| Getting Started in Honing |
| User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s) |
| |
Post Reply| 12-06-2011 09:43 PM  Since I'm jumping back in to straight razors, I think I need to get into honing, too. Sending them all out to get honed is going to break the bank. Although I think I'll send out the new (to me) 7 day set to get honed by someone experienced, I have a couple of razors that I can use to learn on. I have a Chinese 12K that I picked up from Woodcraft: Natural Water Stone. I tried lapping it, but don't think I did a very good job. I screwed up one of my favorite razors, too. I'm looking at doing this deal here: Norton Hone Set For $60 you get 1/4 (about 2" x 3") each of a Norton flattening stone, a 220/1000 stone, and a 4000/8000 stone. You also get to use this deal where he'll send you a couple of razors to work on, and you send them back and he'll critique your work, helping you through it until you get it down right. Or, for $95 you get 1/2 of each stone, about 4" x 3" Thoughts?  |
| http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000XK0FMU...11&sr=8-6. Much better deal in Amazon BTW: chinese 12k honed take a LONG time to make useable..keep at it..might as well..to bring the edge back on your razor..assuming you haven't damaged the edge..just strop it on your stone like you would on your strop I read posts about his Norton kits..the other idea behind hones are the shorter the hone..the more back n forth strokes needed..I have seen a few guys sell their kits due to much more time needed just for a good edge..try a Cotucule if you are looking to re hone your personal razors...just my $.02 |
| 12-07-2011 10:34 AM good luck truckman on ree starting into straights i could not get a hang of honing.all the best hope all goes well for you.  |
| 12-07-2011 01:35 PM All I can say Matt, is have fun. I don't use my straights much anymore. Hands aren't steady enough, and too much work. Once you get the hone set you probably won't need the 4k /8k stones anymore; unless you're picking something up from ebay or the local antique store. The 12k will be your workhorse. IMHO, that's where the money needs to go; along with a good strop. YMMV ~Bob~ 'Life is like a bus ride. By the time you find a seat, you've reached your stop.' -Author Unknown |
| 12-07-2011 04:15 PM 2x3 is a very small stone to hone on. The smaller the stone, the more laps it takes to get where you need to go. The more laps, the more chance of one mis-stroke... And it only takes one to send you back to square one... right at the beginning. IMHO, 2 inches is a good width, and 4 inches I would consider minimum length, with 5 inches much better.. I've never owned a C12K, but I've read that some examples can be good finishers, but again, lot's of laps to achieve your end because of the stone's hardness, not to mention lot's of time on a DMT 325 to get it flat in the first place.. I know this doesn't help much, but those are my thoughts... A recommendation?? If you only want to keep your previously honed razors up to snuff, a good synthetic 10K or 12K is all you need for the time being.. Even an 8K with a balsa block and some ChromOx.. Better a diamond with a flaw than a polished pebble.... Bill Brown |
| OK, so it's sounding like I shouldn't bother with the Chinese 12K I have - that there's better options out there. I do want to be able to go all the way - from an antique store find all the way to shave ready. The two main reasons for going with the deal I linked to in the OP was price and the honing feedback deal he has going - where he sends you a razor to hone, you send it back and he critiques it, helps you along, and sends you another one to work on. It does sound like he offers that option even for people who do not purchase his hone sets. So, the next question then....just go with the set that jrcrow linked to, to get started? Would they come lapped and ready to go, or will I need to get a lapping stone, too? Also, what's the deal with cloth, balsa, and pastes? That's something I never really looked into. Right now all I have is my Tony Miller Latigo strop, and the practice strop that came with it (which I no longer use). |
| 12-09-2011 11:17 AM Matt, sometimes Bill (Gundog1) will post a pic with a 'hone' and often he'll have a 'slurry' stone with it. The slurry is ideally made of the same piece as the hone. Whether you go that route or not, you'll probably still need to do some lapping. It's a bit of a PITA. The Balsa can be had at any hobby store. You can theoretically use it with paste as you would a stone, only drawing the blade across as with a strop. It's also much less expensive. I just never had much luck with it. Personally, I'd suggest holding off till I could afford a good stone. Sell some of the other stuff.  I think you'll enjoy it all a whole lot more. ~Bob~ 'Life is like a bus ride. By the time you find a seat, you've reached your stop.' -Author Unknown |
| 12-09-2011 04:36 PM For the record, I agree with bob completely.. You can buy things now that you will be unhappy with as you progress... Just ask me how I know this..  First, the 220/1000 stone is not a good choice, in my humble opinion. The 220 side is absolutely unnecessary for razors. The 1K side will only be useful to you if you wish to restore razors bought on e-bay that need a complete work-up, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you just want to maintain your collection..... The 4K/8K on the other hand is a universally accepted workhorse. I never owned a Norton, but they have a good reputation. That could be a useful place to start, if the edge off a synthetic agrees with your face. On to the Norton lapping stone. Here is a tool that over time will not remain flat, requiring another tool to re-flatten it. Probably a very coarse Diamond plate. A DMT 325 could take the place of the flattening stone and the 220 grit side of the 220/1000 Norton. To be honest.. a 1K synthetic, and one Belgian coticule, along with the DMY 325 for flattening could do it all for you. the coticule with various slurries can span a pretty broad range, but there can be a signifigant learning curve involved as the just when to do dilutions.. I've probably done no more than muddy the waters here, in trying to help.. IMO, from the sound of what you wish to accomplish...Either.. Naniwa SuperStones.. 2K, 5K, 10K and a DMT 325 or Your choice of 1K synthetic, the Norton 4K/8K and a DMT 325. Later you could add a piece of balsa on hardwood (which you can make yourself) with a dab of Chromium Oxide to smooth out the 8K stone. The balsa can be picked up at a hobby shop and the ChromOx compound it cheap.. Or you could even add a 12K synthetic stone, if desired.. Unfortunately, there are so many ways to approach this.. All with their adherents and detractors.. But, the two choices above should get you where you want to go with as little cash outlay as possible. Better a diamond with a flaw than a polished pebble.... Bill Brown |
| OK, I think what I'm going to do right now is buy a DMT 325, since I already have a C12K for touching up/maintaining what I already have honed. Although I know the C12K can be a tough hone requiring a lot of passes, it does have a pretty good reputation for being a finisher/maintainer. I'll use the DMT 325 to lap the C12K and get it good and flat. In the mean time I'll just send out my other razors to get honed and maintain the ones I have. Once I get proficient at that, I'll look into getting other hones. I think I may pick up the balsa and ChromeOx since I imagine that will be rather inexpensive. Now that that's all settled.....what size DMT 325 do I need? I'm assuming we're talking about a DMT Bench Stone in the blue diamond 325 grit mesh, correct? Link to DMT Bench Stones And thank you everyone for all the help! EDIT: I see I was mistaken in the DMT Bench Stone, what I need is the Dia-Flat Lapping Plate |
| 12-09-2011 05:35 PM I have the D8C Matt.. As pictured here.. http://www.straightrazordesigns.com/the-...coarse-325 A very useful tool, not only for synthetic stones, but also naturals if you ever get into them... A good foundation to build on, IMHO! Better a diamond with a flaw than a polished pebble.... Bill Brown |
| 12-09-2011 06:23 PM (12-09-2011 05:35 PM)gundog1 Wrote: I have the D8C Matt.. Oh, OK. I was right the first time then. It is a bench stone and not the lapping plate. Any idea what the difference is? |
| 12-09-2011 06:37 PM To tell the truth, Matt, I don't know what the difference is. I don't recall seeing that one when I bought mine... Something new maybe?? Is there a price difference? Better a diamond with a flaw than a polished pebble.... Bill Brown |
| Sorry Matt, me either. I wonder if there really is a difference. I have the same one Bill has. And I think that is the 8" bench stone. The 'lapping stone' may be called that due to popular demand.  BTW: I also have the Norton. Don't bother. JMHO ~Bob~ 'Life is like a bus ride. By the time you find a seat, you've reached your stop.' -Author Unknown |
| 12-09-2011 07:40 PM Oddly, this subject just came up on another forum... Maybe a different perspective?? http://www.razorandstone.com/showthread....-or-DMT325 Better a diamond with a flaw than a polished pebble.... Bill Brown |
| « Next Oldest | Next Newest » | |
Contact Us | Damn Fine Shave | Mobile Version | RSS Syndication | Return to Content | Return to Top Forum Software by MyBB, © 2002-2012 MyBB Group.
Tema MyCleanRed creado por Abdón de SoporteMyBB.
Tema MyCleanRed creado por Abdón de SoporteMyBB.