I just got my set (320,1k,2k,4k,8k,15k) I sharpened 3 Japanese kitchen knives with them ... Incredible results ... I have not honed a straight razor with them... Anyone use these?
Some do, but they are honestly considered more of a knife hone and many complain of them having the wrong "Feel" for SR's I would give them a try and just do extra stropping after and see what you think, I do know of two people that I think can hone that use them -BUT- they also finish on a Natural stone after the 15k so take that for what it is worth
Would you happen to know what natural stone they go to after, grit wise? I imagine after 15k shapton it would be pretty hard... Thanks
Natural stones don't really have a grit rating many try to give them one but it is simply a WAG.. The Shaptons will get the razor "Keen" or "Sharp" pretty easily, the second and what is actually more important aspect on SR honing is the "Smoothness" of how the edge feels on your face, this takes a bit of practice to get down.. I would try just the Shaptons and some good dedicated stropping first, before you start tossing $$$ at Natural stones, but an good solid performer at a low entry price is the Chinese Guanxgi stone or PHIG as they are called on the SR forums .. Woodcraft stores carry them, for about $40, however they like every other Natural stone do vary in performance... There are multitudes of Naturals out there and most of them can improve the feel of the edge coming off your 8k or 15k but until you master getting a truly shave ready edge at that level they are all pretty much a waste of money ... Or as you will find on some of the other forums as a sig line for me "No amount of money spent on a Stone can ever replace the value of the time it takes learning to use it properly"
Because you spent the $$ to buy quality, and since you not only got the 12K but the 15K you will get incredible results. I sharpened my own SR's for years with only a 8K stone and never got what I wanted out of it. Then I got a 12K stone and everything changed. With a 15K or 20K stone I can only dream of the results I would be getting.
To properly sharpen an SR you would need 1K, 4K, 8K and at leat 12K, with 15K or 20K being something of an extreme luxury. I use a 12K stone and a power strop to get the results I want. I admit that using a power strop is a bit of a cheat but you can get the job done SO much faster, and better to boot. But, it is not in the traditional fashion. Of course, at the factory they use the fastest way possible so why can't we?
Brother you come near my straight razors with that contraption and we are going to have serious problems Maybe he means something else... I am trying to understand the "Factory" statement too, would love a link to that info Honestly I hone quite a few razors each night, if there is a faster way to strop, that is safe, and effective I would love to hear about it..
What? Maybe I'm missing something here........ Here's how it's done @ the DOVO factory. (about 4:15 or so...) and here (@ about 8:05) I've not heard of many things, but I'm reasonably certain that stropping a straight razor with a power tool is something I would have ran into by now if it was being done successfully on a regular basis. (Note: I've removed an unnecessary comment I made concerning Gold Dollar razors in this post originally. If the thread continuity has suffered, please feel free to blame me.) Mike
Thank God it wasn't just me that went there, I was thinking Zeepk, Gold Dollar, Gold Camel, or some such brands..
You guys can take as much time and stop till you drop if you want to, but, for me I like to get the job done fast and to end up with a better result and this is how I do it. You go to harbor Freight and buy for 69.95 a 30" x 1" belt sander. You then buy online a leather belt to replace the one that comes with the unit. Then, you get a container of Lansky Honing Oil and each time you use the unit you apply the oil to the entire belt. It will evaporate in 30 min so you need to reapply it each time. You can strop an entire razor collection in 15 min and they will all be sharper than doing it by hand. Also, according to the former manager of the factory that makes Dovo razors, the flat wheel in the video is very old and they have to keep fixing it when it fails. However, the point I was trying to make is that they use power tools to get the job done faster and better, with the video showing honing not stropping. I did not appreciate the Gold Dollar comment. I have been collecting fine straight razors for 40 years.
Thanks for clarifying, Les. I had absolutely no idea what 'power stropping' was so do I appreciate the information. I'm not ready to alter my belt sander yet, but I can see how the method you've described would certainly speed up the whole stropping process. And please consider the 'Gold Dollar' comment some good natured ribbing. We tend to do that sometimes in our forum, so please don't take it personally. I catch flak for my love of fancy french soaps, but in the context of shaving forums, I'd expect it.
Very interesting post. I am certainly not an expert so take this for what it is worth. Dovo uses a power strop at the factory? Now I know why every time I buy a new Dovo I have to hone it LOL
The only power strop I use is the old-fashioned 'manual power' model—which entails me & my hanging strop, attempting NOT to cut nicks in it with my sometimes sloppy stropping. I am hopeful my stropping will improve after I lose the wrist brace thats been my companion for the past year.
I'd have problems fitting that kind of hardware in my bathroom, to be honest. And...there's nothing wrong with a nicely Dremeled, polished and laboriously honed Gold Dollar
