Straight Razor Honing Part 1: Equipment

[flyingfranklin]

Great tutorial! Where's a good place to get these stones? (2:15- that's what she said...)

[Misc77]

I'm not even American (I'm British) and it took me 18 seconds to figure where this guy is from. seriously canada sort out you're linguistics, how hard is it to make a ou/ow sound i mean i don't get it, what's that all aboot (<-- come on, even asks me to spell check)

[FrankieFiveAces]

is it possible to sharpen or hone a blade that is already "ruined"? Mine doesn't seem to ever be sharp enough to shave with.. any ideas? should i try with a larger grit and work all the way down to 4000/6000?

[andrewpocock1]

good advice, it is very difficult to sharpen a straight razor with that small on you showed in vid

i sharpend mine on a 1*4inch canadian sharpening stone (that came with razor)

grab a knife like a penknife and slice off edges of your stone if it is too small for blade this will stop your blade either taking chuncks out of stone or damaginf the blade itself

[sigit666]

I love your vids. very informative. btw im a newbie, few months ago I bought a dovo straight. at the moment I dont have any hone like yours. all I got is a natural whetstone. what grit do i need for my straight when later get dull? do I need both 4000/8000 or can I just get the 4000 grit only? thanx

[Perniciousfats]

2:14 That's what she said

[Brephos]

Kitteh wants to be on tv!

[77davidv407]

is a 4k wet stone enough for a brand new never shrapen carbon steel straight razor

[77davidv407]

i have a brand new carbon steel straight razor that needs to be honed and dont no where to start some one please answer

[stewickie]

This series was fantastic! Thanks for the demo and information.  s

[queenzlink247]

get to the point already

[hcoll]

@queenzlink247 Get the fuck out already.

Just started straight razor shaving. Thinking about not getting into honing as it is yet one more expense(and it doesn't come cheap) and one more thing to do. I figure for the money I'd need to spend on a couple of stones I can afford to send my razor to be honed by an expert. For example, $200 for a pair of stones, including shipping=around 8-10 trips to get it honed, depending on who you send it too and the condition of the blade.

Just a thought.

[WorldWarIIFrEaK]

Cant a waterstone break apart if under-water for an extended period of time?

[lobzdik]

apart from stropping and occasionally honing, is there anything else I need to do to look after my straight razor? my new dovo seems to have developed a bit of rust at the pivot... any tips? thanks

[liquidrtype]

@lobzdik I have the same problem with my black dovo! I tried EagleOne wadding polish! It removed about (a-boot) j.k plexuss, 90-95% of the rust! But I also have some bad pitting which is permanent damage. But the polish works great, results are instant. Its a cotton re-usable swab. Keep the can sealed after use cause it will dry and is highly flammable! Ya might want to use gloves because its strong stuff that kinda leaves your fingers a little raw.I bought it at Kragen auto parts! =)

[nicodemoscarfo]

Yea the "stone pond", won't the water rot after a while? I know it does in my cooler when I forget to drain it.

[nicodemoscarfo]

What are you Canadian? "About"

[nicodemoscarfo]

What are you Canadian? "About"

[blacksail]

hahaha...stone pond...CANADIAN ENGINEERING! Nice video though man.

[that0neguyxx]

im fairly sure if you store your hone under water it will strart to break down and become soft and you will have to remove the top layer which is not fun. good vid tho

[Sviolinist]

let's talk a boot shaving

[dbuschhorn]

It's pronounced a-BOOT. Get it right! LOL!

[matix600]

You might think he sounds a bit goofy (I did at first), but he sure knows his stuff. I watched all 3 and he is very thorough. 5 stars buddy!

[johnmatsson]

good video but stop saying "aaah" all the time, it really annoying!

[Sailbadthesinner666]

Feed the cat! lol  Well done, thanks for doing this.

[imnotbobbarker]

Canadians are smarter... sorry dumb Americans

[homepie64]

is that a threat against chuck norris?

[mytuber81]

Haha aBOAT, he knows his stuff though.

[benjaminmark123]

talk aBOAT?

[Demoras]

Welcome to Canada~

[benjaminmark123]

talk aBOAT?? baha

[12gravediggers]

ehhh... your lame

[jigmesam]

good work. - jigme from SRP

[XavierNinnis]

A thousand thanks! In an effort to be more "Earth friendly" I've been shaving with a straight razor for nearly two years, but, in spite of having read every thing I could locate about how properly hone my blade, I simply hadn't been able to acquire the knack of doing it well and my results were spotty; one time fairly satisfactory, the next, the blade would be duller than when I began.

Now, after having watched your demonstration, and with a bit of practice employing what I'd learned: success!

[lxxAxxl]

Ähm.. äähh...chrrrrrr.....

[i973blazer4x4]

what quality of water is used? will normal everyday tap water do? or should we buy filtered or treated water?

[jeffzahnd]

must admit I laughed at the question at first also, but I would guess that distilled would be better than tap ..

[FordPrefect23]

Nice video but the commentary is less than easy to follow with all the ums, ars and erms. Perhaps preparing a script or improving your vocabulary prior to recording would be better. Its always good to expand your vocabulary any way! I found crosswords helpful in that respect.

[XavierNinnis]

Even if your criticism were valid, I'd say that you were rude and out of line; but in fact, the speech of "plexuss" is remarkably free of such verbal tics, employing them less than, I'd guess, 90-95% of the general populace, which makes you not just rude, but full of sh*t as well.

[mokujingris1]

Thx ALOT for this very usefull series of videos.

I am now the proud owner of a bunch of straight razors, 2 stones og a nice leatherstrop, and I can hone my razors (and kitchen knifes too!) myself, thx to you.

However, I have an issue, maybe you can help?

How do I change the handle? What should I buy to keep the handle in place with the knife, and how do I go about change and fastening the new handle? Also this would be usefull for blades that open to loosely.

Tyvm

Thomas :)

[althero]

The pond seems a bit excessive. Could you possibly replace the whole contraption with an aluminum tray and rubber grip pads found in wal-marts?

[plexuss]

sure you could! you dont even need a pool of water. before i got the pond, i just used the stone on the stand it came with. i liked the idea of having my stones soaked and ready to go and also a source of water to clean the hone. Finally the kit came with stuff to lap stones. but it is a luxury.

[elcheism]

@althero 

[anwealde]

There's so much to "talk a boot" in ten minutes - tee hee

[almyman]

canadians *shakeing head*

[mikekopysh]

I DEFINITELY heard a "u" pronounced in that aBOUT...

people from the rest of the world... tee hee.

;)

[AndroidSpirit]

@anwealde I picked up the accent immediately... found it sexy.

[davidcarr3]

To anyone that may know:

Is there anyway I can avoid buying a water stone for now. I just can't afford one yet... £60 for a Norton one i believe.

I strop my razors but still they are starting to drag on my face.

What about using compounds on the strop can that be a substitute for a waterstone???

I have a tube of strop paste I bought from a shop but the guy seemed to know even less than me, its a white tube with a yellow stripe.

Any help gratefully received.

[sirwilliam0524]

Sorry dude, but the yellow paste has no sharpening qualities. It is just used as a strop conditioner for everyday use. From the description of your blade, I'd say to go with the paste with the red stripe on it. It will refresh a mildly dull edge.

[PaulyCracker]

I'd say no too. Save up, you could use it for other sharpening too.

[OBELISK79]

Thanks a ton for these videos, you've already shown me a lot. Dunno what I'd have done without these to help me.

[dack9]

He does mean 4000/6000. I like to go on to a 8000 stone after.

400/600 grit will tear up and maybe ruin a blade.

Look for japanese waterstones.

[plexuss]

exactly. i did mean 4000/6000. and 8000 on the final pass. i prefer norton stones for the reasons i mention in the video.

[stankwho]

DId you mean to say 400/600 grit stone, not a 4000/6000 grit stone?

[sumahama1981]

I've got an antique Schelling straight razor. At the moment it won't even cut butter.

What stone do I need to get the blade sharp? How many strokes (roughly) are we talking to get a sharp edge (or are we talking hours)?

Love the video!

[UberShtrudel]

I've just ordered a straight razor from eBay and it comes with a strop in one set. my question is, do I have to hone the razor right away as I get it? I need this razor for a daily shaving, (here comes another question XD) in this situation, how often I need to hone the razor?

[rongallant]

Yes, you will need to have your razor honed. Strop before every shave.  You will need to have it honed (just a touch up) about every 3 months depending on how tough your beard is. You can find all the info you will need at straightrazorplaceDOTcom. Just a forum, not a business.

[lotsoffun]

haha you're canadian!!

abouuut

[Triple5soul18]

Damn right! Canadians are the bomb, rather than you Americans who are simply dropping it. I went to school with a guy who's dad actually owned Lee Valley haha, I used to work at the warehouse in Ottawa.

[SCOBYsnacks]

wow i never seen someone so crazy about one razor i get soon razor and stones and all shit i need great videos you just learned me noob how to do this shit in good way you have vodka on me my god man :]

[chieftanzzz]

How often do you need to Hone the blade?

PS thanks for these videos

[plexuss]

it depends on use. generally maybe once or twice a year once you get a good edge

[chieftanzzz]

How often do you need to Hone the blane?

[dgr8zod]

I think this is more stoning than honing, and don't see that a kitchen steel wouldn't do as well..

[plexuss]

you cant sharpen a straight razor with a kitchen steel: a straight razor is made from very thin metal and requires a more precision even hone on each side of the blade that a kitchen steel can not provide. the amount of metal removal is also much less than a kitchen steel can provide.

[utooth]

By the way no oil or water is used with the glass/abrasive paper and graphite. All honing is done dry, simple, easy to use and inexpensive. Your set up complicates things way too much. Or use a Spyco Ultra fine ceramic stone also used dry and any build up is removed in the dishwasher.

[utooth]

A cheaper starter kit is to use a piece of glass and the finest abrasive paper you can find. I use 2000 grit it is then covered in graphite from a 2B pencil. This will give you a polished finish. For those needing a coarser cutting action leave out the graphite.

[merob89]

lol. chill son

[wesleyhowarth]

For the folks in the UK the stones and Stone Pond can be purchased from rutlands co uk

Thanks for posting this series of films

[ulujm]

what is the brand of the water hone?

[plexuss]

norton

[olsaintnic]

Thank You, there are no professional straight razor sharpeners anywhere, I called over 10 in my area. I will try to learn.

[mikeymike7920]

whats that website?

[roughrider119]

go to lee valley . com.

[bitzadoggy]

A cheap setup would be to use a folded damp cloth for a base with a bowl of water on standby. Very informative and well presented video, however.

[plexuss]

the try is great. it allows the stones to be stored wet and ready to go and provides a very secure holder for the stones when in use. if you dont do a lot of honing (ie. just touch up your razor now and again) then its not worth it. but if you are restoring blades on a regular basis, its almost essential. its also essential in a woodworking shop as the tools needs to be honed on a regular basis.