Can a razor be ruined beyond repair?

[BOOURNS]

I was wondering if a straight can be salvagable after I practice honing?
I'm no honester so I give myself only a 70% chance of sucess. I'm just wondering if permanent damage can be done.

 

[bonusmarple]

Sure, it is possible. However, depending on the grit it may not be likely. Assuming you are honing evenly across the blade and on both sides (x-stroke, alternating sides), it would be tough to screw-up a blade with say an 8k stone.

It would be helpful if you posted what you were planning to do.

 

[English]

It's about as difficult as sharpening a carving knife and you have about the same chance of leaving the blade blunt.

Just remember that light, gently and slowly should work. Heavy, fast and sloppy won't work and may cause damage.

The hone must be flat and when you think the hone has finished doing its job, it has. If the edge isn't sharp enough at that point, send it off to someone who knows what they are doing and ask them what they did to get your razor sharp. Ak them what they can see from the edge that you may have done wrong. Believe me, they will probably know from just looking at the edge.

 

[BOOURNS]

Well heres my plan, right now I have a TI Special Coffieur thats shaving ok. I have a Boker coming in the mail that is not shave ready, may not even be sharp. Also in the mail is a barber hone. I thought I might try my hand with the Boker and the hone to see what I could do. I didnt want to screw it up beyond repair so I thought I would post the question. I will be sending one of them out to a pro just for reference. I was a butcher for many years and wouldnt use a knife that couldnt shave my arm so Im used to a light touch and I figure the process is close to the same. Anyway thanks for the info Im not quite decided yet but my confidence is boosted. Thanks.

 

[mainaman]

Barber's hone will not sharpen the razor, those are used for touch ups only.
If you have a dull razor you will need a progression of stones to get it to shave ready.

 

[richmondesi]

Barber's hone will not sharpen the razor, those are used for touch ups only.
If you have a dull razor you will need a progression of stones to get it to shave ready.

I can do it with a coticule

 

[r0ckrat]

It's not that a barbers hone CAN'T do it, it's just that it will take FOREVER witha barbers hone...

 

[Velomane]

Hey Boourns,

You can always get a Norton 4/8k. I'd be surprised if cowtown did not have lee valley hardware, which carries them.

Mike

 

[chess1]

Barber's hone will not sharpen the razor, those are used for touch ups only.
If you have a dull razor you will need a progression of stones to get it to shave ready.

Actually it is a little different.
If your barber hone has 2 different colors then you can use it for sharpening razor.

 

[leighton]

I was wondering if a straight can be salvagable after I practice honing?
I'm no honester so I give myself only a 70% chance of sucess. I'm just wondering if permanent damage can be done.

If you grind too much metal away or drop the razor, the razor could be ruined.

 

[BOOURNS]

I kind of thought the barber hone might not be enough. It might do for the TI. Maybe ill send the boker out to have a reference. Looks like Im in the market for a norton, scuttle, Wade and Butcher, etc., etc. it never ends. what kind of AD is this? LOL. Thanks guys for the info.

 

[mainaman]

I can do it with a coticule

coticule>babrers hone and a lot more expensive right?

 

[mainaman]

Actually it is a little different.
If your barber hone has 2 different colors then you can use it for sharpening razor.

never thought about the double sided ones, but I would think those are for more experienced people? I mean its just 2 hones basically.

 

[richmondesi]

coticule>babrers hone and a lot more expensive right?

Half right, Coticule>Barbers Hone IMHO

Generally speaking Coticules are more expensive than Barbers Hones, but I have a coticule that cost 38 Euro (about as much as the nicest barbers hones) that I can set bevels on and finish on. In fact, I test shaved with 2 razors this morning that were quite nice that I honed entirely on my coticule (from wouldn't shave arm hair to smooth shaver). I was just pointing out that your original statement about needing a progression of hones is not entirely accurate. A single top notch coticule combined with a 1K hone or lower for chip removal could easily take care of any honing need in the right hands

 

[bonusmarple]

Well heres my plan, right now I have a TI Special Coffieur thats shaving ok. I have a Boker coming in the mail that is not shave ready, may not even be sharp. Also in the mail is a barber hone. I thought I might try my hand with the Boker and the hone to see what I could do. I didnt want to screw it up beyond repair so I thought I would post the question. I will be sending one of them out to a pro just for reference. I was a butcher for many years and wouldnt use a knife that couldnt shave my arm so Im used to a light touch and I figure the process is close to the same. Anyway thanks for the info Im not quite decided yet but my confidence is boosted. Thanks.

You would have to work very hard to mess up a razor beyond repair with a barber's hone assuming the hone is not chipped. I think you would have to use the hone to hammer the blade into a desk to really screw up the razor beyond repair.

Honestly, take a look at the vids in this section along with the honing stuff from Joel. That should give you enough info to keep you from doing any serious damage with your barber's hone.

 

[chess1]

You cannot compare prices on Coticules to Barber hones.
I have never seen coticule to go for 700.00 but have seen Barber hones to sell for that price.
It depends what type Barber hone or what size Coticule(location it has been picked up etc)

 

[richmondesi]

You cannot compare prices on Coticules to Barber hones.
I have never seen coticule to go for 700.00 but have seen Barber hones to sell for that price.
It depends what type Barber hone or what size Coticule(location it has been picked up etc)

Yeah, I've never seen that for a barbers hone, but I take your word for it

The most expensive coticule that I've seen was in the upper $300 range... YIKES

 

[English]

The yellow Belgian coticule is really a very special hone. I agree with Paul 100% that it is the most versitile of all the hones. When I started out with the hones, I had a 5" by 1.5" (125mmx40) coticule and it kept me and my razors happy for a good few years. At that size, the coticule will not be expensive and it is perfectly usable.

See here http://uk.ardennes-coticule.com/index.asp?ID=395&IDF=30

That's the price at the mine in Belgium and you can get a bigger hone cheaper if you will accept an irregular shaped stone called a bout. Whatever, you do need to buy a rubbing stone as well. The rubbing stone allows you to build up a slurry on the hones surface which makes the hone cut faster.

We don't really discuss coticules enough on the forum mainly because in the USA, the Norton 4000/8000 combination hone was the most readily available
hone at the time the shaving forums started up and it had and still has a good few devout followers. I remember reading the posts about pyramids and all sorts of mumbo jumbo that I am sure works just fine, but if you have a coticule and know how to use it, it is definately the one hone I would want if I was stuck on a dessert island. They were the hone of choice in Europe and to some extent they still are. However if you want an 8" x 3" start planning on a bank loan.