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Honing stones

Hi guys,

i'm new in straight razor world. I want to start honing my razor, I just bought a razor that need a little bit of love. What should I buy? Tip of stone grind? I had read a lot about it, I'm thinking about buying lapping paper? Is it a good idea?

thank very much for your answers.

dorsale6
 

Kentos

B&B's Dr. Doolittle.
Staff member
Lapping film would be a great cost effective way to git er done!


Welcome to B&B!
 

Slash McCoy

I freehand dog rockets
What Kent said. But make sure the vendor lists it as lapping FILM, not lapping paper. Dont get the sticky back. Dont be ripped off by buying tiny little pieces. It is supposed to be sold in 8-1/2" x 11" or else 9" x 13" sheets. Cut the regular sheets in 1/3 lengthwise. Cut the big sheets in 1/3 lengthwise or in 1/4 crosswise. I prefer longer. Your substrate is important, too. And dont get the sticky back stuff. Get plain back. See the lapping film thread started by Blix. Read at least the first 200 posts in it. All questions are answered.

If you want rocks, depends on where the edge is at, now. If you have a great shaving edge already, you only need a finisher. I suggest a Naniwa 12k for that. If you will be honing a razor that you got that was not in shave ready condition, you will want a bevel setter (600 to 1000 grit is common) and a couple of midrange stones, and your finisher. The bevel only needs to be set once and you are good for as long as you own the razor and protect it from damage to the edge. So you might want to use sandpaper stuck to a thick piece of glass for a cheap one use bevel setter. LocTite or 3M spray adhesive applied with just a whiff of a spray works well. The sandpaper must go on very smooth, tight, and flat. The same setup also works well for lapping your stones, which must be lapped when you get them and periodically thereafter. For the intermediate stones you can go with Naniwa 3k and 8k. When I hone on synthetic stones that is my progression. I post-finish with diamond paste on lapped balsa. Find my pasted balsa strop thread for the details.

I take it you are new to honing. Are you new to straight shaving, as well? It is nearly impossible to learn to shave with a razor that you are learning to hone at the same time. I suggest starting with a shave-ready razor, learning to shave, and getting familiar with the shave-ready edge before you attempt to duplicate it. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for no end of frustration and failure.

One option would be to send the one you have out for honing, but it is best to start with two razors, anyway. That way you have one sharp to shave with, while one is out being honed or you are attempting to hone it. See www.whippeddog.com. Larry has become the go-to guy for newbie razors around here. Cheap and effective. Keep an eye on BST also. Don't buy on fleabay until you know more about razors, and dont believe it when the seller describes it as shave-ready. It is probably not, unless the seller has a good reputation on this board or others.
 
You could purchase lapping film sit very cost effective, how many shaves have you gotten off the current straight you have ? If you are new to straights and need the one you have shave ready you should honestly send it out to be honed so you have a good idea of what shave ready is first before jumping in on the honing.
 
Hi,

wow is thanks very much for all informations you guy gave me. For now I just have two shaves done with my first straight razor shave ready. I just bought an older one. The older one will need honing to be shave ready and I like to hone knifes and ice screw. So I'll will like honing my razor in the futur I'm sure. I just want to buy the good stone at the beginning.
Thank very much for the informations and the speed of your answer.
 
Another advice
In order to keep your honing progress monitored, try to have a razor honed by an expert (many hobbyists are available here). This will be your benchmark.

Best luck
 
^+1 Honing is a relaxing and enjoyable hobby and just like our shaving you can come at it from a multitude of directions, but a well honed edge from an expert is a valuable aid to keep an eye on your progress.
 
The Norton water stones have probably started more folks on the honing path than any others. They usually are not the last hones straight shavers buy. Keep it dead flat per Slash's instructions and they can serve you well.
 
I began with a King 1k and Norton 4K/8k combination stone. Got some decent edges and learned how the game is played. Over the years I replaced the Nortons with Naniwa SS stones (1k, 5k, 8k, 12k) and picked up a coticule, BBW, and Zulu Grey along the way in later years.

Ironically the edge I prefer to all is via the coticule; it is also the most difficult stone for me to achieve good results on. Learning is a constant process.

Totally agree with getting an edge set by one of the guys out there who is a true master of the process (there are many) and using that as a gauge as to what a proper edge should feel like. Honing for me is somewhat of a Zen thing. It's a placid and personally rewarding thing once you learn the task.
 
I began with a King 1k and Norton 4K/8k combination stone. Got some decent edges and learned how the game is played. Over the years I replaced the Nortons with Naniwa SS stones (1k, 5k, 8k, 12k) and picked up a coticule, BBW, and Zulu Grey along the way in later years.

Ironically the edge I prefer to all is via the coticule; it is also the most difficult stone for me to achieve good results on. Learning is a constant process.

Totally agree with getting an edge set by one of the guys out there who is a true master of the process (there are many) and using that as a gauge as to what a proper edge should feel like. Honing for me is somewhat of a Zen thing. It's a placid and personally rewarding thing once you learn the task.

A man after my own heart! Just something about a coti!
 
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