The interactive Guide to straights #2

Newbie here:

The interactive guide is one well written, brilliantly executed, superbly photographed sliver of non-fiction. Now, I have questions.

1-I went to a barber shop called YOUR FATHERS MOUSTACHE in Milwaukee on a whim. They used a straight edge to clean off the back of my neck. It was great! I almost wished they hadn't, because now I am here bothering you all.

2-Say I get a hold of a "shave ready" blade off the B&B boards. What is the minimal amount of "maintenance gear" I would need? All of the descriptions of flat stones, hones, finishing hones, Strops, Leather sided strops, shark tooth strops, armadillo hide strops had me a bit overwhelmed.

3-Being a newie, I do not believe I should be attempting to hone (as the guide suggests). However, I know a stropping is in order before each shave to maintain the edge. What types or sizes is recommended for a newbie?

4-There seems to be a real chance of my ruining my first blade purchase with inferior stropping technique. Does this mean I should buy a total crap blade to practice on?

5-Please steer me in the right direction. Also, is it true that I will need to send my potential razor out to be rehoned every 2 or 3 months?

6-Please describe again the main difference between honing and stropping (not neccessarily the procedure, but the effect(s) on the blade these actions serve)

7-Whew.

8-Thank You

-Crisp

You need at least a razor, strop and barbers hone. Once the razors is professionally honed you will be set for life. The barbers hone is effective and easy to use but, if you continue to read this forum, you will be infected with HAD and be compelled to buy more hones. If you're not willing to learn to hone with, at least, a barbers hone, you will be very frustrated. New users don't risk ruining the razor, but the edge, which is why you need a hone. A strop makes the blade feel smoother.

Chimensch said:

You need at least a razor, strop and barbers hone. Once the razors is professionally honed you will be set for life. The barbers hone is effective and easy to use but, if you continue to read this forum, you will be infected with HAD and be compelled to buy more hones. If you're not willing to learn to hone with, at least, a barbers hone, you will be very frustrated. New users don't risk ruining the razor, but the edge, which is why you need a hone. A strop makes the blade feel smoother.

Click to expand...

Ah Yes! I appreciate the prompt reply and the good information. I feel as though now I can ask somewhat intelligent questions.

You reference a BARBERS HONE.

What is the difference between this style hone and whatever hone the Professional Honer is using to set me for life?

-Crisp

Barbers hones were the hone used when straights were in general use to keep razors sharp. (They used pastes and linen and leather and other surfaces and pastes. But, we're talking about hones here.) From all I can gather, barbers hones average 6K-8K in grit size. My experience with barbers hones seem to bear that out.

Barbers hones are synthetic. Old timers used natural stones like the coticule for hones also.

There are pros and cons for the hones, synthetic and natural. The big disadvantage for natural stones is typically their high price. While the low price of barbers hones, relatively, is in their favor.

You will do fine with a synthetic hone or a barbers hone. You just need some surface around 8K in grit size. And, about any barbers hone you buy will do fine.

Typically, you hone on a barbers hone, followed by stropping on a paste (which is advisable in my opinion, but not mandatory), followed by stropping on leather.

Now, the above covers the old timey hones. More recently, companies like Naniwa, Norton and Shapton have made some very nice synthetic hones. Even though very nice, until someone moves beyond personal use, there isn't that much need for one of these more expensive hones.

I hope I haven't misstated anything. Undoubtedly, there is personal opinion included above. So, trust but verify!

LarryAndro said:

Barbers hones were the hone used when straights were in general use to keep razors sharp. (They used pastes and linen and leather and other surfaces and pastes. But, we're talking about hones here.) From all I can gather, barbers hones average 6K-8K in grit size. My experience with barbers hones seem to bear that out.

Barbers hones are synthetic. Old timers used natural stones like the coticule for hones also.

There are pros and cons for the hones, synthetic and natural. The big disadvantage for natural stones is typically their high price. While the low price of barbers hones, relatively, is in their favor.

You will do fine with a synthetic hone or a barbers hone. You just need some surface around 8K in grit size. And, about any barbers hone you buy will do fine.

Typically, you hone on a barbers hone, followed by stropping on a paste (which is advisable in my opinion, but not mandatory), followed by stropping on leather.

Click to expand...

LarryAndro,

Thank you for your response as well. Now some questions/concerns.

1-You mention to hone on a barbers hone, followed by stropping on a paste followed by stropping on leather. Now I have read the same thing, however the literature said to stop on the CANVAS side of your strop, then follow it up with leather. Can you shed any light on this?

2-Furthermore, lets assume I have a Canvas/Leather strop. Do I need to wet the strop or put any of the aforementioned paste on it?

3-How many passes does one DO on a barbers hone? How often is one expected to use it? Before every shave?

4-Similairly, how many passes does one DO on a strop? I know enough to do THIS before each shave.

5-When using a BARBERS hone, which direction does one hone the razor?

6-When using a strop, which direction do you strop your razor?

-Crisp

Crisp said:

Ah Yes! I appreciate the prompt reply and the good information. I feel as though now I can ask somewhat intelligent questions.

You reference a BARBERS HONE.

What is the difference between this style hone and whatever hone the Professional Honer is using to set me for life?

-Crisp

Click to expand...

It depends on the condition of the edge. A barbers hone is basically a finishing/touch-up hone. If the bevel (the place where the two sides meet to form the edge) is not properly set, or if you are restoring an old razor, you may need faster/rougher hones to set the bevel. If all you are doing is maintaining a razor in good condition, and you aren't fixing up old razors, you'd never use them.

Barbers hone=basically a finishing hone.

Got it!

Thank you,
Crisp

You may want to hop over to YouTube and search on Stopping or Honing for the basics as it is probably better to see them in action then to have someone try to describe it.

Crisp said:

LarryAndro,

Thank you for your response as well. Now some questions/concerns.

1-You mention to hone on a barbers hone, followed by stropping on a paste followed by stropping on leather. Now I have read the same thing, however the literature said to stop on the CANVAS side of your strop, then follow it up with leather. Can you shed any light on this?

2-Furthermore, lets assume I have a Canvas/Leather strop. Do I need to wet the strop or put any of the aforementioned paste on it?

3-How many passes does one DO on a barbers hone? How often is one expected to use it? Before every shave?

4-Similairly, how many passes does one DO on a strop? I know enough to do THIS before each shave.

5-When using a BARBERS hone, which direction does one hone the razor?

6-When using a strop, which direction do you strop your razor?

-Crisp

Click to expand...

1 - Most strops come with a fabric backing. The fabric is a bit coarser than the leather. Typically you do less passes on the linen than the leather. My routine is 20 passes on linen ( once up and down equals a pass) followed by 60 passes on leather than I shave.

2 - Normally you would have two strops; one for daily use and one which you prepare with pastes. From this you will gather that you do not use pastes on a daily basis

3 - I don't use a barbers hone so can't comment. You use when the blade feels dull, starts to drag. Definitely not before each shave!

4. Before shaving 20/60 linen/leather. Post shaving 5/10.

5. Using a hone the shaving edge leads.

6. Using a strop the shaving edge trails.

Crisp, if you are in Milwaukee, WI I am willing to show you my set up and explain how I use each part of it. I'm just north of you in West Bend. I'm now expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I can show you what I have, what I do, and maybe answer a few of you're easier questions. Shoot me a PM if interested.

More information in Wiki:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Straight_Razor_FAQs
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Straight_Razors
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Strop
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Hone

Thank you very much for those links. I will absorb them first thing tomorrow!

-Crisp

Am I correct in saying a barbers hone more or less has the same effect as a pasted strop?

-Crisp

Crisp said:

Am I correct in saying a barbers hone more or less has the same effect as a pasted strop?

-Crisp

Click to expand...

No, a pasted strop will eventually stop working and you'll have to go to a hone. A barbers hone is the hone you would go to. If I were going to use a pasted strop, it would be to go a little finer than the barbers hone but that's a personal preference and not really necessary. IIRC you're original question was "what's the minimum I need".

LarryAndro said:

<snip>
Typically, you hone on a barbers hone, followed by stropping on a paste (which is advisable in my opinion, but not mandatory), followed by stropping on leather.

Click to expand...

Great lead-in to a question I have. I picked up a 4-sided paddle strop with what looks like slate on one side and 3 sides with leather, one with Dovo Red, one with Dovo Black and the third unpasted. Is the stone most likely slate? If so, would it be the same as the babers hone? Would there be a progression I might follow along the lines of: leather strop every shave; Black paste one time after 15-20 shaves (followed by leather every shave); Red paste one time followed by Black paste one time after another 15-20 shaves (followed as usual with leather every shave)? Does this type of stone need to be lapped? Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

As a recent convert, I would add one thing. I think a paddle strop is much easier to use correctly than a hanging strop when you're first starting out. I had a hanging strop to start with and don't recommend it. Once you get experienced, I doubt it matters. Another reason for the paddle strop is that it gets you used to moving the blade across a flat surface like a hone, with minimal effort, and you learn to make sure you don't damage the strop at the end of the stroke. A damaged strop would be a damaged blade if it occurred on a hone. Granted, you're moving the razor spine first instead of blade edge first, but the feel and concentration needed to do it correctly is very similar.