Thread: Bare minimum honing equipment needed?

Evening everyone (well it is here),
I want to be able to get used/secondhand/vintage! razors shave ready for myself. I intend to buy only razors with an edge that isn't damaged and just needs an edge put on it.
My question is - Can I get an undamaged blade shave ready with just a Norton 4000/8000 combination wetstone and my leather strop?
I'm not talking about getting a prize winning edge, but just a rasor that can effect a decent shave.
Thanks M

Yes you can get a very acceptable edge with just the Norton combo. And without going nuts on various finishing hones, you can also get some chromium oxide paste on a flat leather or wood surface and you're golden.

Jordan

Thats good to know. That is exactly what I was planing to do. I dont want to be a sharp Meister. I just want my razor to be worthy of shaving my face. And, to let me be able to snag that deal of a razor when I see it in the flea market.

The norton stone does not come flat from the factory and must be to hone razors properly. You can do this with a flat surface (try a marble tile) and some wet/dry sandpaper.

Originally Posted by geoffreyt

Thats good to know. That is exactly what I was planing to do. I dont want to be a sharp Meister. I just want my razor to be worthy of shaving my face. And, to let me be able to snag that deal of a razor when I see it in the flea market.

Exactly, I'm not mean, It's just I can't spend a lot of money on razors.
My wife would use the sharpest on me if I did.

Fpr the minimum in honing equipment and for an undamaged edge I'd say get a coticule bout. That's what I started out on and it cost me somewhere aroun €20. So that's not too bad.

Originally Posted by littlesilverbladefromwale

Evening everyone (well it is here),
I want to be able to get used/secondhand/vintage! razors shave ready for myself. I intend to buy only razors with an edge that isn't damaged and just needs an edge put on it.
My question is - Can I get an undamaged blade shave ready with just a Norton 4000/8000 combination wetstone and my leather strop?
I'm not talking about getting a prize winning edge, but just a rasor that can effect a decent shave.
Thanks M

I think what you want to do is completely doable but you might want to add a 1000 grit stone to set a bevel! It will make your life so much better than trying to set a bevel on a 4000 grit stone!

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Fpr the minimum in honing equipment and for an undamaged edge I'd say get a coticule bout. That's what I started out on and it cost me somewhere aroun €20. So that's not too bad.

What grain size is a coticule?
cheers M

Heres the stuff I started with for my bare bones setup:

Sun tiger slipstones

One in the 4000 grit and one in the 8000 grit made up me first set of stones, I still use them.

I added to this:

Wet dry sandpaper (1000 grit)

I chose the 1000 grit as it seemed a good compromise between speed and accuracy for getting any really rough spots on a flea market find. It is applied wet to a flat surface, like a piece of glass on a counter or a polished marble slab and used just like any other hone. Just be sure it sticks well. I use this to lap my hones too.

Since starting out I have added a few finishing options, from barbers hones to leather flat beds for paste honing. I still, however, usually do my first shaves with a newly sharpened razor straight off the 8000. All my finishing options are just for ease of fine tuning that basic edge to perfection.


My basic kit at todays prices will run you less than 30 pounds from the links I found. Not to say there aren't some compromises to going this cheap.

The stones are quite small, less than half the size of the norton.
They cut more slowly as well.
Using paper instead of a hone is a little more tricky, you must prevent curling or humping of the paper to get the proper effect.

With a little care it is possible to get great shavers this way though.

If you are only intent on maintaining razors with decent edges, the coticule would be a good choice, and cheaper than the norton.
If you want to do more, you can always buy a norton later on.

And another norton after that
And a flattening stone
and a DMT plate
And another coticule
....

But for just maintaining an edge, a coticule in combination with a strop will get you started.
Even better: Buy a combination strop from Tony Miller: 1 plain leather, and the other pasted with .5 micron chromium oxide.
That combination will have you set for life.