Thread: Honing does it matter whether using water or oil hones?

I'm new to the straight razor world and have a very basic question.

When honing, Does it matter whether you use an oil based system v. a water based system or is it purely a matter of preference?

I am looking to embrace straight razor shaving but am on a budget. I will gladly pay up for a straight razor (I've already come to the decision that I will pay for one from SRD) but eventually I want to learn how to hone. I ahve been researching stones and have found some great deals on oil based stones v. water based stones. a dollar saved is truely a dollar earned. I would appreciate any feedback before I begin investing in a honing system. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

i think it is only personal preferences.
oil is a little messy that is why some people avoids it.some best hones charnley,arkansas translusent used with oil etc.

I personally stick with water hones but as bud said, it's all a matter of personal preference. Water's more readily available and cheaper.

Welcome to SRP. If you're on a budget I think that the Norton 4/8 is the best bang for the buck for someone who wants to learn to hone. Here is the SRP Wiki with tutorials on that and much more.

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your help. I decided to go with a norton waterstone kit from sharpeningsupplies.com.

here is the link of what I got for my $128 bucks.

http://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Wa...it-P94C18.aspx

Its a 4 stone system included are a 220/1000 grit stone, 4000/8000 grit stone, two cases/stands, a flattening stone and a dvd. It is a waterbased system which seems to be less messy and easier to clean up. I thought the price was pretty good considering I will be getting 4 stones.

I can also use these to sharpen my kitchen knives which I have not been sharpened in ages.

Once I pass my test that I am studying for I will buy a straight razor as my reward and learn the manly art of shaving straight. Disposable multiblade razors just are not doing it for me anymore, with the disposables there is no ritual to it just rote dragging a blade across my face. A straight razor has an element of romance to it and most of all, danger! I can show my girlfriends what a badass I am when I start stropping up the straight...LOL!!
I can almost see it now.
Her: what are you doing?
Me: getting ready to shave.
Her: You are not actually going to put that to your face are you?
Me: I absolutely am and am going to get the smoothest most manliest shave before i take you to bed....LOL!!!
Who knew shaving could be so much fun!

Try not to “nick” yourself while she’s watching… or you will never live it down.

Learning to hone before learning to shave and strop a straight is doing it the hard way (but not impossible). The easy way is to learn to shave with a properly prepared straight and learn to strop that razor to keep it comfortably sharp. A strop is more important than a hone if you are a new straight shaver… take my advice … you’ll thank me for it.

Also when you get the hang of using and maintaining a straight razor, you may want to get a spare in case something happens to your current razor, and another strop because no doubt you will cut up the first one while practicing/improving your stropping technique… yeah, like a spare girlfriend in case something happens to your current one… though she may not be happy with that analogy.

You may sharpen kitchen knives with them; they are soft water stones designed for flat blades such as wood working plain blades, chisels and other such tools (and so are coincidentally perfect for straight razors)… But I personally prefer to sharpen my dull kitchen knives on hard, fast cutting oil stones and then finish the edge on the soft water stones.

smythe,

really I am going to take it easy on moving to straight razors. I have a plan in place that I am going to learn SR shaving over a period of a year. I have time to learn as my whiskers keep on growing...lol!! I am in no rush and will lay the foundations for proper honing by practicing on my kitchen knives.

Bear in mind that honing a knife is very different to honing a razor. You probably know that already, but I thought I'd mention it. Good luck and enjoy yourself.

I own both oilstones and waterstones. The oilstones are a Charnley Forest and a couple of translucent arkansas stones. If you're going to use an oilstone make sure to use a very thin oil like kerosene or WD-40 or Kroil. Water also works fine with these, especially if you add a little bit of soap to keep them clean of swarf. Razors produce so little swarf with these stones that you don't need a heavy oil you just need something to provide a little lubrication.