My Straight Razor Checklist

[Dryphter]

You can use wet/dry sandpiper for lapping the Naniwa - 400 grit or so works. Just make sure it's stuck to a flat surface like a marble floor tile or even a stone countertop should be fine.
I used a 4 inch wide marble tile for awhile, but then bought an Atoma diamond plate for lapping. Much faster. But sandpaper does work just fine.

 

[Slash McCoy]

So, Im wondering if I can save some money and trying sandpaper to lap
my Naniwa when it arrives.

Would you recommend dry or wet sandpaper?
What grit to lap 3K?
And what grit for 10K?

Maybe 400 grit for both and then 1k for the 10k. It is not critical. You do need to surface finish both stones with a nice flat piece of stainless, like a big chef's knife or something. These stones are not super hard like some naturals. The new surface will break in anyway after honing a razor or two, but I like to get a jump on it, and hone a kitchen knife to smooth the top of the stone down to it's natural finish.

A badly dished stone you might want to lap with something much coarser to get the heavy lifting done, then advance to a higher grit as the grid disappears. You can actually go as fine as you like, but it is a waste of time to lap a stone with paper finer than the stone, obviously.

The most important thing IMHO is a very flat lapping plate, and not overrunning the sandpaper too much. Also, you may find that slurry built up on the sandpaper will prevent absolute success by the grid method, because it removes the grid prematurely. So it is good to perform this a second time, after rinsing everything clean. The second pass should only require a dozen strokes or so as the first one gets it nearly nearly flat. Yes, I use mine wet. Most guys do. Seems to work best.

There are more than one way to skin that cat, but I think sandpaper works best.

 

[dmatcuk]

'Terror Sticks'? Now I want one even more.

I second that, terror sticks will have me looking for one tonight.

 

[dmatcuk]

So, Im wondering if I can save some money and trying sandpaper to lap
my Naniwa when it arrives.

Would you recommend dry or wet sandpaper?
What grit to lap 3K?
And what grit for 10K?

I think I used 320 or 400 wet dry sandpaper to lap my super stones and it seemed to work just fine. I have a maybe 2' by 2' section of granite counter top that I leveled on my work bench that I use to do all my lapping and honing on. I just taped the sheet down and went at it.

 

[Namkcakram]

Thank you for all the comments so far. I had wanted to give straights a try for a too long now.
At the same time I wanted to avoid the usual shaving forum progression that influences us to buy more and more
equipment for better performance (which then has to be sold at a loss as you move up the chain).

Start with a silver dollar 5/8, then buy a nice 6/8, try some vintages...buy some more worn staights
and have them restored. I was quite weary from my DE razor progression which really sapped a lot of time,
energy and $$$, so I decided to jump in right at the deep end....sink or swim.

If things work out, I would like to try a nice 1/4 hollow grind and then just alternate between two for as long
as I can. I found Koraat razors strike a nice balance of tradition, modernity and blade quality. I do admire
looking at some of the edgy, modern creations from other makers but I prefer simple and effective stuff.

You’ve got some sound thoughts. Stick to that plan and stick with learning straights and hopefully worst case you decide the 1/4 hollow is better so you actually want to try heavy Sheffield choppers...

But seriously some designs just work well and have repeated or endured, and if you’re sticking with those you might find something you don’t PREFER but you won’t go wrong per se. Just look at the number of different manufacturers who made razors on the ~8/8” Solingen “14” size blanks, they all ground them slightly differently but clearly the foundational design is effective. If you decide the 1/4 is more your style, then go a step further that direction with a Sheffield wedge and if the koraat is more your style you could go thinner ground and shoulderless and see what happens. No need to wade into the shallow end of the pool first to see what you might like.

I would recommend though go online and find yourself a cheap 6/8” vintage American hollow to practice honing on. Genco/Geneva cutlery is my favorite, I’ve bought many now and most can go straight onto a Coticule with no huge bevel work required. They shave as well as anything else in that style, and are tempered a little softer so honing is easy peasy. They’re out there for $20 all day.

 

[bluesman 7]

So, Im wondering if I can save some money and trying sandpaper to lap
my Naniwa when it arrives.

Would you recommend dry or wet sandpaper?
What grit to lap 3K?
And what grit for 10K?

Yes

You want to use wet sandpaper on a flat surface. 320 grit is plenty fine enough for any grit Naniwa Super Stone. The stones are soft enough to revert to their inherent grit very quickly.

 

[Tester28]

think I used 320 or 400 wet dry sandpaper to lap my super stones and it seemed to work just fine. I have a maybe 2' by 2' section of granite counter top that I leveled on my work bench that I use to do all my lapping and honing on. I just taped the sheet down and went at it.

I saw a YT video of a guy lapping his Naniwa 3K on 320 wet sandpaper and it took him forever.

If you decide the 1/4 is more your style, then go a step further that direction with a Sheffield wedge and if the koraat is more your style you could go thinner ground and shoulderless and see what happens.

This got me a bit confused....the razor I pictured above is called Sheffield design by Koraat.
I decided against the Koraat 14 2.0 because I didnt like the pronounced shoulder.

 

[Namkcakram]

I saw a YT video of a guy lapping his Naniwa 3K on 320 wet sandpaper and it took him forever.





This got me a bit confused....the razor I pictured above is called Sheffield design by Koraat.
I decided against the Koraat 14 2.0 because I didnt like the pronounced shoulder.

Oh man I guess I’m just used to koraat being synonymous with the 14 2.0!

If it’s a shoulderless hollow, and it’s ground as thin as their 14 2.0 everything I said will still stand but it may be easier to learn to hone on and in use it may Feel like it’s a bit more hollow than a 14 would. The only thing to be cautious of is shoulderless blades don’t survive any kind of drops or hard bumps into the faucet.

 

[Tester28]

Question on holders for these stones: I see two types...which should I get?
I suspect the one in the first image will be cheaper, or possibly the stock
holder that comes packaged with the stone...anyone know for sure?

 

[Namkcakram]

Question on holders for these stones: I see two types...which should I get?
I suspect the one in the first image will be cheaper, or possibly the stock
holder that comes packaged with the stone...anyone know for sure?
View attachment 1032689View attachment 1032690

Two models of stone from the manufacturer, one comes glued to the plastic base in photo 1 and the other model is a bare stone.

 

[Tester28]

Received the razor yesterday and ....damn, it's big.
I dont think I'll ever be needing anything more than 7/8.
Feels good in the hand altho I can see how easily these things
can slip out especially when changing hands.

3" Steerhide Strop and bench strop (horse hide, one rough/one smooth side) has been ordered.
Naniwa 3/10 has been ordered along with green compound.

As to the lapping plate, I'm torn between DMT 325 and Atoma 400....many reviews say latter
is better and does not stick to the surface being lapped...plus I saw one with a handle which looks
very ergonomic.

Just wondering if I need to be so picky with a flattening plate....would a cheap generic one
not work as well?

 

[Namkcakram]

Received the razor yesterday and ....damn, it's big.
I dont think I'll ever be needing anything more than 7/8.
Feels good in the hand altho I can see how easily these things
can slip out especially when changing hands.

3" Steerhide Strop and bench strop (horse hide, one rough/one smooth side) has been ordered.
Naniwa 3/10 has been ordered along with green compound.

As to the lapping plate, I'm torn between DMT 325 and Atoma 400....many reviews say latter
is better and does not stick to the surface being lapped...plus I saw one with a handle which looks
very ergonomic.

Just wondering if I need to be so picky with a flattening plate....would a cheap generic one
not work as well?

Cheaper and you risk flatness tolerance, Diamond size variations, and worst of all random diamond shedding.

I’ve got DMTs because I use them on blades as often as on stones, and I like the 325-1200-8000 spread in use on steel. I’m probably one of a small group on this forum who’s actually worn through a few diamond plates and I didn’t hesitate to re-order DMTs.

For pure lapping the atomas might be better, and the atomas have the reputation of not shedding diamonds and lasting for quite a while without losing any cutting speed.

 

[Tester28]

I love the look of this Atoma 400....that handle would be great help Im sure.

 

[Tester28]

Im not ready to invest in a USB microscope just yet
as I want to see if I can get by with a loupe. Whats
the minimum magnification I should be looking for?
15X, 30X....?

 

[bluesman 7]

Most cheap loupes are grossly overrated as far as magnification goes. A BeLomo 10x will out perform a cheap 30x and is not all that expensive.

 

[Slash McCoy]

Question on holders for these stones: I see two types...which should I get?
I suspect the one in the first image will be cheaper, or possibly the stock
holder that comes packaged with the stone...anyone know for sure?
View attachment 1032689View attachment 1032690

The best holder for your stone is the one you already have, attached to your wrist. Honing in hand avoids many newbie mistakes and gives you a fast leg up. Those who have invested a lot of money in fancy holders and sink bridges naturally will disagree. And as you gain experience, the negatives of bench honing are not as important.

Plus it doesn't cost anything.

Best lapping plate is a whole sheet of sandpaper carefully glued to a very flat surface. It is cheap and it stays flat and you can change grits by changing sandpaper. And a sheet of sandpaper is bigger than practically any hone, so you can lap on it and not have any or at least not much overrun.

 

[Tester28]

Most cheap loupes are grossly overrated as far as magnification goes. A BeLomo 10x will out perform a cheap 30x and is not all that expensive.

I see Maggard's sells a 30X for about $6....has anyone found it to be good?

The best holder for your stone is the one you already have, attached to your wrist. Honing in hand avoids many newbie mistakes and gives you a fast leg up. Those who have invested a lot of money in fancy holders and sink bridges naturally will disagree. And as you gain experience, the negatives of bench honing are not as important.

Plus it doesn't cost anything.

Best lapping plate is a whole sheet of sandpaper carefully glued to a very flat surface. It is cheap and it stays flat and you can change grits by changing sandpaper. And a sheet of sandpaper is bigger than practically any hone, so you can lap on it and not have any or at least not much overrun.

Im giving the sand paper some serious thought....and would like to start by trying it, before
checking out a lapping plate...any idea what grit sandpaper to use to lap Naniwa 3K and 10K...
would it be the same grit or do I need different grit sandpaper for each surface?

I'm also checking out some balsa wood blocks to see if I can get one of those for edge maintenance.

 

[Namkcakram]

I see Maggard's sells a 30X for about $6....has anyone found it to be good?




Im giving the sand paper some serious thought....and would like to start by trying it, before
checking out a lapping plate...any idea what grit sandpaper to use to lap Naniwa 3K and 10K...
would it be the same grit or do I need different grit sandpaper for each surface?

I'm also checking out some balsa wood blocks to see if I can get one of those for edge maintenance.

A BelOMO is ~$30, so if you go with sandpaper instead of an Atoma you can easily spring for the nice loupe and be money ahead. Some of my favorite lapping sandpaper is actually dirt cheap harbor freight SiC.

 

[Slash McCoy]

not all that critical. You can go 400 grit and if you really want to smooth out the 10k you can go 1000 grit. Then rub it with a stainless steel kitchen knife and you got a flattened and resurfaced stone.

 

[Tester28]

not all that critical. You can go 400 grit and if you really want to smooth out the 10k you can go 1000 grit. Then rub it with a stainless steel kitchen knife and you got a flattened and resurfaced stone.

Another option that has come up is a 'silicon carbide coated grille'...about $5 a piece.
Any thoughts on that....