I'm curious as to what you think about if you bought a vintage straight razor from a good source such as Razor Emporium in shave ready condition could you maintain it with a strop and just 1 fine stone (12000 or so)?
Yes, until it needs bevel help. But to answer your question, yes. But proper maintenance along the way is a must. Learning dulls many blades.
Thanks David. I want to add one to my rotation and use it about once a week. I don't really want to spend all the cash on a full set of stone right off the bat, but would like to be able to touch it up once in a while. Any suggestions on a stone and a grit # for doing this? Thank you. Mike
If you only plan on using once a week, it'll probably take you year to get somewhat proficient with the se.
If you need the blade only for the weekends, then might I suggest looking into a Whipped Dog razor or two. For the price of what one from Razor Emporium would cost, you could get a couple from Whipped Dog, and they are well thought of around here, always "Shave Ready". That means a lot. You will also need a strop, I suggest a Illinois 127 or 827. This should keep you shaving for a long while. If you want to learn to hone, and take you shaving razor to stones, for a touch up, think about that later on, after you have SR shaved for a while. That way you can see if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
Haaa, I love auto correct, I guess it thinks I need a stripper, instead of a strop. I corrected it, the same time you typed your reply. I guess I wasn't fast enough.
Naniwa SS 12k is an AWESOME maintenance hone I have probably 10 customers that use just that one hone to maintain their razors.. I see the razor once to set it up, then they keep it going for years with steady touch ups,, The only time I ever see that razor again is there is an accident.. Yes there are other hones and Stones that will work but you will be hard pressed to beat the SS 12k at any price
Took your advice on Whipped Dog and ordered one. Tried one of the better sight unseen ones. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the reply. That sounds about what I was hoping for. I'll have to pick one up in the near future. BTW...I took a quick peek at your site and must say there is some very nice work there. I'll check it out more when I have more time.
Aye..Its Hard to Whack a Naniwa 12 K Super Stone as a Finisher or as a Maintenance Hone..Its a Fantastic Stone.. Billy..
+1 on the Whipped Dog, but you already have that covered and +1 on the Naniwa SS 12k. All I would add is a pasted strop to keep your razor maintained. Barring any mishaps that should keep you shaving with your razor a long time.
If you only plan to use it once a week, it would be a very long time before it needs a touch up, assuming that your stropping technique is good. I agree that the Naniwa SS 12k would be an excellent choice.
That all depends on whether you like natural edges or synthetic edges. For a synthetic edge the 12k SS is great, however a pasted strop will keep you going for a good while. The other option would be a simple barbers hone, they are cheap and get the job done. Simply slap on some lather, max 8 laps, strop and shave. For natural edges it's hard to beat a thuri or a cotti. Small bouts can be had for reasonable cost and they will last a lifetime.