Need help in choosing sharpening stone, please...

[zedpi]

Hello!

This is my first post at this forum and I'm glad that this place exists cause straight razor shaving is something many people consider obsolete and hard to learn.

Anyway, this is my problem:

I have two straight razors from my grand-grandfather and I need a stone so I can sharpen them and use them for shaving. I've used straight razor before and I must say that it gives uncredible feeling of skin smoothness after the shave that I haven't expirienced with disposable multi-blade razors nor safety (although safety razor gives quite similar result, but not so perfect, I might say...)

On closer inspection of the blades I can see that the edge is serrated (don't how to describe it more precisely, since english is not my native tongue)... I can see small marks (not dents) on the very edge of the blade. They are small, like a coarser stone was used and not worked to finer grit, if you know what I mean...

Friend of mine is returning from States and I she can bring me one combo stone. I've searched the net and forums and articles and what not and one name kept repeating in those articles - Norton water combo stone. Can you recommend a online retailer or a store in NYC that has these stones at the lowest price, please?

I came to conclusion that I need to buy either 1000/4000 or 4000/8000 stone. Which one would you recommend for my razors? I'll try to post some pictures of the blades in a day or so.

I mean, what stone will sharpen razors and be used for a occasional hone for keeping the edge sharp? In other words, which stone is smarter to buy, cause in this moment I can afford only one?


Thanks in advance!


ZedPi

[Isaac]

I havent started honing.....but you definately want a 4k/8k combo..and i believe a flattening stone for the Norton.

[gugi]

Yes, definitely norton 4k/8k stone if that will be the only one you have. You are not specifying where are you located, but alternatively you may find other sharpening stones in your country (antique shops as well as well stocked crafts/woodworks shops).

As far as retailers in NYC I have no idea, but you should post this on straightrazorplace as well. Some people overlap with this board, but some are exclusively there, and you want to reach as large pool as possible so that there is some chance somebody in NYC can point you to a retailer. I suppose purchasing online is not an option for your friend, otherwise theperfectedge.com is the place to get it.

[rickw]

Try Vintage Blades http://www.vintagebladesllc.com/vshop/xcart/home.php?cat=115 . They can be flattened with Wet/Dry sandpaper and a piece of glass.

[Amyn]

I too would recommend getting the 4k/8k Combo stone. you can purchase some 1000, 1200, 2500grit sandpaper to work out any small chips on the edge of your blade.

[Jim]

ZedPi welcome to the B&B! where are you located?

[Limey]

Zedpi - Welcome to B&B!

[Limey]

Is it best to buy the combination stone or the 4K and 8K separately? That way you don't have to keep flipping the stone to complete a honing pyramid.

[Papa Bull]

I think it's best to buy the 4k/8k combo. It's enough to do everything you really need except to hone out large, visible chips, which would be something I would recommend doing with a 1K stone. Additionally, getting a fine barber hone for touchups might not be a bad idea. They're pretty inexpensive, but I wouldn't consider one a replacement for a 4k/8k Norton. It would be more of a finishing/touchup hone.

[GsSixgun]

The 4k/8k Norton is pretty much considered to be the standard of all the honing stones... I personally have never needed any other stone as of yet, but if I ever do, it will be a Yellow Coticle from Howard @ the perfectedge.com he really knows his stuff... Now I should qualify that never needed another stone, because my razors don't go from an 8k stone to my face, they go by way of a pasted paddle strop. The double sided 3 inch paddle has red paste on one side and black on the other, from there we switch to a black pasted hanging strop, with a white pasted linen strop. After that it goes to a naked linen and naked Russian leather strop. So as you can see everybody has there own system that the blades go through before they hit skin :cool:
My rule is that a blade stays on the stone until it can pop the hairs on the back of my hand by just a touch then it's ready for the strops, after the stropping they almost always will pass the HHT which is the only standard that can kinda, sorta, be used to judge sharpness :smile: :smile: :smile: the real test is how they shave... of course the normal YMMV applies

Glen

[Suzuki]

If you could send pictures, that would help us understand exactly what the condition of the edge is, which will determine what type of stone/grit you will likely want to start on.

If you have visible chips/dings or other damage, you may neet go to something coarser than 4000.

Also, you might consider sending the razors to a pro if they really need a lot of work.

[zedpi]

I'm in Europe... Is there any substitute stones available in Europe than I can purchase online? What about this one:

http://www.dick.biz/cgi-bin/dick.storefront/46e6b2e6000d63f6274050f33609064c/Product/View/711024

There is also this one, but I'm not sure is it wide enough for the blade since it is 50mm wide:

http://www.dick.biz/cgi-bin/dick.storefront/46e6b2e6000d63f6274050f33609064c/Product/View/711050

There's also this 66mm version of the 1000/6000 stone:

http://www.dick.biz/cgi-bin/dick.storefront/46e6b2e6000d63f6274050f33609064c/Product/View/711005

My digital camera is not with me at the moment... I'll take some pictures in a day or two so I an show you the edge and the razors...

Thanks!

ZedPi

[doctorsimon]

The 4k/8k Norton is pretty much considered to be the standard of all the honing stones... I personally have never needed any other stone as of yet, but if I ever do, it will be a Yellow Coticle from Howard @ the perfectedge.com he really knows his stuff... Now I should qualify that never needed another stone, because my razors don't go from an 8k stone to my face, they go by way of a pasted paddle strop. The double sided 3 inch paddle has red paste on one side and black on the other, from there we switch to a black pasted hanging strop, with a white pasted linen strop. After that it goes to a naked linen and naked Russian leather strop. So as you can see everybody has there own system that the blades go through before they hit skin :cool:
My rule is that a blade stays on the stone until it can pop the hairs on the back of my hand by just a touch then it's ready for the strops, after the stropping they almost always will pass the HHT which is the only standard that can kinda, sorta, be used to judge sharpness :smile: :smile: :smile: the real test is how they shave... of course the normal YMMV applies

Glen



Just when I was about to take the plunge into straight razors you've kindly frightened me away again! Thanks for saving me from another hobby.

[GsSixgun]

Just when I was about to take the plunge into straight razors you've kindly frightened me away again! Thanks for saving me from another hobby.

Simon:
That shouldn't scare you away, You only have to do this about twice a year... and some people don't even do that, they spend $20 and send their razor away to be honed.. which if you think about it is cost effective if you only own 1 or 2 straights. Unfortunately the RAD kicks in and the next thing ya know there are 20-30 straights in the bathroom drawer and you better learn how to hone them and strop them :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: and feed them and tuck them in at night!!!!:biggrin:
I have posted this saying before and I still can't remember where I read it but I do love it "It is easier to keep a blade sharp than to sharpen one" this is so true when it comes the straights!!!
And remember that it was the fact that people didn't want to learn to hone and or were to lazy to hone that lead us all down the DISPOSABLE razor path

Glen

[Steerpike]

If the edge is rough, youl need a fast stone to even it out, but I find a barbers hone coated in lather to be the fastest and most user-friendly way of restoring an edge on a razor. The Carborundum hones are very good, I use an Exide, less common I think but it works fine. You can Use a Chromium pastred paddle strop after this if you want a more polished edge, but I'm starting to find that unnecassary.

[Suzuki]

A couple of guys have mentioned barbers hones and I really like them.

BUT, the generic term "barbers hone" means nothing on its own.

There are probably dozens (if not hundreds) of different brands, sizes, and, most important grades of coarseness.

I have six or seven ranging from coarse to very fine - and I really didn't know how well a particular hone would work until I got it into my grubby little paws and played with it for a bit. Some I use rarely, others I really like (in particular an Austrian Apart hone that is a great finishing hone).

If you have a razor that needs major work, I highly suggest using a bench stone and the Norton 4/8 is as good as any to start. If you need to go coarser, then go to a 1k stone (Norton or waterstone) or sandpaper - but if you use sandpaper, you need to make sure you're using it on a perfectly (or as close as possible) surface. The barbers hones are too small to do this effectively (yes, it can be done, but I don't suggest it) - also, because of the size of the barbers hones (specifically width), there will be times when either the toe or heel will be off the stone for some time during the stroke - if care is not taken, you can easily give your razor a "frown" (meaning that you take more metal off the middle of the blade beacuse its in contact with the stone for more of the stroke - this is especially true with coarser hones.

Also, all hones need to be lapped or flattened - which is a pain when dealing with finer hones, as you actually have to flatten the hone with a coarse flattening stone, sandpaper, or lapping compound/lapping plate and then polish the surface a bit with higher grits/stones.

I didn't mean to turn this into a treatise on hones/barbers hones, but I think newbies need to understand that there are lots of ways of getting a razor sharp, but some are a little more user friendly than others. Also, the amount of work a razor needs determines what the best honing medium is.

So, for light touch ups or refreshing an edge (meaning giving an edge on a razor that shaves well a tune up) a fine/very fine hone/pasted strop (barbers, Belgian coticule, Escher, pasted strop) will do just fine.

For putting a shaving edge on razors in good condition or a new razor, you'll likely want to start with a medium or possibly even a coarse hone before progressing to a fine/very fine sharpening medium - this is where the Norton 4/8 works very well for most people. You can also use a progression of barbers hones.

For a razor that has dings, chips, uneven bevel, etc. you may need to consider going to something that's around 1k to speed up the process - a Norton or waterstone is perfect - others swear by wet/dry sand paper.

Hypothetically, its possible to do anything with a fine hone, but its a matter of time and patience - trying to even a bevel on an 8k stone will take forever.

Of course, YMMV and this is in no way a comprehensive guide to straighrazor sharpening.

The only other thing I strongly recommend is getting a practice razor or two to experiment with so you don't ruin a good razor before you're comfortable with your honing technique and whatever sharpening medium you decide to use.

Hope this helps.

[Doc4]

Practice razor & 4k/8k a good place to start!

[ouch]

The published grit size for Norton stones doesn't line up exactly with that of other producers. Their 4K is not much finer than a Shapton 2K, and their 8K is roughly the equivalent of a Shapton 5K. I think razors need something a bit finer than that.

[karkarta]

Shapton GlasStones - ultra hard and ultra flat. Expensive, but not terribly so. In my mind, Nortons are difficult to use because they cut so fast. They require a lot of skill from the user; Shaptons, on the other hand are very easy to get used to. I may be the exception, but I find it incredibly difficult to get a good edge with Nortons, and incredibly easy with the Shaptons and the Belgian coticules.

And I'll be one of the heretics around and say that you should get a small stone, not a monster 8x3. Most razors don't have perfectly straight line edges and the curved edge works better with stones of smaller widths. I'd say go for a 40mm width and maybe 120mm length. This will save you money and will work just fine.

[BillEllis]

I'm gonna endorse the 4K/8K Norton if you are only buying one stone. If you need to bring up a razor that is in bad shape, I would suggest as coarse as 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of glass... then 400, then 600, 1,000, and then to the Norton. (use electrical tape on the spine for all grits up to 1,000) If you want an all-around system, get Hand American's scary sharp flat bed.

[ouch]

Shapton GlasStones - ultra hard and ultra flat. Expensive, but not terribly so. In my mind, Nortons are difficult to use because they cut so fast. They require a lot of skill from the user; Shaptons, on the other hand are very easy to get used to. I may be the exception, but I find it incredibly difficult to get a good edge with Nortons, and incredibly easy with the Shaptons and the Belgian coticules.

And I'll be one of the heretics around and say that you should get a small stone, not a monster 8x3. Most razors don't have perfectly straight line edges and the curved edge works better with stones of smaller widths. I'd say go for a 40mm width and maybe 120mm length. This will save you money and will work just fine.

Shaptons are top quality and cut very fast, but I'm not a big fanboy of their feedback.
Their new glasstones are all the rage right now.

[karkarta]

Well, to each their own - my take on the Norton 4k and 8k stones is that the 4k is quite coarse - as Ouch said, more like a Shapton 2k, and the 8k is a true polishing stone, maybe in the 15k range. The 8k leaves no scratches at all on what it touches, unlike even the Shapton 30k. In my understanding and experience, the edge needs to be microserrated in order to cut hair smoothly.

To get a smooth edge with microserrations is next to impossible with the Norton 8k - since it polishes the surface so well. Which means you have to bounce back and forth between the 4k and 8k - making deeper-than-needed serrations with the 4k and then polishing them away with the 8k, and hoping that somewhere in between you reach a point where the edge cuts with maximum efficiency.

To me this is a masochistic way of attaining what is possible with the Shaptons by just using progressively finer grits, or merely modulating pressure with the Belgian stones. Shaptons don't respond to modulation of honing pressure - you just destroy the edge if you use a heavy hand, but the Belgians respond by behaving as if they were a coarser stone (I theorize that this is because of the obtuse angle of the dodecahedral garnet crystals vs the acute angle of the alumina crystals in the Shaptons, but I digress) which means that you can simply decrease pressure to get a finer edge.

Also, I don't mean to imply that you can't get the best edge possible with the Norton combination, I feel it is just more difficult, especially for beginners.

[BillEllis]

To me this is a masochistic way of attaining what is possible with the Shaptons by just using progressively finer grits, or merely modulating pressure with the Belgian stones. Shaptons don't respond to modulation of honing pressure - you just destroy the edge if you use a heavy hand, but the Belgians respond by behaving as if they were a coarser stone (I theorize that this is because of the obtuse angle of the dodecahedral garnet crystals vs the acute angle of the alumina crystals in the Shaptons, but I digress) which means that you can simply decrease pressure to get a finer edge.

Also, I don't mean to imply that you can't get the best edge possible with the Norton combination, I feel it is just more difficult, especially for beginners.
Y'know, you're probably correct on all counts. But, I think your scientific analysis is going to be harder on a beginner to grasp than using the 8K side of a Norton. :biggrin1:

Also, the guy also said that he was only going to be able to get ONE stone, not a battery of coticles and Shaptons. I don't think people are saying a Norton is the best there is... I wasn't anyway. But if you are only getting a single stone I still say the 4K/8K might be the best bang for the buck. I think there are a couple of people here who have shaved with one of my razors and the last stone most of them saw was the 8K.

[ouch]

the 8k is a true polishing stone, maybe in the 15k range.

Norton uses a 3 micron grit for their 8K. A 15K grit should be ~1 micron.

[FloppyShoes]

Y'know, you're probably correct on all counts. But, I think your scientific analysis is going to be harder on a beginner to grasp than using the 8K side of a Norton. :biggrin1:

Also, the guy also said that he was only going to be able to get ONE stone, not a battery of coticles and Shaptons. I don't think people are saying a Norton is the best there is... I wasn't anyway. But if you are only getting a single stone I still say the 4K/8K might be the best bang for the buck. I think there are a couple of people here who have shaved with one of my razors and the last stone most of them saw was the 8K.

I echo Bill's sentiment. IMHO if I was limited to one stone, it would be a Norton 4k/8k. Second place would be a combo belgian blue/yellow, but they are pricey and only marginally better than the Norton offering (also a bit harder to use if you're just learning how to hone).

If you want to discuss which backpack full of hones makes for the best edge, then perhaps you're right. I would argue that the best edge can be obtained by making a slurry on a select belgian yellow coticule using holy water and Chuck Norris' tears. This, however, can only be done by Chuck Norris, since ONLY Chuck Norris can make Chuck Norris cry.

[karkarta]

Norton uses a 3 micron grit for their 8K. A 15K grit should be ~1 micron.

Yes, that is true, but the width of the scratch left on metal by a crystal is not a function of absolute crystal size. Only the scratch pitch is (the distance between two scratches). In other words, you could have 3 micron crystals embedded in some type of matrix that could leave a scratch pattern that would be finer than what is expected with 3um particles.

This is borne out by visual microscope inspection at 200x. (That's the best I can do.)

And I readily agree, if one stone is all you can get, then the Norton 4k/8k combo is hard to beat. Bill, I have great admiration for your work, and while I am new to this forum, I have been honing and shaving with straight razors since 2003. I am no honemeister, but I can get a blade to any level of sharpness - including feather sharpness - rather easily (not to blow my own horn or anything :wink:) but I was a beginner once and the Norton advice got me to trip up pretty badly.

The short version is that I have an extremely coarse beard and very sensitive skin, and the Norton edge, while sharp enough - would give me close shaves but with a lot of pulling and burn. For someone with less sensitive skin or a lighter beard, this may not pose an issue.

The long version: Even shaves from professional barbers in different parts of the world would be murder on my skin. The only thing that would work was a Vision with no blade exposure. Being a professional tinkerer (engineer that is) I couldn't resist the seduction of the straight, and went and got myself a Dovo stainless steel ice hardened blade and a 4k/8k combo.

Big mistake. I could get the razor sharp - it would pass the hanging hair test, the sticky-on-ball-of-thumb test etc etc, but it would pull like crazy on my whiskers. I had some local buddies that were also interested in straights at the time, and what shaved them with supreme comfort pulled and burned for me. I even tried honing services, including some well known honemeister names at that time - same story. The razors would shave, and even close, but the pulling and burning was the same. I had to use a benzocaine shaving cream to keep discomfort down.

I was one of the original people who tried diamond pastes; with some success. I tried green paste, red paste, black paste; TI white paste, handamerican Chromium oxide; you name it; and all met with limited success. The butter smooth shave that SRP forum members were experiencing were a far away dream.

Then one day a friend gifted me the Henckels JT-1 shavette - this has Japanese blades, super sharp to say the least. This was before the Feather straights became available. I shaved with it, and it cut me up bad, but lo and behold, no pulling whatsoever. One time while traveling to India, I got a shave from a barbershop but asked them to use my JT-1 and I experienced instant shaving Nirvana :smile:. The barber used a truly feather light touch, almost to the point that I could barely feel the blade on my skin, and I finally got the dream shave - very close and no irritation, no pulling at all.

Now I had to replicate the same experience with a regular straight; meanwhile Belgian stones were becoming available, and I began experimenting with different stones. Yes, I spent a lot of money in pursuit of that perfect edge, but it was worth it. As I said before, I can now get that edge with a simple progression on Shaptons or pressure modulation with a coticule. I don't need pastes, I don't need the Norton etc. Now, after much practice, I can get the same edge with a Norton 4k/8k combo, but with difficulty.

Coming full circle, if I had known earlier, I would have avoided a lot of expense - think hundreds of dollars or maybe even over a thousand - if only I had a Belgian coticule. Of course, I would not have the ability to hone out minor nicks as is possible with the Norton 4k.

One doesn't need a sackful of stones to get a good shaving edge. In my mind a coticule is enough; and a small 4k/8k Norton for the initial sharpening. Or perhaps a 4k/8k and some handamerican Chromium oxide.

As for cost and affordability: As I found out after spending quite a lot of money, merely spending less initially is not necessarily the least expensive long term route. For instance, I am quite certain that many a honemeister finishes off with some form of pasted strop. In the long run, paste expenses add up, not to mention that strops cost money as well. Similarly if the Norton doesn't quite cut it for you (:p) you'd spend more on other "solutions", the cumulative expenses of which may be worse than your initial outlay. Or you may get frustrated and leave midway - meaning all or part of your expenses are a loss.

So I'd say that keeping the budget open for a later purchase of a small coticule is probably a prudent idea. Of course the 4k/8k may turn out to be enough for the poster.

I apologize for the length of this post. My sincere intent is for others to learn from my mistakes, hence the sordid details.

[BillEllis]

Yes, that is true, but the width of the... is for others to learn from my mistakes, hence the sordid details.I, for one, appreciate the well-written and understandable response. I learned something here, today. Thanks for taking the time.

Now that you have honing down pat, do you think that part of the difficulty in getting the desired edge had anything to do with the Dovo? I have had a few of those that were a bit tricky to get sharp.

I got my coticle several years back. Are the prices through the roof now?

[FloppyShoes]

...
As for cost and affordability: As I found out after spending quite a lot of money, merely spending less initially is not necessarily the least expensive long term route. For instance, I am quite certain that many a honemeister finishes off with some form of pasted strop. In the long run, paste expenses add up, not to mention that strops cost money as well. Similarly if the Norton doesn't quite cut it for you (:p) you'd spend more on other "solutions", the cumulative expenses of which may be worse than your initial outlay. Or you may get frustrated and leave midway - meaning all or part of your expenses are a loss.
...


A well written response. Normally I don't read posts that long, just the first and last paragraphs :tongue: but you write well, so it was easy. This is how I know you're not only an engineer, but a good one at that. This being said I must respectfully disagree with the comment underlined.

Self proclaimed as I may be as a honemeister, I can put a wicked edge on a razor (and by wicked I mean both upon inspection by microscpe and through shave testing) If you buy "gourmet" CrO2 paste from handamerican or elsewhere, it can get a little expensive, I agree. However, I recently bought a stick of buffing compound (0.5 micron CrO2) for 1/3 of the price and find it works just fine. Not only that, but it was usable right away, no drying time as with some pastes/sprays.

[ouch]

I would argue that the best edge can be obtained by making a slurry on a select belgian yellow coticule using holy water and Chuck Norris' tears. This, however, can only be done by Chuck Norris, since ONLY Chuck Norris can make Chuck Norris cry.

You haven't met Nick!





Fantastic responses, karkarta. :thumbup1:

[karkarta]

Thank you for your kind words, Bill, Dan and Ouch. Means a lot, coming from you folks.


Now that you have honing down pat, do you think that part of the difficulty in getting the desired edge had anything to do with the Dovo? I have had a few of those that were a bit tricky to get sharp.


Yes, absolutely. The Dovo stainless steel ice hardened ones are actually quite hard to hone (excuse the pun). I speak from a sample size of at least 6 of these razors. They are tricky in my opinion because they need so much work to get sharp, and then just a few more passes on a stone and they get over honed. And getting rid of the overhoned "fin" is a lot of work too, since it simply does not want to go away. Very, very tricky. Terrible razor to learn honing on. Add it to the list of my mistakes.

I got my coticule from Howard in 2004 - I think for $125... I think it is about $150 now, so the prices haven't really skyrocketed.


However, I recently bought a stick of buffing compound (0.5 micron CrO2) for 1/3 of the price and find it works just fine.

Fair enough - I got mine several years ago from Handamerican, and while I don't recall the price today, I remember thinking that it wouldn't be cheap to keep buying this over the long term.

Once again, thanks. Great community.

[edk442]

When I started with straights, the general recommendation was the norton 4k/8k, which i bought, trusting the experience of others. After much experimenting i returned it (bless you LeeValley). I picked up some shaptons to replace it which were much kinder to me. The norton is good if you are on a budget, but wouldn't be my stone of choice

[sharpy]

Karkarta,

I am interested in achieving the kind of edge you describe (some day).

I am putting together a shopping list, so exactly which stones and equipment would you buy (starting from scratch)? Any opinion of Shapton's Glass Stones? I don't mind spending some money, I just want to spend it well, and buy something that will be usefull to learn with and use years down the road.

Also, did you find a particular DVD helpful, such as Lynn’s?

[mparker762]

If you only want one stone then either the Norton or belgian will do well. But count me among the Shapton fans here. Once I got the Shaptons I sold both my Norton and belgian and never looked back. I've got a mixture of Shapton pro stones and glassstones and love them both.

Oh, and the Dubl Duck barber hone is quite good too if you glaze the fine surface a bit. That would probably be my choice if I only had a few razors and only wanted one hone.

[sharpy]

Hey guys,

What Shapton grit or combination of grits works best for you?

[karkarta]

The easiest way is to get Shapton glasstones 4k, 8k and possibly 16k - these are cheaper than the comparable pro model hones; or to get a blue and yellow coticule. I'd suggest 1.5 inch x 6 inch size for coticules if you go that route.

My personal recommendation - the blue and yellow coticules. Ask Howard at www.theperfectedge.com - he may even be able to hook you up with a combination blue/yellow. In small sizes, these may not be expensive.

If you are just beginning to hone, you'll find that narrower hones work better because you still haven't developed all the motor skills necessary to maintain uniform blade contact on a wide stone. If you are really experienced, you'll find that razors don't get dull uniformly along the length of the blade, so some areas require more strokes than others while re-honing, and this works best with a narrower hone. In short, get a narrow hone.

Most of my honing skill was developed in 2003 and 2004, before Lynn's DVD or all the other information on forums was available. At that time there were only two main honemeisters, SRP was on yahoogroups, and we celebrated the first few thousand messages. So I had to develop my skillset from personal trials. I have not seen Lynn's DVD, so I can't comment on whether you should peruse it or not.

Honing is simple really - it does not need a battery of stones, or tubs full of pastes or exotic leather strops or whatever. It needs the proper stone (Belgians or Eschers or Thuringens) and good technique. Good technique is basically adhering to a set of very simple rules and developing the right motor skills. This just comes with practice. It also needs razors that are designed to be razors; i.e., that are field honable with little effort and that hold their edge well - razors that are made of the finest supersteel CPM damascus steels with a bazillion layers may shave great and look fantastic, but most are tough to hone, meaning that they are really not true shaving instruments, but collector's pieces.

In my mind, the best shaving experience usually comes from razors designed to be true shaving instruments; and a criterion for that is that they hone easily. Get one of those. And a good hone. Everything else is then just about you.

[HowardS]

I would be quite concerned about the chips on the edge of the blade. They need to be removed. The way I do it is to hold the razor vertically on the 4k stone and draw it toward me. Do it lightly. Check after every stroke. After they're gone, regrind the bevel, and then continuous polish on the 8k side of the stone. Strop and you're done.

[azmark]

WOW, how did this post come up from the deep vaults of B&B:lol:

[Bart]

WOW, how did this post come up from the deep vaults of B&B:lol:
Well, thanks to Howard. I found it an outstanding read.
:thumbup1:

Bart.

[wdwrx]

Well, thanks to Howard. I found it an outstanding read.
:thumbup1:

Bart.

me too!:001_smile