can be overwhelming. But it is also a lot of fun, so if the deep end is attractive, don't let me dissuade you! :)
 
I am still a novice, but my perspective may be helpful (if only to rule it out)...

I came at it from the other end. I started with a finishing hone, figuring that (a) that would over time see the most use and I needed to dial that skill in, and (b) I'd be working on shave ready edges and trying to maintain those, rather than struggling with multiple variables and honing from the ground up.

As I have become more confident maintaining someone else's edge, I started with the lower grits, knowing where I needed to end up, and just being really patient and methodical about getting there.

Food for thought. You don't need to go all in, as it can be overwhelming. But it is also a lot of fun, so if the deep end is attractive, don't let me dissuade you! :)
Wow! That actually is some good perspective. I don't own a "shave ready" blade yet but if I did, I think your approach is very appropriate.

In respect to finishing, as of now, I'm planning on picking up a Naniwa 12k. Not sure if I'm better off with the 20mm or the 10mm.

You said you "started with the lower grits". What do you have now in that regard?
 
Every piece of advice you read can be contradicted very sensibly and logically depending on preferences, finances, availability, you name it. Of all the things you read one thing that won't be up for debate is flat stones. Your best investment will be an engineer's straight edge. It's the one thing that goes on every stone besides a razor.
If you keep an eye on the honing threads and/or videos, remember to ask yourself why someone does something a certain way or uses a particular stone. Much of the time it's simply a preference, not a must to get the job done.
 
Top Bottom