Or you can be patient and haunt the local antique stores and swap meets. Finishing stones for under $50 are not that uncommon.
Maintenance?
- Thread starter RicoSuave
- Start date
As already stated, you can maintain a razor with just a finishing stone. I've done this for years. When you get a razor, send it to a professional for the initial honing. Then maintain that edge with a finishing stone.
I can usually get around 30-40 shaves between honings. When you're new, expect to hone more often.
Shaving with a straight takes practice and commitment. Start with WTG on cheeks only. Finish with a DE. Slowly add more sections of your beard. Then start adding XTG and ATG. Do not go for BBS. It will only cause skin irritation, and you wanting to quit. At around 30 shaves you will feel more comfortable holding a razor. At 100 shaves your shaves will be okay, but not as close as your DEs. At 300 shaves, your shaves will be as smooth as your DE, maybe closer.
This was my experience and learning curve.
Good luck.
I can usually get around 30-40 shaves between honings. When you're new, expect to hone more often.
Shaving with a straight takes practice and commitment. Start with WTG on cheeks only. Finish with a DE. Slowly add more sections of your beard. Then start adding XTG and ATG. Do not go for BBS. It will only cause skin irritation, and you wanting to quit. At around 30 shaves you will feel more comfortable holding a razor. At 100 shaves your shaves will be okay, but not as close as your DEs. At 300 shaves, your shaves will be as smooth as your DE, maybe closer.
This was my experience and learning curve.
Good luck.
A great inspirational on starting straight razor is this thread!
I've seen lots of people say that, but not one of them has yet explained how to know what a finishing stone is. I've been told that it's the stone that you use to finish the edge, but nobody's explained how you're going to know in advance what that's going to be or, at least, what to look for if you aren't already experienced at honing razors. If some of you think I sound frustrated sometimes, it's because getting basic information out of some of you is worse than pulling teeth. You're very good with intermediate and advance info, but keep forgetting that what beginners need, by definition, is the basics.
There lots of different finishing stones. Describing every one would take way to long. however, I will try to assist with some sound advice. Of course I will leave some stones out, but that is only to keep things brief.
Stones are graded by grit, hardness and density. Synthetics are by grit, naturals are graded by density and hardness.
Synthetics- stick to known quality makers like Naniwa, Shapton. For synthetics, most consider 12k grit to be a finishing stone. Some say 8k is enough, but 12k seems tp please most. These can be purchased from any retailer. I Naniwa 12k from Amazon will be the same as a Naniwa 12k from a different source. These are pretty straight forward and easy to use.
Naturals are more complicated. These are measured by density. For an Arkansas finishing stone, most consider a Translucent and the Black Arkansas grade to be finishing stones. Buy from a trusted source like Dan's Whetstone. Some off brands may not be true Black Arks or of the same density. Being a natural stone, there is some variance. Although, if you buy from a trusted source, you can be confident the stone will perform as a finishing stone.
For Japanese naturals (Jnats), these are measured in hardness. Not sure how that differs from density, but I've only seen them graded in hardness. Most finishing Jnat stones are 4.5+ in hardness. I would bet there is a 4 density stone, but most are 4.5+. Jnats come from different quarries like Nakama, Shobudani. The rest of the Japanese name is the color of the stone, maybe a characteristics of the stone, or the size. Jnats are a world of their own, but I find them easy to use. I WOULD ONLY BUY A JNAT FROM A TRUSTED SELL THAT USES STRAIGHT RAZORS. Sorry for the all caps, but there are tons of inferior jnat stones. Do not buy from the auction site.
The best advice I can give you is to buy from a trusted source. The best trusted source is from someone that uses straight razors and has used that particular stone. That being said, if you are interested in a finishing stone, place a WTB post in the Buy Sell Trade section here on B&B.
Leaving aside natural stones, because only some of them qualify as finishers, and it's hard to sort that out, the ones often mentioned are:
Naniwa SuperStone 12000
Suehiro Kouseki 10000
Suehiro Gokumyo 20000
Shapton Glass 16000 or 30000
I have the Suehiros and the Shaptons, and prefer the Suehiros for finishing razors, though I prefer the Shaptons for most other uses. The Naniwa is probably the cheapest, but they sometimes have warping problems. Some say the thinner S1 version is more prone to warping than the S2 version.
Now that's the type of information that I've been trying to get for weeks. And, unless you already know something about the subject, it's going to be hard to figure out just what to search for. Thanx!
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
If you’re not in to natural finishers, almost any synthetic of at least 10k grit and up is a decent razor finisher.
In the natural scheme, the easiest to tell that they are finishers is a hard black or hard teanslucent Arkansas, or a Thuringian. Escher-labeled Thuringian stones are sky high, but are generally a sure thing, as are Arkansas stones from a reputable source like Dan’s.
Coticules and Japanese stones can be first rate finishers, but there are many that are maybe not first rate too. They could be first raye knife hones though!
In the natural scheme, the easiest to tell that they are finishers is a hard black or hard teanslucent Arkansas, or a Thuringian. Escher-labeled Thuringian stones are sky high, but are generally a sure thing, as are Arkansas stones from a reputable source like Dan’s.
Coticules and Japanese stones can be first rate finishers, but there are many that are maybe not first rate too. They could be first raye knife hones though!
So I hate to edge in with realism, but if you are learning to strop and shave from scratch it MAY not be realistic to maintain one razor on just a finishing hone at first. My first 6 months of SR shaving was definitely a big learning experience. I learned to hone as well (on arks, have a black ark as a finisher and a soft for more steel removal than a finisher can). Granted, I have been honing knives and wood tools for years so it wasn't a steep learning curve.
Even after I got decent at razor Honing, I had to go back to the hones A LOT. I did ok to get a dozen shaves before I experienced tug city on many razors my first 6 months SR shaving. I chalk this up to stropping AND shaving technique (essentially, my poor technique at the time). And once a razor goes so far downhill, it takes a LONG time to bring it back on a finisher.
Coincidentally, I could easily send a razor out for honing from bezel set and maintain it for a VERY long time (if not indefinitely) on a strop and finishing hone now. Less so when I was learning and new. Of course, there's the method and the diamond pasted balsa strop that will essentially end the need to hone. You can probably get set up on the method for under $100
Even after I got decent at razor Honing, I had to go back to the hones A LOT. I did ok to get a dozen shaves before I experienced tug city on many razors my first 6 months SR shaving. I chalk this up to stropping AND shaving technique (essentially, my poor technique at the time). And once a razor goes so far downhill, it takes a LONG time to bring it back on a finisher.
Coincidentally, I could easily send a razor out for honing from bezel set and maintain it for a VERY long time (if not indefinitely) on a strop and finishing hone now. Less so when I was learning and new. Of course, there's the method and the diamond pasted balsa strop that will essentially end the need to hone. You can probably get set up on the method for under $100
