Thread: Newb honing

I am looking at buying a shave ready straight razor. Should I just go for the whetstone set and get HAD over-with, or would I be fine with a couple of pasted strops, or just a barber hone? I could try to get my wife to let me purchase a "finishing stone," and then perhaps months or years down the road try to acquire the lower grit stones for more serious honing. I might be able to get by with a couple of pasted strops, but how long until I would need before taking it to the 4k/8k or a higher finishing hone...
God Bless,
Daren

Let me first say that HAD never goes away. It just gets worse with every new stone.

That said, I did a lot with a 3k/8k combo stone and some pasted strops when I started. It was a great tool for learning the basics of honing. I'm sure that the experts will chime in soon.

Phillip

Originally Posted by coachschaller

I am looking at buying a shave ready straight razor. Should I just go for the whetstone set and get HAD over-with, or would I be fine with a couple of pasted strops, or just a barber hone? I could try to get my wife to let me purchase a "finishing stone," and then perhaps months or years down the road try to acquire the lower grit stones for more serious honing. I might be able to get by with a couple of pasted strops, but how long until I would need before taking it to the 4k/8k or a higher finishing hone...
God Bless,
Daren

Give the WiKi a search for the pyramid method.
It uses a Norton 4K/8K combo and with a gentle
hand the method with give a fine shave.

The Norton can be followed by a 10K or 12K
water stone if you want a finer edge.

Do watch eBay for a good barber hone. I think
the Norton is a better choice now that I have both
but if you catch a barber hone in the last min
or two you might find a bargain.

General consensis is that newbs should avoid trying to hone there own until they have other factors down, like stropping and the shave itself. I don't conform to the general consensis though, so I say get yourself a 1k, 4k,8k and 12k right now, and if your razors are already sharp, the 12k will keep them up to par if you give them a touch up the moment you notice they start to tug. Providing, of course, you employ correct honing technique which is only gained from practice. So perhaps practice on your cheapest razor prior to actually having to rely on your unpractised skill.


Mick

Thanks all for your input. I will also be looking for a potential restorer to practice honing with before using a good edge. IF I keep a properly stropped razor, how long could I expect to go before needing to hone if I am an everyday shaver?

Honing is a skill to be learned. If I were to consider your position for myself I would ask "What equipment seems to have the most concise information available in how to use it?"

Originally Posted by coachschaller

Thanks all for your input. I will also be looking for a potential restorer to practice honing with before using a good edge. IF I keep a properly stropped razor, how long could I expect to go before needing to hone if I am an everyday shaver?

Dependant on a few factors such as beard thickness, how often you shave etc, I would say around 2-3 months before touching up on the 12k.


Mick

Originally Posted by MickR

Dependant on a few factors such as beard thickness, how often you shave etc, I would say around 2-3 months before touching up on the 12k.


Mick

+1 it varies.

In a recently translated Japanese study shared with this forum
the author made the point that a correct angle will serve the
user for +100 shaves while the wrong angle might top out
with a dozen shaves... I forget the exact numbers but the
point is the angle has a lot to do with how long the razor
keeps its edge.

If you strop with care using smooth deliberate
strokes (not like the movies) you will have a sharp
shaver long enough to decide on a hone kit or if you
want to send it out.

A 10k or 12K modern man made hone can be used like
a barber hone for a touch up once a month or even a full
refresh after three months.

The inexpensive natural hones from China are
often marketed as 12K hones but many are
not that fine. For the price they are worth a
try in the lottery that is natural rocks.

I am a big fan of recommending the Norton 4K/8K
combo hone to beginners. The 8K side makes
for a darn fine shave in its own right. The 4K side in
combination with the 8K side when used with the pyramid
method makes for a very fine shave. The 4K side
removes enough steel that a lightly "rolled" edge
is dealt with. It is a work horse...

I like the edge that a Norton 4K/8K combo followed
by a Naniwa 12K Superstone delivers.

There's already good recommendations here, so I'm just going to welcome you to SRP!

If you get your stropping down, a good edge by one of the cutlers/honemiesters here should last you at least a month (mine did and I didn't have my stropping down). As mentioned a Barber's hone or a 10-12k hone will keep that edge up to snuff so long as you don't let it go too far.

Shop around for the best deals. Depending on what you want to get at what time and in what order there's peach tree (good set deals), Lie Nielson Tool Works(good individual stone prices), and SRD (good sets too). It's all a matter of budget.

Peace,