Thread: how fine a hone is enough?

You can shave right off an 8K norton. But, IMO, you need to finish the blade on a finer hone. Your face will thank you.

A cheap balsa wood strop with CrOx will also be a big help.

Nice. I think, once I eventually hone my razor, I'll probably "hone" (har har) my honing skills on the 4k/8k stone before I delve into a more intricate process involving balsa strops or finer hones.

Originally Posted by Bart

Moreover, I personally believe that it's best to maximize your honing skills on a basic setup, before leaping into the exciting world of fine and finer hones. Bart.

I have to agree with the above based on my experience. I got so many hones so quickly that it took a long time and a lot of razors before I began to get to really know any of them. I am still in the process of doing just that. It is fun though.

Ok. So somebody always throws in that part about "...and some paste...". What if you don't want to deal with paste at all? What if you finished with something like a 16K and did a hundred or two passes on a regular strop. Is that going to give you the same edge without the paste?

Originally Posted by Quick

Ok. So somebody always throws in that part about "...and some paste...". What if you don't want to deal with paste at all? What if you finished with something like a 16K and did a hundred or two passes on a regular strop. Is that going to give you the same edge without the paste?

The answer depends on who you ask.

Paste (strop paste), sharpen the edge by abrading away a small amount of steel at the very edge... similar to putting tape on the spine when honing to get the edge sharp quickly... it works, the shave is smooth and some swear by it.

The “strop only” approach (no paste between hone and leather), smooths an edge that’s already properly sharpened by the hi-grit hone (such as the 12 or 16K hone). That works too, will be a smooth... but longer lasting edge.

I would say, generally the more laps you strop, the better/smoother/comfortable the shave.

I have a 4k/8k norton, and it's got my razor to 'shave ready' but under the microscope, i can see the edge isnt perfect, (that could be my honing also)

but i'm waiting on a swaty to arrive, which will hopefully polish the edge up further,

I'd say yes.. 8k norton is 'ok' but you may want to go higher

I don't have any experience with pasted strops so I can't comment either way on their effectiveness. Myself, I use the old reliable N4/8 and I finish with a Shapton 16K and some passes on plain linen and leather. Seems to do the trick just fine.

Originally Posted by netsplit

I have a 4k/8k norton, and it's got my razor to 'shave ready' but under the microscope, i can see the edge isnt perfect, (that could be my honing also)

but i'm waiting on a swaty to arrive, which will hopefully polish the edge up further,

I'd say yes.. 8k norton is 'ok' but you may want to go higher

Check that Swaty for flat when you get it. Most of them need lapping. At least the three I have did.

Down the line, I can see myself getting a Shapton 16k, just for that extra little bit of perfection.

Originally Posted by smythe

...
I would say, generally the more laps you strop, the better/smoother/comfortable the shave.

+1 One day I got all balled up in considering all the things I needed to do to improve my technique. I actually forgot to strop. The shave was not bad, but I did notice that the blade was pulling slightly. I thought my blade was beginning to dull after about 3 or 4 shaves. Then I rememebered that I had forgotten to strop. Next day, I stropped 10x linen and 25x leather. The razor was back to normal. After that I decided to strop 25x linen and 50x leather. My shaves have gotten beter since. Now my normal stropping is 25/50. More is better.

Dave