[gssixgun]

I have seen this question so many times I thought I would express a few thoughts on the subject.....
The first thing that you have to decide is what razors are you going to be honing....

If you are only re-freshing edges already established by a Honemiester then you need only get a fine grit Finishing stone or a Barbers hone for this.... Either can keep your razor(s) shaving for years....

But it seems that even though many of us start with the great intention of have 2-7 shave ready razors, that dreaded disease RAD gets us and we are buying more and more razors....

Once that happens you will need a full set of hones, I will try and not mention brand names here as there are hundreds of threads regarding what everyone uses....

But you will need these basics:
A bevel setting stone approximately 1k grit
A sharpening stone approximately 4k grit
A polishing stone approximately 8k grit
And although it is debatable you should have a finishing stone
10k and above....

You have several choices of how to accomplish this setup whether you go Natural, Man-made stone, or Diamond style, but you are going to have to be able to cover those 4 grit ranges.... There really is no true short cut here if you expect to take Razors from e-bay, antique stores etc: from butter knife dull / damaged, to shaving sharp you are going to end up needing these types of stones.....


Just some of my rambling thoughts on the subject .....

[cassady]

Good post. Wiki-worthy!

If it goes into the wiki, you might want to add something about a strop.

cass

[bpave777]

Great post Glen. Very clearly stated.

[littlesilverbladefromwale]

If I had my time again I'd go

DMT 1200

Dalmore Blue

Belgian Blue Whetstone

Coticule

Padle strop green stuff/metal polish

Nice strop. Made by a nice man called Tony

But, seeing as they are natural and cheap for their size a Chiniese 12k brick. Just to try!

[BeBerlin]

Originally Posted by cassady

Good post. Wiki-worthy!

My feelings exactly. So there: Hones - Straight Razor Place Wiki

Originally Posted by cassady

If it goes into the wiki, you might want to add something about a strop.

Yes, that part of the Wiki needs work, too, cf. Please help grow the SRP Wiki

[AusTexShaver]

Great post Glen and I agree with your grit recommendations but...what about the size of the stones?

I read a lot of posts about all the problems people are having and I wonder how much of the trouble is being caused by the size of the stones they are using.

In the old days a normal razor hone was maybe 2 inches wide at the most. Today most people are starting out on a 8x3 Norton. I believe this coupled with most new razors being made today not being as straight and level as they should be are causing these problems.

Since I've never read any vintage honing instructions talking about rolling X patterns and such maybe the oldtimers knew something about the optimum stone size?

[Philadelph]

Originally Posted by AusTexShaver

what about the size of the stones?

I read a lot of posts about all the problems people are having and I wonder how much of the trouble is being caused by the size of the stones they are using.

In the old days a normal razor hone was maybe 2 inches wide at the most. Today most people are starting out on a 8x3 Norton. I believe this coupled with most new razors being made today not being as straight and level as they should be are causing these problems.

I have to say- I think we put more thought than necessary into these things once we really "get into it". Hone size may or may not affect your honing in terms of technique and stroke but will not make you a better honer depending on the size of the stone. We can work with what is available and make due just fine. Back when straights were the only option I do not think that the flatness of the hone was AS important as we make it today. Many of us have seen old barber's hones that look to have never been lapped. They have a dish in the middle you could eat out of. It got that way by honing razors. If those said razors didn't get sharp I don't think they would have been using them so much! There are arguments for narrower hones being better for giving all parts of the edge even time on the hone (preventing uneven wear) but I really think that it is a minimal change at best.

Personally I prefer narrower hones for all aspects of honing. That is just my preference based on my own technique, feel, etc. I have made due (and still do) with 8x3 Nortons in my array of hones. Some people prefer that size even. Basically I don't think any trouble comes directly from hone size- only from people lacking the skills (available to be learned here in the threads) to use any size stone with any size razor.