Bit of help getting started

B

BlkKnight

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637
Hi All,

I've just picked up a "random lot" of 5 straights of ebay for £15. The auction wasn't even photographed, so I've got no idea what the hell I'm getting!

The aim of the purchase was to get some cheap blades which I can trash while learning honing / stropping technique - I may even end up with a usable blade at the end of it!

I'm now in a position where I'd like to acquire a paddle strop and a hone - I've read the stickies and to be honest are none the wiser.

I don't really want to spend the earth on either product as I may not even end up shaving with them if I can't get on with it.

Can you recommend a strop & (two sided?) hone?

Cheers.

J
 
I would say that you need to see what they are like 1st.

If they require sanding and polishing, which is most likely, then I would suggest that you photograph them all and we can advise you which to work with 1st.

For a 1st straight I would strongly recommend sending it to Neil for honing (and maybe buffing) that way you can get the feel of what a properly sharp razor should feel like. He has some nice strops as well I use a basic hanging strop which didn't cost the earth and performs brilliantly.

When you want to start honing there is a myriad of choice but most people have a range of hones going from 1000 grit up to over 10,000 grit. My very basic set up is a king 1000/6000 combination stone, a Dragons tongue slate, a Chinese 12K and a chromium oxide powdered balsa paddle strop; used in that order, I have so far managed worked on one razor but managed to get it shave ready on about the 6th attempt! As far as just having 1 stone is concerned some people just use a Coticule, but I've not tried one and even if I did I would probably still form the bevel on a 1000 grit, just to speed things up.
 
That's bad Jason. For all you know they could have uneven spine wear, chipped or worse damaged blade.

As far as 2-sided hones Norton. For single I use Super Naniwa. Finishers are Guangxi and Nakayama Maruka. Strops I don't use anyone in particular but my own custom.
 
I agree with Ivan Jason - you could be getting a right load of rubbish.

I wouldn't even think about hones until you see what you get - minor edge chipping is doable with a bit of effort, but you will need at least a 1000 grit hone to make life easier, perhaps even a diamond plate to make it easier still. A good, cheap option is the King 1000/6000 - a bit of a jump in grit sizes, but not insurmountable. It seems fashionable in some quarters to knock these King combos, but I have always had very good results with them. Synthetic stones lower than 1000k (eg 400 grit) tend to be a waste of time (the ceramics are an exception) - they soak up water like a sponge and need lapping at amazingly frequent intervals - I once had one that needed lapping two or three times on the same blade!

The crux of the matter is that you will always need a finisher, but until you get the blades you don't know how many other lower grit hones you will need. I know it is possible to set bevels on a coticule and to use the same stone as a finisher, but to start out with one and a load of damaged blades is asking to put yourself right off honing from the word go - unless you have an incredible amount of free time and want one arm with Popeye muscles on it!

If you do have a lot of repair work to do, do yourself a favour and keep the spine taped - else the wear that you will inevitably inflict on it will make it look even worse and even possible unusable (blade geometry/angle changes as the spine gets thinner).

Regards,
Neil
 
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