Thread: new razor, what do I need more in order to hone it

Hello,

I do have the following straight razor:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5215562241/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5216152032/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5216152590/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5215563867/

The blade is brand new. Well, I have tried to shave with it and it was a disaster. Then I have discovered this place and learned that I need to hone it.

So I bought this Coticule:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5216150440/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5215564929/

and this strop:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5216154410/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31370879@N06/5216154880/

The marks on the strop are from me trying to strop the blade when I was not aware of how is this done.

I have also bought the "Straight Razor Shaving" DVD by Lynn and I have watched it partially. Now, some questions come to my mind:

1. It seems that for a new blade Lynn recommends to hone it first on a 400/800 stone (3-4 strokes on each side) and then continue with the Coticule (10 strokes) and then strop it and shave. I don't have a 400/800 stone. Can I use the blue side of the Coticule?

2. Is the size of my Coticule right? Lynn mentioned in the DVD that he is preferring 3x8 in stones. Mine is 200 x 40 mm stone (I think..) (and 1 in = 25.4 mm). Do I have to order a new stone or this one will do?

3. Do I need to order a new strop? Mine does not have a linen side. Only a leather side, the other side is just the back of the usable side. Check the photos?

4. Do I need to order also a 400/800 stone?

5. Is there no way to do the honing with just what I have in this moment?

6. Do I need also some paste with my strop?

Thanks,
Codrut

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

1. It seems that for a new blade Lynn recommends to hone it first on a 400/800 stone (3-4 strokes on each side) and then continue with the Coticule (10 strokes) and then strop it and shave. I don't have a 400/800 stone. Can I use the blue side of the Coticule?

First, your photos are not showing up.
About the honing recommendation, watch the honing part of the video again. The pyramid method of honing involves going back and forth between the 4000 and 8000 sides repeatedly. Of course that is irrelevant if you don't have those hones. There are many threads about honing with just a coticule. The most recent one that I recommend is here.

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

2. Is the size of my Coticule right? Lynn mentioned in the DVD that he is preferring 3x8 in stones. Mine is 200 x 40 mm stone (I think..) (and 1 in = 25.4 mm). Do I have to order a new stone or this one will do?

Smaller hones simply require more time, but it can be done. I recall a video a few years ago by LXEmergency in which he fully honed a razor on a coticule bout.

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

3. Do I need to order a new strop? Mine does not have a linen side. Only a leather side, the other side is just the back of the usable side. Check the photos?

Most of us seem to think a linen/canvas side is beneficial, but many older barbers disagreed. Straight Razor Designs sells individual components of strops so if you'd like, you could buy the linen and add it to your current strop with a little modification.

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

4. Do I need to order also a 400/800 stone?

Actually, the grits are 4000 and 8000, but whether or not you need them really depends on how many razors you intend to hone. You CAN hone and keep sharp your razor indefinitely with just your coticule, but you can do it much faster with the other two hones.

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

5. Is there no way to do the honing with just what I have in this moment?

If you do a search for "coticule" within this forum, you will find many threads about honing with just a coticule.

Originally Posted by codrutoctavian

6. Do I need also some paste with my strop?

Some people use a separate pasted strop for maintenance of their razors. However, you can do the same thing with just the coticule. Your daily use strop should NOT be pasted so if you do want to use pastes, then you need a second strop. The pasted strop can be a hanging, paddle, or bench strop. The material can be leather, linen, felt, cardboard, poly webbing, denim, newspaper, or balsa (among other things).

Nice looking razor you got there, Dovo Renaissance

So you got a coticule
Well then you might as well look at a place that spesialize in those hones
Dilucot honing method - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone
Unicot honing method - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone

Depending on the shape of your razor you may want to set the first bevel with a 1000 grit stone(you shouldnt really need it for that one i think)

A linen strop is important to me (you may get the results you need without it)

One more question: the small stone that I have received with my coticule can be used as a slurry stone?

If it also looks like a coticule, then yes.

Your pics are showing up now.

That is a good razor, hone, slurry stone and strop. You have all you need.

But... do yourself a big favor and send your razor out for a professional honing by one of the guys here on SRP. Look in the Classified ( top of page) under Services to see who is available. This will save you much time in getting started. Frankly. honing is the most difficult of the skills you will need to learn . It takes practice, practice, practice. But to simply maintain an edge that starts to pull a bit that Coticule will be more than adequate.

Be sure and use a quality shaving soap, perform an excellent beard prep, strop you razor, carefully, for 30-60 roundtrip laps just before each and every shave, and shave just your cheeks to begin with.

Keep us posted,

Welcome To SRP!

Very nice setup that you have. As far as honing you razor with you Coticule definitely yes you can get to shave ready with your Coticule. Check out Welcome to Coticule.be - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone specifically the Unicot method. I have been using this method with my recently acquired Coticule and am loving the edges that I have gotten.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Enjoy the journey!

Lu

One thing...The guys are pointing you towards Welcome to Coticule.be - home of the famous Belgian Coticule Whetstone The honing methods mentioned on that site, Unicot and Dilucot were made up by the proprieter of that site...
Among other things, He recommends dragging your blade along the rim of a glass to dull it prior to honing.

I strongly recommend not doing this with a brand new blade, regardless of what he say's on his site...You can hone a blade just fine with your Coticule without dragging your new razor over a glass first....

His method for honing is good, However, nothing is set in stone...(no pun intended) Strokes can vary depending on the condition of your blade and the Coticule you have..I'm sorry, I'm at work and cannot see the pictures..

I am a Vendor for Ardennes Coticule, and have been using them for years. I get great edges off mine, and I don't dull my blade first...This is my opinion.

Some Coticules are better finishers, and some are better cutters...You'll have to determine which yours is...

If your putting air in a tire, you don't flatten it first...right...?

When you know the difference of a sharp and a sharper edge theres no need in dulling the edge before honing
But for a beginner i think it can be a great help in determening that the honing reach the edge not just polish the bevel
That razor may have a sound bevel wich should let you just start honing without dulling
But how do you know when it improves if you have no experience in testing for sharpness?

If i put air in a tire i wont flatten it
If i put ten gallons of water in a barrel its easyer to know the amount if you start empty

I have to disagree with the suggestion that he begin his journey by honing the new razor by himself... irrespective of the hones he owns. Not one of them will tell him what he is doing right or wrong.

1. He does not know what a shave ready edge feels like, that's why we suggest that a persons first razor be honed by a competent honer.

2. In the past we have suggested that a practice razor be used when learning how to hone. It is all to easy to induce excessive wear on a new, expensive blade when learning how to hone.

I have had a number of new guys come to my home and not one had a decent honing stroke nor any idea of just exactly what they were trying to accomplish nor any plan to get there, etc. etc.

I have a friend in the Netherlands, Theo, who had a Dovo, "factory sharp" which he shaved with. Then he purchased a Coticule and started to hone the razor using water only. He would hone for awhile, strop, then shave test. Each time it got a bit better. After about 9000 laps his edge was done. True story.