LMAO aye that is true I am an OK knife honer now, very much emphasis on the OK... But I had to sit down and watch the vids and take the time to learn how to do it, it is very different from razors I did a hunting knife just the other day for a friend, he had stained it to ugly and it was so dull I had to start on the 2x72 I buffed it back to satin and finally got a Tomato cutting edge on it with the Henckels 250/1k/3k but I could have honed 5 razors in the same amount of time... The thing that transfers between the two IMHO is the feel of the steel on the hone, but other than that the entire process is different..
In that price range you'll have the Naniwas, Norton 4k8k, and a couple of others including mix 'n match combinations such as a DMT1200 and a Shapton 16k. Used stones are always an option. All come with their own issues. Any stone needs to be lapped, flattened, and chamfered. Those stones are, in my opinion, too fine for knives but perfect for razors. I sharpen knives and razors all the time with the proper stones. Knives are harder and razors are easier. If you use magnification, like a Radio Shack Illuminated Microscope (about $12) you know what you're doing to any blade without guessing.
LOL Glen! There's knives and razors and then there's axes, lawn mower blades, and smaller stuff like arrow heads. I think there's knowledge and skill transfer between all of them as well as other edges both thick and thin. Personally I find a new honing challenge interesting as there may not be any reliable info on the web to help and everything you've done in the past with honing edges is brought to bear. It's a real feeling of accomplishment.
I've sharpened 3 straights using lapping film and have shaved off 2 of them so far. Both shaves have been excellent. I'll shave off of #3 tomorrow. On the short term, this might be an inexpensive way to get started. I'm not advocating it, but it is an option to consider. Bevel setter, lapping film, strop.
Lapping film works and it's good that you're skill building on it. It's an expensive way to go over the long run. I keep a variety of grits on an 18"x24" granite surface plate for special projects. A piece of plate glass works pretty well too. I've just got a thing for heavy, stable, very flat blocks of granite. I don't like anything moving when I hone.
It's just the first 3 I've honed on lapping film. Lol, I got my first straight and a barber's hone in 1973 as a gift from my barber when I got out of the service. I haven't been exclusive to straights since 1973 but have always used them since then.
Absolutely! The thing I've noticed is once the bevel is set to finished edge is really quick with the lapping film. I tend to be pretty traditional so I'm sure I'll continue with hones but it's nice to have options.
Interesting! What I've found is that folks tend to start on the Norton 4k8k as its "easy entry". It's happened often enough that they've come back in about 6 months and feel they could be getting better edges. What I've found, in my 7 years of honing razors both for myself and other people, is that the Norton will wring about 90% of the performance a blade is capable of yielding. That's often sufficient for shaving. BUT, if you get to feeling that way, it's worthwhile to try something else to get that last 10%. People who have done so tell me the difference of that last 10% is significant. What are they going to? The cheapest step up is a Shapton 16k. Even a good coticule will improve on the edge from a Norton as it's a finer 8k. A Norton 8k doesn't equal a Belgian 8k doesn't equal a DMT8k. The question many grapple with is: should I spend more time/money getting that extra 10%? For me it's the same with many products in life.
What GSSIXGUN says about "taking the time to learn" is as important for honing as it is shaving technique. A skilled person with a Norton 4k8k will get a better edge than an unskilled person with a full set of Shaptons. A skilled person with a razor will get a better shave with a razor honed out to 8k on a Norton than an unskilled person will get with a razor honed out to 16k. It's all about skill building. I have a paper insert from a Torrey razor and it talks about that very thing! Apparently they had people send razors back because it didn't work. When checked out the razor was fine. It must have happened often enough for them to write it down on the package insert. I think it still holds true today.
I agree with what you say. I'm no expert by any stretch of imagination but I've never been mystified by the sharpening process. Being entirely self sufficient is an important part of the shaving process to me and I have been since I started with straights. I own 5 stones, a 1000k, 4-8 Norton combo, coticule, a Thuringian Celebrated Hone, plus a dmt for lapping and edge repair. What I have works very well for me and has for a number of years.
Nice lineup of stones! With everything from a DMT to a Thuringian, I guess you're well set up for self-sufficiency!
Having listened to everyone here.......plus some outside advice.......my final score Is: 1k, 3k, 8k, Naniwa Superstones and a 12k Chinese waterstone. Now for the difficult bit......learning how to use them. SRP has been an excellent source of information. Many thanks!
Go to whippeddog.com Larry has a nice 1/4 hone starter kit that is very affordable. I have it and it keeps my razors in good shape.
